Ghost Towns in Utah
33 documented ghost towns
Explore on Map
History
Explore the ghost towns of Utah.
All Ghost Towns
Castlegate
Castlegate was a coal town at the base of a dramatic rock formation. Butch Cassidy robbed the payroll here in 1897. A mine explosion in 1924 killed 17...
Cisco
Cisco was a railroad watering stop that became a uranium boomtown. Now it's photogenic ruins used in movies and commercials....
Consumers
Consumers was the first of three camps in Gordon Creek canyon (along with National and Sweet) built by the Consumers Mutual Coal Company. It had a bas...
Dragon
Dragon was a company town built by the American Asphalt Association to mine Gilsonite (a hydrocarbon). It had a hotel, library, and shops. It was the ...
Eureka
Eureka was the center of the Tintic Mining District, once the world's richest silver district. The town produced $500 million in ore. About 700 reside...
Frisco
Frisco was called the wildest town in Utah - with 23 saloons and an average of one murder a night. The Horn Silver mine produced $60 million in silver...
Gold Hill
Gold Hill was a copper, tungsten, and gold mining town that peaked at 3,000 in WWI. When mining ended, everyone left. One caretaker remains. Stone bui...
Grafton
Grafton is one of America's most photogenic ghost towns. The bicycle scene from 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' was filmed here. The 1886 schoolh...
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a model company town with well-built houses, churches, and a school. It operated for decades. After the mine closed in the 1990s, the tow...
Iosepa
Iosepa was a Hawaiian Mormon colony in the desert. When the Laie Hawaii Temple opened in 1917, everyone went home. An annual luau marks the site....
Jacob City
Jacob City was a silver mining town above Ophir at nearly 8,000 feet elevation. The dramatic wooden headframe ruins are a popular photography destinat...
Joy
Joy was a silver mining town in the remote Deep Creek Range near the Nevada border. Mine structures and foundations remain. The area is extremely isol...
Kelton
Kelton was a major water stop on the original route of the Transcontinental Railroad north of the Great Salt Lake. When the Lucin Cutoff was built acr...
Knightsville
Knightsville was a coal mining town that supported the Tintic Mining District's smelters. When the smelters switched to coke, the coal mines closed. F...
Latuda
Latuda (originally Liberty) was a coal camp in Spring Canyon. It suffered from deadly avalanches in winter. After the mines closed, it became famous f...
Mammoth
Mammoth was a major player in the Tintic Mining District, rivaling Eureka. The town was built up a steep, twisting canyon. Several original buildings ...
Mercur
Mercur burned to the ground in 1902, was rebuilt, then was completely demolished by open-pit gold mining in the 1980s-90s. Nothing remains except mine...
Modena
Modena was a crucial water and refueling stop on the LA & Salt Lake Railroad. It faded when diesel replaced steam. The beautiful Mission-style depot/h...
Newhouse
Newhouse was a copper mining town with 1,500 residents. Access requires 26 miles of increasingly rough dirt road. The smelter stack, stone buildings, ...
Ophir
Ophir was named after the biblical source of King Solomon's gold. The town peaked at 6,000 during silver mining boom. Today, about 23 residents remain...
Park City Old Town
Park City nearly died when silver collapsed. Skiing saved it in the 1960s. Now it hosts the Sundance Film Festival and has one of America's great come...
Promontory
Promontory is where the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed—the Golden Spike was driven on May 10, 1869, uniting America. But the town that ...
Scofield
Scofield (including the adjacent ghost town of Winter Quarters) was a major coal camp. On May 1, 1900, a massive explosion killed 200 miners in the wo...
Sego
Sego was a coal mining town in a canyon famous for ancient rock art. After the coal ran out, Sego was abandoned. The petroglyphs and pictographs remai...
Silver City
Silver City was a mining town in the rich Tintic Mining District. When the ore gave out, the town declined. Stone ruins of buildings survive on the hi...
Silver Reef
Silver Reef was the only place in the world where silver was found in sandstone, which geologists said was impossible. The Wells Fargo building (now a...
Spring Canyon
Spring Canyon was actually several coal mining settlements - Standardville, Latuda, Rains, and Storrs - in a narrow canyon. Company houses, a school, ...
Standardville
Standardville was built to be the 'standard' for coal camps, with modern amenities. It was the hub of Spring Canyon. Today, substantial concrete and s...
Thistle
Thistle was a railroad town destroyed in 1983 when a massive landslide dammed Spanish Fork Creek. The rising water flooded the town. Only a few roofto...
Thompson Springs
Thompson Springs was a railroad depot and the gateway to the coal town of Sego. It declined after I-70 bypassed it (slightly) and the trains stopped s...
Topaz
Topaz was a Japanese American internment camp during WWII. At 8,000+ internees, it was Utah's 5th largest 'city.' The Topaz Museum in Delta tells the ...
Widsoe
Widsoe was a dry farming experiment that failed. Drought and poor soil conditions in the 1930s forced the Resettlement Administration to buy out the r...
Widtsoe
Widtsoe was an experiment in dry farming on the high Aquarius Plateau. Named after agronomist John Widtsoe, the town failed when drought and the Depre...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ghost towns are in Utah?
We have documented 33 ghost towns in Utah. These range from completely abandoned mining camps to semi-inhabited historic settlements.
Are ghost towns in Utah safe to visit?
Most ghost towns are safe to explore, but exercise caution. Watch for unstable structures, mine shafts, and wildlife. Some are on private property - always check access rules before visiting.
What should I bring when visiting ghost towns?
Bring water, snacks, sun protection, sturdy shoes, a flashlight, and a first aid kit. Many ghost towns are in remote areas without cell service, so download offline maps.
Can I take artifacts from ghost towns?
No. Removing artifacts, bottles, or debris is illegal and destroys historical sites. Take only photos and leave only footprints.
What's the best time to visit ghost towns in Utah?
Spring and fall offer the best weather for exploring. Summer can be extremely hot in desert locations, while winter may make roads impassable.