International Car Forest of 80 acres in Goldfield America
Link Location Gps ← Find Best directions
Gps Coordinates / 37.7001312,-117.2279054
International Car Forest Weird Strange VR Map Locations
1111 East, Crystal Ave, Goldfield, NV 89013, United States
"To call it an International Forest was my idea," said Sorg, "as a sort of spoof on 'national forest' and because people from all over the world visit Goldfield. Highway 95 gets large amounts of tourists wanting to experience the Old West."
Gps Coordinates / 37.7000639,-117.230097
The International Car Forest of the Last Church was created by longtime Goldfield resident Mark Rippie, whose vision was to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest car forest. Joined by artists Chad Sort and Zak Sargent, the three set to work, burying the noses of more than 40 vehicles.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2285007 / Gps Link -117.2276195 / Gps Link -117.2282947
Gps Coordinates / 37.6989133,-117.2285007 / 37.6990786,-117.2276195 / 37.6998588,-117.2282947
Rippie, who owns these 80 acres, began the project in 2002, when he was in his late 50s. He'd spent decades around Goldfield (population maybe 250, down from an early 1900s peak of 30,000), often sporting a wispy gray beard and dabbling in mining and other schemes "running the high desert looking for gold, antique treasures and junk vehicles," as he put it. He hopped on his backhoe and dug the first hole for the forest, determined to get the Guinness Book of World Records title for the most cars planted vertically in the ground. Then he tapped his personal boneyard of junk vehicles.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2283658 / Gps Link -117.2282977 / Gps Link -117.2282041
Gps Coordinates / 37.6993499,-117.2283658 / 37.6993868,-117.2282977 / 37.6993088,-117.2282041
Sorg, an edgy artist who co-founded Reno's NadaDada Motel, which The New York Times described as "a jubilantly unpretentious art event in which some 100 artists rent rooms at two of the city's vintage hotels and motels and temporarily transform nicotine-infused rooms into art," visited Goldfield in 2004 and decided to hang around. The town, he thought, was "perfect for an art retreat. There's nothing much around to distract you from your work." And he was fascinated by what he described as Rippie's "insane project." He's a friendly-looking character with a calming energy and a thick, dark beard, and he does most of the talking.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2283592 / Gps Link -117.2287281 / Gps Link -117.2288905
Gps Coordinates / 37.6990593,-117.2283592 / 37.6989155,-117.2287281 / 37.6986882,-117.2288905
"My favorite part about working on the forest was the solitude it provided," Sorg said. "I was out there every day. We actually wouldn't start working until after midnight (to avoid the summer heat). Our trucks and backhoes were equipped with spotlights. The feeling was spooky and quirky. Over time, we learned a lot about the unique physical requirements of each vehicle, how to weight them down, and which end should be buried in the dirt. Mark would drive the backhoe and I would guide the vehicle into the hole. Then we would backfill dirt in. In all the times we did this, surprisingly, we never had any mishaps. After we met, I didn't leave until we finished planting that last car" – which they did in 2011, seven years after Sorg teamed up with Rippie.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2293651 / Gps Link -117.2287889 / Gps Link -117.2281223
Gps Coordinates / 37.6977808,-117.2293651 / 37.6983073,-117.2287889 / 37.6985638,-117.2281223
The product of artists Chad Sorg and Mark Rippie, the Car Forest began when Sorg saw just a seed of the project. As he was driving through Goldfield, Nevada, Sorg saw a car standing on its nose in the sand. Intrigued, the artist found that it was the work of Rippie and by 2011, Sorg had moved to the city to help Rippie expand their “forest.”
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2287524 / Gps Link -117.227876 / Gps Link -117.2280332 / Gps Link -117.2286224
Gps Coordinates / 37.6983341,-117.2287524 / 37.6987564,-117.227876 / 37.6988578,-117.2280332 / 37.6989288,-117.2286224
In a town noted for its otherworldliness, the International Car Forest of the Last Church stands out in Goldfield. Once the biggest town in Nevada, Goldfield is now a place people pass through, although not too quickly. The local police force is noted for its enthusiasm in enforcing the speed limit.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2289699 / Gps Link -117.2285779 / Gps Link -117.2285194
Gps Coordinates / 37.6986321,-117.2289699 / 37.6987541,-117.2285779 / 37.6994274,-117.2285194
Sorg is an artist who had a vision for the International Car Forest; Rippie just wanted his name on a Guinness World Record. They fell out irrevocably not long before Rippie went to prison for two years for improperly possessing and attempting to purchase firearms.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -117.2293078 / Gps Link -117.2286124 / Gps Link -117.2278489
Gps Coordinates / 37.6978913,-117.2293078 / 37.6984365,-117.2286124 / 37.6986068,-117.2278489
Head back into Goldfield to discover more open air artwork like Rocket Bob’s Art Cars, the array of local art of all mediums sold at shops across town, and the lowdown on more Weird Nevada greats right in the heart of this historic gold mining town.
Link Location Gps -117.2279056
Gps Coordinates / 37.700037,-117.2279056
The International Car Forest of the Last Church is open and accessible 24/7, though best enjoyed from sunrise to sunset. For more information on planning your trip to the Car Forest and specific directions on how to find it, get in touch with The Goldfield General Store (current owners of the Car Forest) directly at (775) 485-3477.
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Admission to the Car Forest is free!
