If you’re looking for fun new camping ideas, consider visiting Colorado Ghost Towns on your next camping adventure! We’ve got a list here of several popular ones to check out and some suggestions on nearby camping too.

St. Elmo

St. Elmo is west of Buena Vista and is easy to access via car or ATV. Be sure to also check out the cemetery at nearby Tin Cup! For some sort of close camping, you can check out O’Haver campground or some of the many campgrounds near Leadville.

Ohio City

Ohio City is a great ghost town to check out if you’re already visiting the Gunnison/Crested Butte area. Access it by following these directions: From town, take U.S. 50 east to Parlin, where you’ll take Quartz Creek Road north. First you’ll come to Ohio City, where a few folks still live.

For camping, consider any of the many campgrounds along the Taylor River road, like Lodgepole, One Mile, and Rosy Lane. You can also find dispersed camping at Hartman Rocks recreation area in Gunnsion.

Mayflower Gulch

Put St. Elmo and Mayflower Gulch together in one trip! Mayflower Gulch is 6 miles south of Copper Mountain, which puts you on the way to Leadville anyway. Take the 4-mile (round trip) hike to Boston Mine in the summer when the wildflowers will be at their peak!

Carson, Capitol City, Animas Forks

The Colorado Ghost towns of Carson, Capitol City and Animas Forks are all located near Lake City, Colorado. There is lots of dispersed camping to be had here, since many 14ers are located in the area as well.  For camping a little further out, try to get a spot at The Gate or its close by sister campground, Gate View. The Gate is a very small campground 16 miles north of Lake City on the Lake Fork of the Gunnsion River.