How To Find Fallout Shelters Close To Where You Live

By "Just In Case" Jack | Updated: 06/16/2023

Fallout Shelters Near Me

Today I’ve got something critical to share…

An Ultimate Guide To Finding A Fallout Shelter Nearby

All-out nuclear war hasn’t been unleashed…yet.

But it feels like we’re on borrowed time…

That’s why you need to figure out your shelter plans NOW.

Before the bombs are in the air…

TOPICS IN THIS GUIDE…     ↓(click to jump)
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Update: Recently, crowd-sourced fallout shelter maps (like the ones below) have been cropping up online.



THIS is excellent news for those who live in Georgia, New York City and Detroit!

So bookmark this webpage, as I’ll keep adding any new nuclear bunker maps if find to this page!

Nuclear Explosion Maps & Simulations

First off, you need to find out if you live in a State designed to be a “Nuclear Sponge”.

↓ These States Were Designed To Be Sacrificed (a.k.a. Nuclear Sponge)

And Nuclear explosion maps allow you to visualize a nuclear explosion in any city.

This gives you an idea of how large the blast radius (and radioactive fallout) will be.

And IF (and how badly) they will affect you.

Watch this excellent video to see a simulation of such a blast:

↓ Simulation Of A Nuclear Blast In A Major City

What Radiation Poisoning Does To Your Body?

And while everyone worries about the initial blasts, the real horror is radiation.

When these bombs detonate, they scatter nuclear-charged particulates into the air we breathe.

This nuclear dust, called fallout, is an invisible assassin.

And acute radiation poisoning is a horrific way to die.

↓ What Radiation Poisoning Does To Your Body

But radiation is part of our modern reality.

Some choose to ignore these facts.

They pretend the threat doesn’t exist, or realize they can’t do anything about it.

But THAT’s a defeatist attitude and NOT one I’m willing to accept!

Your Best Fallout Shelter Options

The more prudent of us are seeking safety plans.

Looking for a place to run to when the time comes.

Having a secret location, you can access within minutes.

Ideally, (if funds were not an issue) you’d build your own small backyard bunker.

Unfortunately, few can afford this.

At least not ones that cost tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars to build.

So instead, we’re forced to consider alternatives.

Searching and hoping to find a natural nuclear shelter close by.

My guess is, that’s exactly what brought you to this webpage…

You’re looking for a safe fallout shelter near your home.

A safe haven should the sirens sound as the nuclear bombs start dropping.

Unfortunately, there are no city or government-sponsored mass nuclear shelters. 

There are no equivalents to a hurricane shelter for nuclear attacks.

Unless, of course, you’re a well-connected political elite:

↓ The Government’s Secret Underground Nuclear Bunker

Because the sad truth is:

Any building located above ground is not safe…period.

That’s why the government officially advises you to get indoors and stay there.

But we all know our homes are not safe from nuclear attacks.

Even basements won’t protect you from the blast or the fallout.

↓ Protecting Yourself From Radioactive Fallout

But what about natural underground nuclear shelters?

  • An underground retreat should the nuclear holocaust finally arrive.
  • A place you and your family can hunker down and wait out the worst.

Well, there are 4 types of places I know of that “sort of” fit into this category:

  1. Underground Mines
  2. Underground Caves
  3. Federal Bunkers
  4. Small Backyard Root Cellar (your best option)

So today, we will cover the pros and cons of each of these options.

I will also show you (step by step) how to find ones close to where you live.

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Underground mine passage with rails and light

1. Underground Mines

What do you do when the earth’s surface is too dangerous to survive?

Well, you go down below such a surface.

And that’s exactly what mines are; they’re underground tunnels.

And they’re located everywhere across this planet.

We’re talking salt, coal, gold, lime, talc, silver mines, etc.

Many are still operating today.

But thousands of these mines have long since been abandoned.

So if you can locate one of these underground safe havens, you have a place to run to when disaster strikes, right?

Not so fast…

There are flaws in this plan.

First, if a mine is operational, it won’t want you there.

It will have advanced security measures to prevent the average Joe citizen from gaining access.

These profitable operations have fencing, cameras, and security staff.

Now, maybe, just maybe, if the bombs are flying, they’ll make an exception.

When mass panic ensues, emergency management and security break down.

So you might be able to sneak into one of these mines (or beg for mercy).

But that’s not my idea of a reliable plan.

You’re more likely to be met by a security guard or a locked access gate…

So, if operational mines are not a great idea, what about abandoned ones?

This sounds more promising…

In the United States alone, there are thousands of abandoned mines.

Over the years, they’ve been left for dead for several reasons.

  • Maybe the price of the precious resource tanked – turning the mine unprofitable.
  • Or maybe the mine stopped producing enough resources to make it feasible.
  • Sometimes a mine becomes so unsafe and unstable for continued operations.

Whatever the reason, it’s now an abandoned hole in the ground.

One that nobody is watching or paying much attention to.

So that’s our ticket, right?

Find the closest abandoned mine and hunker down in it.

But again, there are serious issues to contend with.

Many of these abandoned mines are highly toxic.

They have high levels of nasty waste products lying around.

Some are nearly as dangerous to live in and breathe as fallout.

We’re talking about places you need a gas mask to explore.

They’re not places you want to spend weeks or months hunkered down, exposed to dangerous air.

You’ve heard the old saying “canary in the coal mine.

This saying came from the fact that miners used to keep the Canaries in cages while they worked.

The Canaries would die before humans if dangerous gas levels were built up in the mine shaft.

If the Canary died, the mine was unsafe.

Lethal methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide concentrations may accumulate in underground passages.

Oxygen-deficient air may cause suffocation.

Another major concern is the possibility of a collapse.

They no longer have engineers checking on the stability of these mine shafts.

So they’re ripe for collapse.

So let’s imagine you find a good non-toxic abandoned mine.

Sure, you’re safe from the nuclear holocaust, but you get crushed or trapped in the mine.

Remember:

Nukes are insanely powerful; they shake the hell out of the earth when they detonate.

So a nuclear earthquake could be the catalyst for a mine collapse.

It may be what causes these old mines to cave in on themselves.

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t seem like the best idea…

And those are not the only dangers; go here to get a list of all the dangers associated with abandoned mines.

For example:

  • Rattlesnakes
  • Mountain lions or bears
  • Getting lost or disoriented
  • Falling off steep ledges
  • Plus many more

However, if you’d still like to know where these places are located and take your chances in the event of a nuclear attack, I get that.

Sometimes, you’ve got to roll the dice when all choices are bad.

So if you still want to pursue this avenue, here’s how to start…

How To Find Mine Fall Out Shelters Near You

The best place to start looking for mines as your fallout shelter is with an online map.

And the good news is:

I’ve found a handy online interactive map.

You can use it to scope out mineral resource operations in your area.

This map displays all metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources and includes the deposit name, location, commodity, and references.

So zoom in on your location and take note of the operations in your area.

Now not every result on this map is an actual underground mine.

This map includes surface mining operations and gravel pits, etc.

However, it also includes underground mines.

So take note of the locations and make yourself a list.

Then spend a day going from location to location, scoping them out.

Fallout Shelters Near Me Map - Mineral Resources Map

But again, good luck getting anywhere near the majority of these.

Even if they were an ideal natural bunker, there’s very little chance you could access them, unless you know someone who works there.

Befriending a miner; now that’s not such a terrible idea…

Ok, what about finding abandoned mines?

How about a map of inactive US metal mines…would that be helpful?

Yes, yes, it would! Here it is.

Again, scroll, zoom, and hover for more information.

From there, you have the general location and whether they are surface or underground.

You want underground ones only, duh!

Abandoned Mine Map

Ok, so there you go; happy hunting…I guess.

But let me be clear:

I’m not condoning you entering old mines and getting hurt.

Feel free to scope them out but stay out of them.

Instead, you may get lucky and find someone who’s already documented an abandoned mine online.

For example:

↓ Another Dangerous, Crumbling, Abandoned Talc Mine Exploration

↓ Exploring An Abandoned Iron Ore Mine

Ok, perhaps mines are NOT a great nuclear fallout option for you…next.

Man Standing At Cave Entrance

2. Underground Caves

Ok, so what about naturally formed caves?

They are not nearly as susceptible to collapse as mines.

They were formed naturally instead of by machines removing tones of earth.

Yes, that sounds right to me.

So caves are a decent example of a – natural bomb – if you happen to live close to one.

But even if you live close, the other problem with caves is that the best and largest ones are very public.

For those, the government is often involved in their protection and emergency management.

Some are so popular you’re forced to sign up a week ahead of time to tour them.

So your best bet is to find smaller, lesser-known caves, like this one:

↓ Cave Exploring: a Two-Room Wonder

Here’s how you can go about researching a cave near you.

How To Find Cave Bomb Shelters Near You

It’s fairly easy to start your research on popular caves.

First, go to Wikipedia’s Cave page and get a list of caves by state.

Now you can click through any result or hover and get some information without clicking through.

Here’s a cave located in Arizona:

Peppersauce Cave in Arizona

But again, you can see in the image above that about 23,000 people visit “Peppersauce Cave” annually.

Caves are awesome; people love to visit them.

Very few large underground caves in the United States are not already tourist destinations.

Making these ideal bunker locations not so great after all.

And for small unknown caves – I couldn’t find much information on those.

So you’ll have to ask some of the older adventurers in your local area.

But again, there are dangers to exploring small natural caves.

Namely, a large predator is already living there…

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Cheyenne Mountain Complex

3. Federal Fallout Bunkers

Lastly, what about Federal Bunkers?

You know, a civil defense strategy like the one in the movie Deep Impact?

A massive nuclear bunker built into the side of a mountain.

A safe place where 100,000 can live for several years underground if need be.

Here’s the issue…

If gaining access to an operational mine is hard, good luck with anything the Feds are running.

It will be a virtual Fort Knox.

And if they ever did use these facilities to save people, it would be a tiny percentage of humanity.

I promise you; it won’t be first come, first serve.

You’d have to be highly important to access such a fancy safe haven.

Anybody with access to such a location isn’t putting up a “public fallout shelter sign”…

And again, an all-out nuclear attack won’t provide days of warning like a pending asteroid strike might.

So even if you could obtain access, you’d likely never get there in time.

However, if you still want to know more about these “Secret Federal Bunkers,” this is a good place to start.

But again, these places are off-limits to 99.9% of us and too far away to do any good.

The bottom line is:

You need something seconds away (not minutes or hours)!

Backyard Root Cellars

Now we come to what I think is THE BEST option when looking for a nuclear fallout shelter near you.

Unfortunately, while public fallout shelters might sound like a good idea, it’s not feasible.

With a nuclear weapon, nowhere above ground is safe.

So that rules out nearly every building, anywhere.

You have to get inside AND underground.

Then you must stay in that location as long as there’s fallout in the air.

So you must take a massive amount of food and supplies to these locations ahead of time.

Plus, it must be extremely close because you won’t have much advance notice (if any).

If you want to prepare and survive a nuclear blast, you need something much closer.

Like on your own property close.

You also need it to be underground.

But again, those cost big bucks, right?

In my extensive research, I found a decent solution from a fellow prepper.

This regular guy built a small backyard root cellar for only a couple hundred dollars out of pocket.

Now, it’s NOT an underground mansion.

It’s NOT a fancy survival retreat bunker under a mountain.

But it’s a root cellar that works well as a small backyard bomb shelter.

No, it’s not a place you’d want to spend a year living in.

But it’s a nuclear shelter you can get to fast and hunker down in for several weeks or months.

Long enough for the worst of the fallout to dissipate.

I believe this is the best solution for most folks out there.

It’s The Ultimate DIY – fallout shelter near me – Solution.

↓ Easy Cellar – How To Build A Small Backyard Bunker

Nuclear Shelters Near Me Solution

It’s a shelter you don’t have to share with anyone but your family.

You can supply lots of safe drinking water and food ahead of time.

And you can get to it within seconds.

And again, it’s the only nearby protection from a nuclear disaster that won’t break the bank.

So if you’re looking for the best “nuclear shelters near me,” you owe it to yourself to check out the Easy Cellar.

At a minimum, it’s worth a few minutes to check it out.

To see if this ingenious solution is right for you.

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