Colorado's abandoned landscape is defined by altitude and ambition — the Rocky Mountains drew tens of thousands of miners in the late 1800s with promises of silver and gold, built entire cities above 10,000 feet, then watched them empty almost overnight when the ore ran out. The result is the most concentrated collection of preserved ghost towns in the American West, complemented by Cold War military relics on the eastern plains and forgotten Victorian infrastructure across the Front Range. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Colorado, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Colorado Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
No state in America has a higher density of preserved ghost towns than Colorado. The combination of dry mountain air, extreme cold and remoteness means abandoned structures last for generations without deteriorating. Add Cold War missile silos buried under the eastern plains and Victorian industrial ruins scattered across the mining districts and Colorado becomes one of the richest urbex destinations in the country.
1. St. Elmo Ghost Town – Colorado's Most Preserved Ghost Town, 43 Original Buildings Standing Since 1880, Chaffee County (Known Location)
Founded in 1880 as Forest City at 9,961 feet in the Sawatch Range, St. Elmo reached a population of 2,000 at its peak — a full mining city with five hotels, saloons, a courthouse, jail, newspaper office, schoolhouse, telegraph office and railroad station, all fueled by the Mary Murphy Mine which produced over $60 million in gold. When the railroad stopped running in 1926, the population drained away. By 1952 only the Stark family remained — and when the last postmaster died, mail service stopped and the town was officially abandoned. Today 43 original buildings still stand on Main Street, making it the best-preserved ghost town in Colorado and one of the finest in the American West. Accessible by regular car from Buena Vista — a remarkable urbex site that requires no 4WD.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Saint Elmo, Colorado
2. Animas Forks Ghost Town – 1873 Mining Town at 11,200 Feet, 9 Buildings Including the Duncan House, Alpine Loop Byway (Known Location)
Founded in 1873 where three rivers meet in the San Juan Mountains at 11,200 feet elevation, Animas Forks was one of the highest-altitude mining communities in the United States. In 1884 a 23-day blizzard buried the town under 25 feet of snow, forcing residents to dig tunnels between buildings — an event that began its steady decline. By the 1920s the population had dispersed to lower Silverton. Nine original buildings still stand today including the two-story Duncan House with its distinctive bay window, where local legend holds that Evalyn Walsh McLean — the mining heiress who owned the Hope Diamond — wrote her biography. Now owned by the Bureau of Land Management, Animas Forks sits on the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway and is one of the premier alpine ghost town urbex sites in North America.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Gold Camp Road Tunnels – Three Abandoned Railroad Tunnels Cut Through Pikes Peak Granite, Colorado Springs Area (Exclusively on Our Map)
Three railroad tunnels cut through the granite of Pikes Peak on the historic Short Line Railroad route between Colorado City and Cripple Creek — hand-drilled and blasted in the 1890s when the gold rush demanded a direct rail connection to the highest-producing mining district in Colorado. The tunnels collapse partially in 1988, closing the road to vehicles, but the entrance portals, stone abutments and tunnel interiors remain intact. One of the best abandoned places in Colorado for industrial archaeology deep in the mountains, the Gold Camp Road tunnels offer a dramatic combination of Victorian engineering and Pikes Peak scenery. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Dearfield Ghost Town – Colorado's Only All-Black Settlement, Founded 1910, Three Buildings Still Standing on the Eastern Plains (Exclusively on Our Map)
Founded in 1910 by Oliver Toussaint Jackson on the eastern plains east of Greeley, Dearfield was the only all-Black agricultural settlement in Colorado — at its peak home to over 700 African American residents who built a self-sufficient farming community entirely from scratch during the Jim Crow era. The Great Depression and Dust Bowl destroyed the crops and the community simultaneously; by the 1940s Dearfield was abandoned. Three buildings remain standing today: a gas station, a diner and Oliver Jackson's original home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the most historically significant and least-visited abandoned places in Colorado — raw, exposed prairie history with no tourist infrastructure. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Victor & Cripple Creek Abandoned Mine Infrastructure – 1890s Gold District with Head Frames and Processing Mills Still Standing, Teller County (Exclusively on Our Map)
The Cripple Creek and Victor mining district was the last great gold rush in American history — discovered in 1890, the district produced over $500 million in gold and supported a population of 50,000 at its peak. Head frames, ore processing mills, shaft houses and mine portals from that era still stand across the hillsides above Victor and Cripple Creek, many in remarkable condition thanks to Colorado's dry altitude. While Cripple Creek has been partially revived by casino gambling, Victor remains largely frozen in its early 20th century state — the most intact surviving gold mining townscape in Colorado. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Colorado
- Altitude: many Colorado ghost towns sit above 9,000-11,000 feet — take time to acclimatize before extended exploration and watch for symptoms of altitude sickness
- Abandoned mine shafts: Colorado's mountains are riddled with open mine shafts — never approach unmarked holes in the ground and always stay on established paths around mining sites
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location and expected return time
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Colorado
What is the most famous abandoned place in Colorado?
St. Elmo Ghost Town in Chaffee County — Colorado's most preserved ghost town, with 43 original buildings still standing from its 1880 founding. Accessible by regular car from Buena Vista, it's one of the finest preserved ghost towns in the entire American West and a National Historic District since 1979.
What is Animas Forks and how do you get there?
Animas Forks is an 1873 mining ghost town at 11,200 feet in the San Juan Mountains, abandoned since the 1920s with 9 original buildings still standing. It sits on the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway accessible from Silverton. A high-clearance 4WD vehicle is recommended; the road beyond Animas Forks requires 4WD. Open summer only due to snow.
Are Colorado ghost towns accessible in winter?
Most high-altitude ghost towns like Animas Forks and Holy Cross City are only accessible June through early October due to snow closure of mountain roads. St. Elmo is one of the few accessible most of the year, though winter driving conditions require preparation.
🎯 Summary
Colorado's abandoned buildings tell the story of the most dramatic boom-and-bust cycle in American history — entire cities built above 10,000 feet in a decade, emptied in a generation, and preserved by the mountain air for a century. From the 43-building ghost town of St. Elmo to Colorado's only all-Black settlement on the eastern plains, each of these 5 abandoned places in Colorado captures a different dimension of the state's extraordinary past.
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