In 1986, Rhyolite was a tourist attraction with less than 10 permanent residents in the townsite, mostly operating tourist businesses. On left, the railroad depot is the only large building left in town that was usable. The bank buildings in the center and at right were undergoing stabilization at the time this photograph was taken. The tailings pile in the center has been disturbed to attempt additional extraction of ores, but the right slope is approximately the same as in 1916. Revegetation in the former townsite has been significant, although most of the plants that have colonized the former building sites are Atriplex sp. (salt bush), not Larrea tridentata (creosote bush). Note that between 1916 and 1986, a small amount of tailings were added to the piles on the background hills. Most of the denudation of hillslopes resulted from off-road-vehicle use and tourism. One active mine was operating in the pass in the left background.(Raymond M. Turner)