Bodie and Mono Lake Private Tours
Take a Private Tour with the Bodie Foundation
The Bodie Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and public enjoyment of Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, and Grover Hot Springs State Park. Within these parks we strive to provide a consistent stream of funding to the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to provide for the stabilization of structures, conservation of artifacts, ongoing maintenance program, interpretation, and protection of natural resources. Our private tours are one part of our fundraising activities.
Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance. Below are descriptions of private tours, which are available mid-May to mid-October, road and weather conditions permitting.
Private Town Tours:
Spend two hours revealing the history of this remarkable town. We can design a tour to fit your interests. You have the option of including a walk through the stamp mill for part of this tour. We also offer a two-hour and 20-minute tour that allows your group a 20-minute break after the history walk portion before you go to the stamp mill for a trip to the year 1095.
Twilight Tours: (5-7 p.m., June through September.)
Enjoy the beautiful evening light in this two-hour walking tour that allows your group to spend an hour in the park after closing with a guide. We delve deeper into the history and stories of the people of Bodie and the second hour of the tour includes a tour of select sites at the cemetery or a visit to the stamp mill.
Living at the Lake Tour: (Meets north of Lee Vining.)
A two-hour walking tour of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve. Join a guide with Friends of Mono Lake Reserve for a two-hour tour of state lands near Lee Vining. You will discover how Native people and early residents made a home next to this unique lake. We’ll also talk about farms and ranches that sprang up in the Mono Basin to feed surrounding communities and mining camps in the late 1800s.
2024 Pricing for Two-Hour Tours:
One to four people - $200 minimum
Each additional person - $50/ per person
Bus Companies: ask about our 1-hour tours for your group.
Mines, Mills, Rails and Ruins Tour: (Four-Hour Driving Tour)
We travel through the Bodie Mining District which is normally off-limits without a guide. Learn how fortunes rose and crashed swiftly in Bodie’s boom years and hear about the surprising people who continued to live and work in the mining district after the boom. Participants must have a high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle for this tour. Please note, there is no access to mines on this tour.
MMRR Pricing: $100 per person. Minimum charge $200 and tour is limited to 15.
To start the reservation process for your private tour: contact Chris Spiller via email, chris@bodiefoundation.org.
Please note:
The above prices do not include state park admission fees, $8 for adults and $5 for children 18 & under. Children 3 and under are free.
For school group reservations (K -12) please contact Bodie State Historic Park at (760) 616-5040 at least four weeks in advance.
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Daily Bodie State Historic Park Public Tours
Bodie State Historic Park Staff also conducts daily public tours:
Late May through September
Free History Talks
Most days, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., check with Entrance Station or Museum.
Stamp Mill Tour:
At 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., most days depending on staffing. Visit Museum for tickets, $6 per person.
