View Full Version : Colorado Ghost Towns: Anyone Here Seek Them Out?
So I have been looking for something to do on weekends with the fam. next summer.
Do any of you frequently visit many of the Colorado Ghost Towns? Is there any that are a must see?
GPS/Google Maps links are greatly appreciated Pictures and turn by turn directions are great as well.
Would like to start out with some novice ones, a bit of novice hiking is also appreciated. Something that can be done on a Saturday or Sunday would be awesome.
EDIT: Since moving here I have not really enjoyed any Colorado scenery other than "Lookout Mountain" I think this would be a great way to take in some of what CO has to offer.
List of to-visit:
Independance, Near Aspen, CO
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence,_Pitkin_County,_Colorado
The olde magpul facility is an easy drive
The olde magpul facility is an easy drive
[facepalm]
The olde magpul facility is an easy drive
touché
GunsRBadMMMMKay
10-21-2014, 21:19
LOL.
There are a bunch up here. One I wanted to take the family to was Independence, you can actually walk around there through the old town and go in the houses etc.
I have a book somewhere that has a bunch of the ghost towns in it. I have to find it.
I too would love to check some of them out, especially some of the gold rush towns, some cool stuff to look at.
Zundfolge
10-21-2014, 22:06
If you find yourself down in The Springs we have several books/guides on haunted Colorado available in the retail store of the company I work for.
https://goo.gl/maps/GlPs5
The Georgetown cemetery in the middle of the night is a good time, but probably not really what you were asking about.
hurley842002
10-22-2014, 06:32
I always thought the Moffat tunnel would be a good time at night. Not the actual tunnel of course, but the area and the buildings surrounding it.
Jeffrey Lebowski
10-22-2014, 08:16
Weather was just pimping St. Elmo: http://www.weather.com/travel/desolate-ghost-towns-20130618
A lot of good books out there. Go to the local travel section at Barnes and Noble, they have a number of Colorado specific ghost town books. Most are nothing but grass and a foundation or two. There are many that can be visited easily as well as many that are on private property. Leave no trace when visiting them so the next person can enjoy the same experience.
sent from a soup can and some string..
wctriumph
10-22-2014, 08:44
About 7 - 8 years ago (when I had disposable income) the wife and I would read articles in various NorCO publications about historical places up here. We would pack a lunch and some emergency stuff and set out with the article, a topo and area set of maps and use the compass in the truck and we would go and try to find these places. Most of the time we found the remnants of the trappers cabin, the remains of a mine, the foundations of some old settlement or town long gone. In some cases we knew we were close by the amount of dual sport motorcycles in the area. It was a fun thing to do for a day and we did it about 3 to 4 times a season.
Thanks fellas I think I will have to get a book. I think there is going to be some from what I have been reading that are easy to get to and I might be able to get to visit before the weather gets too unpredictable.
Ghost Towns, not Haunted Towns LOL Although I do like to get spooked now and again. :-)
One of the biggest scams of US history (maybe) was back in the gold rush-ish days. Guys salted a secret area in Colorado with fake jewels and gems. They would then go to California, dump a bag of gems on a banker's desk, then take them (blind folded) to the plot in Colorado. The banker would invest in the area, and they'd bail with the money. It's kind of a guarded secret, but from what I understand, with some work on your part you can find the area. That'd be a cool accomplishment.
http://www.ghosttowns.com/
BladesNBarrels
10-22-2014, 16:22
A quick reference site is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Colorado
Most towns were started as gold mining camps centered on mining gold, silver, lead, etc.
Still have some like Central City, Blackhawk, and Cripple Creek that are still mining for my gold!
[Read][dig]
boomerhc9
10-22-2014, 19:47
If you find yourself down in The Springs we have several books/guides on haunted Colorado available in the retail store of the company I work for.
https://goo.gl/maps/GlPs5
Or just drive through the springs during the week at 10pm. Damn town closes down around then.
Yeah, thanks everyone for the references. I am going to B&N this weekend. I am hoping for folks to park their personal experiences they have experienced during a trip to a CO ghost town here too. Please post them!
Not quite a ghost town, but have you done this one already?
http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=174
hurley842002
10-22-2014, 21:20
Not quite a ghost town, but have you done this one already?
http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=174
Great trail, and the plain crash is really cool. Definitely not a trail to run in the family Subaru tho.
Not quite a ghost town, but have you done this one already?
http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=174
This type of stuff is what got me into thinking about ghost towns!
There are a LOT of crash sites to see out there.
Can't remember if you're a jeeper or not, but the trails around Camp Hale are pretty nice. There's not a ton left to see at the old 10th Mt. Division site, but there's a lot of cool history there. Some foundations and informational signs, etc. plus the campgrounds. Well that plus the caches of machine guns that are buried up in the hills, of course.
Special Ed
10-23-2014, 08:10
This is the book I used to find the ghost towns -> Ghost Towns of Colorado (This is the book I used to find the ghost towns -> [url=http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Colorado-Pictorial-Discovery-Guides/dp/0896584186/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1414073121&sr=8-5&keywords=colorado+ghost+towns). It was a great reference with easy to follow directions and lots of photos.
My favorite town was Sts. John. I've only been there on ATV and can't recall how easy it would be in a truck.
(http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Colorado-Pictorial-Discovery-Guides/dp/0896584186/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1414073121&sr=8-5&keywords=colorado+ghost+towns)
kidicarus13
05-15-2016, 06:47
Interested to hear about your experiences rbeau30
He hasn't been on in 6 months. I was just wondering yesterday how he was doing.
Wow, the author of that book, Philip Varney, was one of my English teachers in high school in Arizona-one of my favorite teachers. His wife was a French teacher at the same school too. Small world.
I haven't really done the ghost towns but I like checking out the old mines and all of the abandoned buildings and equipment. There are a crap ton of them in the mountains.
This thread reminds me, I've got this book that used to be my dad's. Might come in handy some day.
Ghost towns I went to in the early '70s are all casinos now.
colorider
05-15-2016, 22:19
There are some amazing abandon mines and towns in Taylor Park.
St. Elmo near Buena Vista is interesting as well as the drive above st. Elmo . Requires a vehicle with ground clearance.
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