The International Car Forest — Attraction in Tonopah

Out of the experiences I have encountered in my life, experiencing art in all forms is high up on the scale for me. Art is not always deemed as what is pretty for all, colors, abstract, paintings, graffiti ect - in essence Art is a self creation of what is inside you. And usually the artist doesn't know how the after piece will look once they have taken the mental and placed it on a canvas of sorts in the physical.

Mr. Rippie is one of those visionaries that sees beyond the canvass. He created a stage for artists to commune and let their passion shine on the vehicles that have amassed this desert area in the middle of a small town in the middle of no-where. In addition the main goal of wanting to set a record that once belonged to Carhenge in Nebraska of having the most cars apart of an art piece, that were stacked in the ground. Taking 9 years ( 2002-2011) to complete.

This forest of old, dated vehicles, and bicycles is comprised of more than 40 to make what stands there now. Each carefully placed in the ground in specific fashion. Some of the pieces have glass surrounding them on the ground, or loose metal scraps. So in all honesty I would suggest being careful around each exhibit.

Would def recommend -the area is free to enter, it is on private land, so be mindful. Also it is snake season so watch out. In addition it is on gravel road so make sure to take your time as you drive your vehicle thru this site for your eyes to feast on, as it will tear up your car or tires if your not careful. Donations are greatly...

40 junked cars, most of them sticking up into the ground, many of them painted with cool designs, faces, insects, devils, whatever.

It is located just outside the town of Goldfield, which is (almost) a ghost town. Goldfield was once the largest city in Nevada between 1906 and 1910, but has less than 500 residents now. It's chock full of interesting buildings, ancient rusting vehicles, stamp mills, and much more.

At any rate, to go to, uh, ICFOTLC, just take Crystal Avenue, a dirt road, going east, going away from the center of town. The road will eventually bank right, and continue for not much longer. During the day, you can see the art installation from Route 95, and it's quite easy to see on Crystal Avenue, particularly after it banks right. There is no sign for this along Route 95, but if heading north, Crystal Avenue is a right turn several small blocks before a sharp left turn in the middle of town.

When I arrived, a lone Harley biker was slowly meandering around, checking out the various cars. If you are going to get up close to the cars on foot, I would not recommend wearing sandals, as there is some broken glass from the cars. It's an interesting roadside attraction, and worth a visit, as is the town of Goldfield. If you love ghost towns - and really, who doesn't? - Goldfield is certainly quite fascinating. And accessible.

Excellent for photographers or appreciators of strange art installations. Or really, anyone who enjoys large school buses jammed into the desert floor at seemingly...

I've been wanting to visit this place forever, and I finally got my chance when we were on our way back to Vegas from Reno. It was really awesome despite the scorching heat and blazing sun.

While we were there, it was deserted and silent, and the place had an eerie but not unpleasant energy. I love open air art, outsider art, and street art. I'm an oddball spooky chick, so I also love anything creepy or weird. Bonus points for weird and/or creepy stuff when it is in the desert. So, obviously, The International Car Forest of the Last Church was right up my alley. I bet it's beautiful, and the energy is really interesting at dawn and dusk.

My only regret is that we didn't get to add some of our own art because we didn't have any spray paint or even a Sharpie (artists are welcome. Taggers are tolerated).

Entry is free, but they do accept donations. Just drive around and enjoy the art. If you like weird/creepy stuff, stop in Goldfield and see the International Car Forest, and stop in Tonopah to check out the super creepy Clown Motel and Musem and the...