Juniper Lodge Motel

Just off the highway in Macdoel, California, the Juniper Lodge Motel is slowly being overgrown by wildlife, despite looking as though someone simply abandoned it yesterday.

Little is known about the history (and clearly sudden abandonment) of the roadside motel, but it looks as though it was purpose-built to be the set of a horror movie. The one-story motel features a central courtyard with about 30 rooms, each one missing all doors and windows from years of casual trespassers and vandals. While much of the flooring appears to be rotting, many of the buildings themselves still seem like they could host sinister inhabitants. The front desk, breakfast area, and bar are all sitting intact but in disrepair, waiting for a new guest to arrive. In addition to the rotting motel itself, there is also an abandoned caretaker’s house nearby that still features many of the tacky 70’s furnishings and carpet that must have been popular when the house and motel were in use by more than vandals.

Update as of July 2021: While the structure no longer stands due to wildfire, the original sign can be seen directly off the highway on the west side, south of Macdoel, and north of Grass Lake.