Colorado Jeep Tours: Ghost Towns

One often overlooked part of Colorado is its rich mining history and well preserved ghost towns, which are accessible through Colorado jeep tours. The late 1800s saw an enormous boost in mountain mining up in the high country of Colorado. As miners moved into the mountains, small towns started popping up. Life in these towns was not for the faint of heart. The air was thin, the terrain unforgiving, travel was difficult, and most of all, the winters were long and hard.

As the mining economy collapsed, these towns were abandoned, many of them on very short notice. One such town near Durango is Animas Forks. This ghost town is located at just over 11,000 feet above sea level and is just a short trip out of Silverton, Colorado. In its prime, Animas Forks had a printing press as well several stores, a hotel, and saloon. Life here was certainly not easy. Snow caused many difficulties for the residents and avalanches were a normal part of life due to the steep terrain surrounding the city.  One winter a blizzard hit that lasted for more than three weeks and completely buried the town. Animas Forks is just one of the many ghost towns found in the Silverton area.  Many are difficult to reach and find, but guided Colorado jeep tours will help you discover them.

Visiting a ghost town on one of the guided Colorado jeep tours is truly a unique experience. It is incredible to see the buildings still very well intact. It’s easy to imagine a small thriving mining town while walking around the well-preserved buildings.  To get the full mining experience, consider combining the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad with one of the guided Colorado jeep tours on a Trails & Rails package trip.  Stepping into a Colorado ghost town is truly taking a step back in time.