Siberia, California
- Ghost town
- In Siberia, California
- 0.2 mi from Route 66
Siberia is a Route 66 ghost town in California's Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, about 7 miles west of Bagdad and roughly 12 miles east of Ludlow. Despite the icy name, it sits in the low desert. It began as a Santa Fe Railway water stop and siding, served motorists in the highway years, and faded after Interstate 40 opened in 1973. The stone ruins seen there around 2000 were reported removed by 2003.
What is Siberia?
Siberia is a place name on the map more than a place on the ground. The railroad still passes the old siding, and National Trails Highway, the former Route 66, runs just beside the site. Travelers who stopped around 2000 described stone ruins; one visitor reported them removed by 2003, and today there is little or nothing to point a camera at besides open desert and the tracks.
History of Siberia
Like its neighbors, Siberia started as a stop where Santa Fe steam engines took on water. When Route 66 traffic grew in the 1930s and 1940s, small family cafes and tourist camps along this stretch catered to drivers crossing the desert. Siberia was minor even then: one Route 66 researcher notes that Jack Rittenhouse's 1946 guidebook does not mention it. Once Interstate 40 took the through traffic to the north in 1973, the stop dried up.
Visiting Siberia: tips
Siberia is a quick roadside pause for Route 66 history fans, best combined with the drive between Amboy and Ludlow, which reopened in December 2022 after bridge repairs. There are no services of any kind, so fill up and carry water in Amboy or Ludlow. Bagdad, with its lone marker tree, is about 7 miles east. The old road here crosses Mojave Trails National Monument, which the BLM says holds the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of Route 66. Check road conditions after summer storms, when washes can flood the old road.
Practical info
- Address
- California
Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix
On the map
Full mapSiberia with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Stops near Siberia
All of California
2.0 mi from Siberia
7.0 mi from Siberia
9.8 mi from Siberia
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11.9 mi from Siberia
12.5 mi from Siberia
14.5 mi from Siberia
Questions about Siberia
Is there a town called Siberia in California?
There was. Siberia was a railroad siding and Route 66 stop in San Bernardino County's Mojave Desert, between Bagdad and Ludlow. It lost its traffic when Interstate 40 opened in 1973, and the stone ruins that stood around 2000 were reported removed by 2003. Today it is a name on the map.
What is left of Siberia, California?
Almost nothing. Stone ruins stood here around 2000 and were reported removed by 2003, though one recent travel article mentions a few crumbling walls. The Santa Fe railroad line and the old Route 66 roadway still pass the site, but there are no buildings to see.
Own or run Siberia? Send us a photo or a correction.