One Of America's Best Ghost Towns Is Between Colorado Springs And Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

With Colorado Springs to the east and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park to the west, Saint Elmo is your classic Wild West town. Nestled in the mountains of Colorado, the main drag is lined with wood-framed buildings, and some are composed of actual logs. There's a general store, a telegraph office, and more than one dance hall. Beyond the sloped steel roofs, fir-studded slopes rise all around. It's easy to believe these antique buildings date back to the 1880s; as you stroll down the dirt streets, you half expect to spot a cowboy, dressed in a duster and mounted on a horse. Indeed, many of St. Elmo's early residents with hardscrabble prospectors, digging for fortunes in local mines.

But you probably won't see that cowboy, nor many people at all. Today, St. Elmo is considered a ghost town, albeit one of the best preserved in the state. Its story is typical of the 19th-century boomtowns of the Rocky Mountains: Precious metals attracted miners to the region, and a community of 2,000 people quickly sprang up. Many residents grew tired of the economic rollercoaster, and a couple devastating fires didn't help matters, so the town's population dwindled over the next couple of decades, until the local train stopped running here in 1922. Most of St. Elmo's history is crammed into 30 years, and hardly anyone bothered to live here after 1930. It's astonishing that St. Elmo still stands; many of its façades look as sturdy as ever, despite a century of neglect.

Anyone is welcome to poke around the stately ruins of St. Elmo. You can actually drive right into town, and in any time of year, thanks to four-season plowing and Forest Service maintenance. If you're curious about U.S. ghost towns and the history behind them, St. Elmo is a prime addition to a national tour.

St. Elmo isn't alone, of course. Colorado is home to at least 700 ghost towns, defined here as communities that were once populous and have since been abandoned. Some stragglers may still legally live and own property in a ghost town, but the majority of buildings are empty and decaying. True to their names, ghost towns can be eerie places; the absence of noise, traffic, electric lights, and general upkeep can make for an apocalyptic atmosphere. As a rule, visitors should be cautious about broken glass, stray nails, uneven pavement, and structures on the cusp of collapsing. More unsettling than the lack of people is the possibility that random squatters still lurk in a ghost town — folks who don't care for trespassers.

Unlike many other ghost towns across the Centennial State, St. Elmo is a fairly common destination. Indeed, a handful of people still live around here, and you'll find a few open institutions among the 43 surviving structures. A local nonprofit restored the St. Elmo Schoolhouse and Town Hall, and many period furnishings and artifacts await curious visitors. Lots of travelers love to come through here on horses or ATVs, passing through beautiful backcountry before they arrive at this storied settlement. There are many things locals will want you to experience in Colorado, and an expedition to this iconic corner helps outsiders appreciate the state's pioneer past.

Colorado is a massive state, and the closest major airport to St. Elmo is Denver International, about three hours away by car. There's a lot to see between these two points, including spectacular alpine terrain, a smattering of other ghost towns, and iconic natural wonders, so road-trippers should consider taking their time. The nearest town is Buena Vista, a pleasant little community of about 3,000 people at the foot of scenic mountains. The town has more than its share of inns, chain hotels, and campgrounds; for a private room, expect to pay between $100 and $300 per night. Buena Vista is still about 40 minutes away from St. Elmo by car, but the drive should prove picturesque any time of year.

The region around St. Elmo has many other attractions as well; the remains are only 10 minutes from the Mary Murphy Mine, which was once a wellspring of gold production, and the same distance from the Mt. Antero trailhead, which will take you over 14,000 feet to the mountain's summit. In the same vein as St. Elmo is Hancock, about 12 minutes away by car, which is another ghost town with a similar background, though its ruins aren't quite as well preserved. Travelers could spend days or even weeks exploring the highlands of Chaffee County — and communing with its Wild West past.