A Hidden Piece of Wild West History and Paranormal Mystery
Nestled in the heart of Nevada’s rugged high desert, Mount Wilson Ranch has stood for over 150 years. Originally settled during the gold rush era of the 1870s, this remote property once provided rest, shelter, and supplies to weary prospectors seeking their fortunes in the nearby hills. The Settler’s Cabin — still standing in the lower meadow — is a testament to this pioneering past.
The ranch sits near Pioche, once one of the most lawless towns in the West, known for its gunfights and silver mines. Mount Wilson Ranch became a sanctuary from that chaos — a place of natural beauty, self-reliance, and quiet mystery.
In more recent decades, Mount Wilson Ranch has captured the attention of researchers exploring the paranormal and unexplained. Long before Skinwalker Ranch rose to fame, Mount Wilson hosted private investigations led by aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, with scientific advisors like Jacques Vallée and Hal Puthoff.
These researchers were drawn by strange reports — UFO sightings, orbs of light, vortex-like energy fields, and spectral apparitions. Instruments were deployed. Unusual readings were recorded. And while not all results were made public, the ranch’s reputation as a place of “high strangeness” quietly grew.
In 2008, Mount Wilson Ranch passed into the care of Jeff MacBurnie and his partner NikNak, who have lovingly restored and operated it as both a rustic guest ranch and a welcoming basecamp for researchers, spiritual seekers, and curious travelers.
Whether you’re here to hike the high desert, experience skywatch from the vortex meadow, or conduct overnight ghost hunts at the Settler’s Cabin — the ranch provides a safe and open space to explore the edge of what we know.
Some guests come for solitude and stars. Others for contact and curiosity. What they all find is something rare — a place that honors the land’s history while inviting new mysteries to unfold.
At Mount Wilson Ranch, you’re not just booking a room — you’re entering a story. One still being written under the vast Nevada sky.