All throughout the state of Colorado are abandoned structures, towns, businesses, homes, and more. Many, though not all, of the ghost towns that were once thriving mining communities were left behind due to contamination.

Read More: Picturesque Colorado Hike Leads to Abandoned Homes + Power Plant |

However, just outside of Boulder, Colorado sits another piece of property with numerous structures that was abandoned for the same reason, but this place is not nearly as old as any of the mining communities that became ghost towns.

Valmont Power Station Near Boulder Colorado: An Aerial Look

The 1920s saw the construction of the Valmont Power Station, a power plant in Boulder County that was positioned on the banks of Hillcrest Reservoir.

Hong With Camera via YouTube
Hong With Camera via YouTube
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In its infancy, the power plant was primarily driven by coal.

Hong With Camera via YouTube
Hong With Camera via YouTube
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Like any coal-burning operation, the Valmont Power Station produced waste in the form of coal ash which was disposed of on the other side of the property near the now-infamous Valmont Butte.

Hong With Camera via YouTube
Hong With Camera via YouTube
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However, as more information became available regarding contaminants related to coal production, tests were taken on the nearby landfills and eventually found dangerous levels of lithium and selenium in the wells and groundwater.

Hong With Camera via YouTube
Hong With Camera via YouTube
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While natural gas and solar energy operations remained at the power station, Xcel Energy halted all coal burning in 2017.

Hong With Camera via YouTube
Hong With Camera via YouTube
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According to Xcel Energy, there are also plans to halt coal production at two additional Colorado power plants. Craig Station Unit 1 is slated to make the switch by 2025, while Martin Drake Plant in Colorado Springs is set to do the same by 2035.

Picturesque Colorado Hike Leads to Abandoned Homes + Power Plant

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

A hike just outside of the historic town of Victor, Colorado leads to what was once known as Skaguay, which is now totally abandoned.

Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde

Nearly Completely Abandoned Colorado Town will Give You Chills

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Take a virtual tour of Matheson, Colorado, a tiny rural community that’s almost completely abandoned.

Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde

Take a Virtual Tour of an Abandoned Colorado Sugar Factory

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

Check out an old sugar factory in Colorado that dates back to the early 1900s but has since been totally abandoned.

Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde

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