Hiking is one of the best things to do in Colorado. So why not have a destination in mind before you hike.

I am talking about heading out and searching for all the ghost towns we have around Colorado. I have found a few that I think would be amazing to go see for your self. Most of the ghost towns around Colorado were started and abandoned because of mining. Some a little bigger than others.

Check out these amazing ghost towns that you need to go take a look at. Can you say weekend trip?

Carson - Lake City

Carson is the remains of two mining camps that were set up. Once the mining started to dwindle the miners packed up and left. Leaving behind a mining site to never be used again. It will take a little bit of hiking before you get there. But this cool ghost town is well-preserved. It is on private property but the owner will let people come visit as long as you treat everything with respect. As an added bonus you will have amazing views of the Continental Divide.

Vicksburg - Leadville

Vicksburg was one of the bigger mining towns. At its peak,  Vicksburg held up to 700 people. Once you get there you will see some very well preserved cabins. That is because people still occupy these cabins during the summer months. But, this is still considered a ghost town. This place has so much history that it is well worth the trip to get here.

Dearfield - Greeley

Dearfield is the only predominant African-American colony in Colorado. Once the great depression hit people ended up moving on to find better opportunities. There isn't much left of Dearfield other than a few couple buildings, a gas station, and the founder's house. This is an amazing place to go to learn some history of Colorado and the first dominant African American town.

Animas Forks - Silverton

Like many of the ghost towns Animas Forks started and stopped with mining. At its best Animas had a general store, hotel, many cabins, and a post office. There was also a saloon in town as well. Now its one of the main tourist attractions in Colorado, I tried going here once before and got lost. This is a place you must visit to see how people used to do things.

St. Elmo - Buena Vista

St. Elmo is one of the best-preserved ghost towns in all of Colorado. Almost 2000 lived here for mining. Once the railroad was discontinued people started leaving in flocks. Even though considered a ghost town people still do live here during the summer. You can still go to the general store and rent 4wheelers to get around faster. This one is on the top of my lift of ghost towns to visit. Who wouldn't want to step foot in a General Store that was in use in the 1920s? I know I would love too.

Now is the time to venture out and take a look at all the ghost towns Colorado has to offer. Start with these amazing and keep going. Got any other ghost towns let me know!

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