The Town of Carson, CO | Ghost Town

The Carson ghost towns near Lake City, CO consist of Carson and Old Carson. These mining camps rest atop the continental divide at almost 12,000 feet. You needed to be some of the hardiest of people to make it through the winter here. It reached its peak during the late 1890s when over 400 miners worked the gold and silver veins. The unbearable winters and resulting tough life led miners to greener, warmer pastures.

Now, the camp and its remnants of rusted metal and deteriorating cabins can be visited by a four-wheel drive road from the north or a hiking or horse trail from the south.

How to get to the Carson ghost towns?

The mining camps are almost an hour from Lake City. We added the directions here. Turn onto County Rd 36 gives you a rough drive that will require a 4WD vehicle with high clearance. You can also go by foot, but this can take over 4 hours to complete the 7-mile out-and-back trail.

Photos of the Carson ghost towns

What to do near the Carson Ghost towns?

Lake City is the closest town to Carson and it offers plenty of outdoor activities. If you are in the area, you can’t miss the San Cristobal Lake and the stunning mountain backdrop. Ice climbing is also a popular draw for the area as they offer the Lake City Ice park, a city run ice wall with multiple routes. This is only open between December and March.

Another ghost town worth exploring is Alta, a small town between Telluride and Ophir that still have a handfull of original buildings.