International Car Forest of the Last Church

Longtime Goldfield resident Mark Rippie planted the first car on his land in 2002, with the stated goal of breaking the record for the world's biggest car forest. For years it grew slowly, one salvaged vehicle at a time, hauled out and set into the desert ground or hoisted onto the cars already there.

Around 2011 the artist Chad Sorg, who had spotted a car standing on its nose while driving through town, moved to Goldfield to help expand the installation. Sorg is credited with the wry name: calling it an International Forest was his spoof on the idea of a national forest, a nod to the visitors who now come from all over the world. Rippie described the Last Church as the church that lives inside each person. The two eventually parted ways, but the forest they built together kept drawing painters, taggers, and travelers who add their own layers.

The cars are the canvas. Nearly every surface has been painted, repainted, and tagged, so the murals range from careful artwork to scrawled names, and they shift constantly as new visitors leave their mark. Some vehicles stand alone like desert monoliths; others are stacked two and three high, leaning at impossible angles against the wide Nevada sky.

There is no set path and no staff. You simply park at the edge, walk in, and let the strangeness of it work on you. Photographers love the low light of early morning and evening, when the painted metal glows and long shadows stretch across the dust, and on a clear night the site sits under a spectacular blanket of stars.

Goldfield was once the largest city in Nevada, a boomtown that exploded around a rich gold strike in the early 1900s and just as quickly faded. What remains is a haunting mix of grand old buildings, the historic Goldfield Hotel, weathered ruins, and a small population that keeps the place alive. The town has become a hub for offbeat desert art and eccentric roadside attractions, of which the Car Forest is the best known.

The surrounding high desert is stark and empty, the kind of country where the horizon runs unbroken for miles. It is hot and dry in summer and can be cold and windy in winter, so the mild shoulder seasons of spring and fall are the most comfortable times to explore.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The International Car Forest of the Last Church, near Goldfield in central Nevada, is a wild and surreal outdoor art installation where dozens of cars, trucks, and buses are planted in the desert, many standing on end or balanced in dramatic poses, and covered in bold, colorful graffiti art. Billed as one of the largest such car-art installations, the site is a sprawling, ever-changing gallery of vehicles transformed into canvases by artists, creating a striking and otherworldly scene in the empty desert. A quirky, photogenic, and free outsider-art destination, it delights lovers of the offbeat. With its planted and painted cars, the International Car Forest of the Last Church offers a fascinating destination in Nevada.

You can wander among the dozens of cars, trucks, and buses planted in the desert, many standing dramatically on end or balanced, all covered in vivid, ever-changing graffiti art, and photograph the surreal, colorful scene against the open desert and sky. The dramatic planted vehicles, the bold graffiti art, and the otherworldly desert setting are the draws, making it a memorable and highly photogenic stop for lovers of outsider art and the unusual. It is free to explore. With its painted cars, the International Car Forest of the Last Church offers an engaging experience in Nevada.

The site is a free, open outdoor installation on rough desert ground near Goldfield, often reached by a dirt road, so a suitable vehicle, caution driving, and awareness of the remote setting help. The desert can be hot in summer, so bringing water and sun protection is important. Watching footing around the vehicles and any sharp edges, and treating the art respectfully, are wise. Coming prepared for the desert and rough access ensures a fun and safe visit to the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Nevada.

The cooler months of fall through spring offer the most comfortable weather for wandering the outdoor site, while summer brings desert heat, so early morning is best then and water is essential. The colorful cars are especially striking in the soft light of early morning and late afternoon, and the remote dark skies are excellent for stargazing at night. For comfortable weather and beautiful light on the art, aim for fall through spring at the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Nevada.

The International Car Forest of the Last Church is near Goldfield in central Nevada, within reach of the historic mining town of Goldfield, Tonopah with its historic mining park and dark skies to the north, and Rhyolite Ghost Town and the Goldwell Open Air Museum to the south. That makes the International Car Forest a fascinating stop to combine with Tonopah, Rhyolite Ghost Town, and the other attractions of central Nevada on a visit to the state.