Utah Ghost Towns

Utah, having been settled by the pioneers and prone to small mining towns is filled wit lots of interesting ghost towns, many of which are claimed to be haunted, and they make for a very interesting travel experience if you’re brave enough to go out and find them. Below I’ve included a list of some of the most popular ones in various parts of Utah but before you go exploring and hunting through these types of places there are a few things that you need to remember.

The first is that ghost towns, while they may be abandoned, may still belong to someone. If you see signs of land ownership or of warning trespassers then do yourself a favor and find somewhere else to have your adventure. Its not worth getting in trouble for being on someone elses property just to look through your ghost town. When in doubt - stay out. You also want to be sure that you’re being safe. Old buildings, mines, houses and the like are not always safe and should be treated with caution even if there aren’t signs warning you to. Mines can collapse, houses and crumble, you can be crushed by beams, boards, rock, and severely injured by nails and glass. Be extremely careful opening doors, walking up and down stairs, and always watch your step - you never know what might be on the ground, especially if you’re in a dark or badly lit area. Also be wary of pests like snake and rodents which can bite and carry diseases. Trust your instincts when going to old places like this and if you have a bad feeling about the place you’re in, leave it and stay safe.

You’d also do well to remember that these towns are historical remnants, not playgrounds. Treat them like you would a beloved heirloom and respect the fact that they are still around. Leave them in good condition for others to enjoy after you have left. Don’t leave trash lying around, don’t carve your name into walls or doors, don’t take things from the houses or buildings and don’t leave any evidence of your presence there. Keep things as they were so that others can appreciate and enjoy them after you have gone. With those things in mind read on to find some fun places to explore!

Southern Utah

If you’ve had the chance to see the movie about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid you may have a good time heading out to Grafton, a ghost town that that was settled in 1859 where the movie was actually filmed. It can be a really interesting experience to see the cense from the movie and where they took place. In that same area you can also find a town called Silver Reef which was a very popular mining town in the late 1800’s. There are some newly restored buildings there as long as information provided on how the town originally looked for visitors to see. It’s also worth your while to Paria which is also the set of some movies and is very close to Kanab which is known as Utah’s “little hollywood” because it has played host to more than thirty western films over the last two decades.

Central Utah

For those that aren’t looking to drive quite as far south i can be really fun to check out the old mining town of Eureka as well as the ghost towns that are near it such as Silver City and Mammoth. There’s also the mining ghost town of Kimberly and Bullion City which once had a population of over 1600 people and a very profitable gold mine. Today there are just a few relics of the mine and some of the buildings left. You should also head out to Gold Hill which is one of Utah’s largest and best preserved ghost towns.

Eastern Utah

Eastern utah is filled with busted mining towns such as consumers Coal City, National and many others that are along the 6/50 highway and just a few miles south of Helper. Though the towns in eastern utah aren’t as well known as some of the southern ones there is still a town that Jack Dempsey live and trained for fights in and that along makes it a worthwhile trip.

Northern Utah

Northern Utah has a few towns like the remains of Kelton which was the first big railroad town outside of Promontory as well as Park Valley which has some interesting history to it regarding the gold rush and the towns Russian settlers. there is also a town by the name of Ophir which has many original buildings still left and a fair amount of artifacts have been preserved from there as well.

Ghost towns can be a really fun and adventurous way to learn more about the history of Utah and it’s a neat way to explore some of the culture and the heritage that comes with older states. As long as you remember to stay safe and be respectful it can be a lot of fun to check them out and have some fun exploring.