At the end of October, we tracked down Kentucky Camp. It's the remains of an old mining camp, then cattle ranch, and now a ghost town/recreation site. There are only 4 remaining buildings, the largest is the cattle company headquarters building.
There has been a lot of work done on the headquarters building, and it's a nice place to take a break after the short hike down the hill to get to it. The parking area is about 1/4 mile away, so it's a short stroll to get here.
Inside are several exhibits, and several empty rooms. This is the epicenter of an old placer gold mining area. The area was beginning to be developed, but then the visionary behind the developing fell out of a 3rd story window in Tucson and died. After his passing, the driving force dissipated as well, and the area was abandoned for mining and the cattlemen came in.
One of the unique aspects of this site is that there's a cabin that's available for rental on
www.recreation.gov. I think it was $50 or $75 a night. If you've ever wanted to rent a cabin in an old ghost town, this might be the place for you! The sign out front says "Bed- no breakfast".
This other cabin is in the stages of being repaired, but is off limits to interior exploration. There is a camp host that stays on site to watch over things and to tell people a little of the history. It was a fun stop.
Nearest City: Sonoita, AZ
Location: Take Gardener Canyon Road going west, turn North on the first road you come to, then follow the signs for 3-5 miles to Kentucky Camp. Park in the parking area, then walk 1/4 mile to the site.
Time Needed: 1 hour
Kid friendly: Yes
Additional info: kentuckycamp.org
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