Phoenix grows faster than almost any American city — but the surrounding Sonoran Desert hides an extraordinary concentration of abandoned places that the city's expansion hasn't yet reached. Route 66 ghost towns to the north. WWII prisoner-of-war camps in the desert. 1920s resort hotels slowly surrendering to the heat. Mining ghost towns in the mountains that ring the Valley of the Sun. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Phoenix, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Phoenix Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Phoenix's abandoned landscape exists in two zones — the city itself, where development pressure eliminates most sites within years of closure, and the surrounding Sonoran Desert and mountain ranges, where the extreme dry climate has preserved mining ghost towns, WWII military sites and Route 66 roadside infrastructure for generations beyond what any wetter climate would allow.
1. Vulture Mine and Ghost Town – 1863 Arizona's Most Productive Gold Mine, Hanging Tree Still Standing, 18 Buildings in the Sonoran Desert, Wickenburg (Known Location)
Discovered by Henry Wickenburg in 1863, the Vulture Mine produced over $200 million in gold before closing in 1942 when WWII made non-essential mining illegal. The ghost town that grew around it still stands 14 miles south of Wickenburg — the assay office, bunkhouses, mess hall, the mine headframe above the shaft and the "hanging tree" where 18 workers were lynched for stealing ore. The extreme Sonoran Desert preservation keeps the wooden structures in extraordinary condition. Accessible for self-guided tours. One of the most complete and most photogenic gold mining ghost towns near Phoenix and one of the best abandoned places in the Phoenix region.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Vulture Mine
2. Papago Park German POW Camp – 1943 WWII Prisoner of War Facility, Site of the Largest POW Escape in US History, Scottsdale Area (Known Location)
From 1943 to 1946, Papago Park in the Phoenix area held over 3,000 German prisoners of war — U-boat crews and Rommel's Afrika Korps veterans. On the night of December 23, 1944, 25 German officers escaped through a 178-foot tunnel they had dug beneath the compound, making it the largest POW escape from American soil in history. All were eventually recaptured in the desert. The camp site is now part of the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Park; the original tunnel escape site has been marked, and surface remnants of the camp infrastructure are still identifiable. One of the most historically unusual abandoned places in the Phoenix area. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Abandoned Sonoran Desert Resort Hotel – 1920s-1930s Winter Health Resort, Adobe Construction Still Standing, Maricopa County (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1920s-1930s winter health resort from the era when Phoenix marketed itself as a tuberculosis cure destination — the dry desert air recommended by doctors for lung conditions drew wealthy eastern patients to Arizona winter sanitariums. This complex retains its original adobe construction with thick mud brick walls, the courtyard layout designed for therapeutic outdoor living and the desert landscaping planted around the grounds 90 years ago. Phoenix's explosive growth has consumed most of this era's resort infrastructure; this survivor is one of the most historically significant abandoned places in Phoenix. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Hassayampa River Mining Town – 1880s Gold and Silver Camp with Original Stone Buildings, Yavapai County (Exclusively on Our Map)
A Hassayampa River canyon mining camp from the 1880s Arizona gold and silver rush — stone walls of the original buildings still standing in the canyon, the mine portal cut into the hillside above and the creek-side setting that attracted prospectors who recognized the Hassayampa's gold-bearing geology. Yavapai County's mining history rivals that of the more famous Tombstone and Jerome districts; this canyon camp is one of the least-visited and best-preserved examples of 1880s Territorial Arizona mining infrastructure. One of the best abandoned places near Phoenix for 19th-century mining archaeology. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Abandoned Phoenix Mid-Century Drive-In Theater – 1950s-1970s Outdoor Cinema, Screen Tower Still Standing, East Valley (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1950s-1970s drive-in theater from the peak of Phoenix's post-WWII suburban growth — the original screen tower still standing above the East Valley landscape, the projection booth building with period equipment inside and the speaker post foundations still cut in rows across the cracked asphalt of the parking area. Arizona's drive-in culture peaked in the 1960s-1970s when Phoenix's warm winters made year-round outdoor cinema viable; this survivor is one of the most intact examples of mid-century Phoenix entertainment infrastructure still standing. One of the best abandoned places in Phoenix for mid-century Americana photography against the Arizona sky. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Phoenix
- Extreme heat: Phoenix regularly exceeds 115°F in summer — never explore desert sites without 2 liters of water minimum and avoid any outdoor activity between 10am and 6pm June through September
- Abandoned mine shafts: the mountains surrounding Phoenix are riddled with open shafts — never approach unmarked ground openings and always stay on established paths around mining sites
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Phoenix
What is the most famous abandoned place near Phoenix?
Vulture Mine — Arizona's most productive gold mine, discovered in 1863 and closed in 1942. The ghost town 14 miles south of Wickenburg includes 18 original structures including the assay office, bunkhouses and the hanging tree where 18 workers were lynched for stealing ore. One of the most complete gold mining ghost towns in the Sonoran Desert.
What was the Papago Park POW camp?
A WWII prisoner of war facility that held over 3,000 German prisoners from 1943 to 1946 — including U-boat crews and Afrika Korps veterans. On December 23, 1944, 25 German officers escaped through a 178-foot tunnel, making it the largest POW escape from American soil in history. All were eventually recaptured. The site is now part of Papago Park with the original tunnel location marked.
Why does Phoenix have so few abandoned buildings in the city itself?
Phoenix's explosive growth — from 65,000 residents in 1940 to over 1.6 million today — creates constant development pressure that absorbs abandoned properties rapidly. Land values in Phoenix's core make long-term abandonment economically impossible; almost everything that closes is quickly demolished or redeveloped. The abandoned sites that survive tend to be in the surrounding desert, in the mountain mining districts or in the highway corridors bypassed by the freeway system.
🎯 Summary
Phoenix's abandoned buildings exist in the desert that surrounds the city — a gold mine where workers were lynched for stealing ore, a WWII prisoner of war camp where German U-boat crews tunneled to freedom on Christmas Eve and 1880s mining towns in the Hassayampa canyon that the Sonoran Desert has preserved for 140 years. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Phoenix captures a different dimension of a city that grows too fast to look back at its own past.
Abandoned Places Map USA
- ✓ 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States
- ✓ Exclusive locations not found anywhere else
- ✓ Instant access after purchase
- ✓ Free updates forever
19,99€
Explore All Locations →
