Ghost Towns in Utah

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• The old townsite is closed to the public. View the ruins from the road and stay off the surrounding hay fields and ranch land.
• Don't go into any buildings, and take nothing from the site.
• Argyle was a farming town, not a mining camp, but stay out of any abandoned mine you come across in Utah. Old mines can hold explosive materials, toxic gases and unstable structures. Obey warning and no trespassing signs.
• There are operating ranches along the highway, so keep to the road.

Rules: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• See the old townsite from the road: some old buildings and walls, and a few weathered cabins, still stand among hay fields.
• Look for the Argyle Lane sign, the only marker left from the old town.
• Much of the old town is now cleared farmland. Ranchers cleared most of the old footings and foundations and moved at least one remaining cabin about 200 yards south of its original footings.
• Summer is the best time to visit.

• Around 1875, John Kennedy Sr. and his three sons settled the area along Big Creek, and the town became known as Kennedyville.
• The mostly Scottish-American residents later voted to rename the town Argyle, in honor of Scotland.
• The cold climate made farming difficult and the population grew slowly: 111 people lived there in 1900.
• A one-room brick schoolhouse was built in 1895.
• Argyle declined as transportation improved and farmers no longer had to live close to their fields. The school was considered inferior to the one in nearby Randolph, and Argyle had no stores or other services.
• The school closed in 1915 and merged with the one in Randolph. Most residents moved to Randolph and kept their farms in the Argyle area.

• Argyle is roughly 3 to 5 miles south of Randolph, in Rich County.
• The Argyle Lane sign is just to the left of the highway as you head north, before you reach Randolph.
• The road is listed as 2WD.
• Winters are cool with possible snow; summers are warm. Summer is the best time to visit.

AddressA few mi S of Randolph, Randolph, UT

View the ruins from the road. A sign for Argyle Lane is the only marker left from the old town.

Hours aren't listed.

• Never enter a mine opening, shaft or tunnel. Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives, and Utah has an estimated 10,000 abandoned mine openings.
• Abandoned mine sites usually have no warning signs, and even sealed mines are sometimes vandalized and left open. Emergency responders can have trouble reaching people in abandoned mines.
• Stay on designated trails, obey warning and no trespassing signs, and never enter abandoned mines.
• Keep out of old structures; abandoned mining sites can have unstable structures.
• Old mine waste dumps often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and zinc. Frisco's mines produced lead and zinc.
• Not all the land around Frisco is open to visitors. Some kiln sites in the Frisco area are on private land: the Copper Gulch kilns (behind a locked gate), Three Kilns Spring and Kiln Spring. Do not enter private land or go past a locked gate.
• The Carbonate Gulch kilns, about 2 miles from Frisco, are on BLM land (federal public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management).
• Many Utah ghost towns require driving backroads with unreliable cell service. Research your route and ask locals before you set out.

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• Wander among what is left of the town. Little of the original town remains after the 1885 mine collapse, but the historic cemetery and the stone kilns are still there to see.
• See the charcoal kilns. A charcoal kiln is a beehive-shaped oven that turned wood into charcoal for the Frisco smelter. Five kilns at Frisco were owned and operated by the mining company, and the kilns are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Read the Frisco historical marker.
• Outlying kilns: the larger pair of Carbonate Gulch kilns, about 2 miles from Frisco on BLM land, can be clearly seen in a sagebrush opening. Other kiln sites near Frisco are on private land (see Before you go).

• The Horn Silver Mine was discovered in 1875, and Frisco was an active mining camp from 1879 to 1929. It was named for the nearby San Francisco Mountains.
• Frisco became the post office and commercial center for the San Francisco Mining District.
• At its peak in 1885 the town had about 6,000 people. It was known as the wildest town in the Great Basin: murder was common, and drinking water had to be freighted in.
• On February 13, 1885, the Horn Silver Mine caved in completely. The Frisco smelter closed afterward, and the charcoal kilns that supplied it stopped working.
• The mining camp lasted until 1929.

• Frisco is about 15 miles west of the small town of Milford, in Utah's West Desert.
• Many Utah ghost towns require driving backroads with unreliable cell service and terrain, so research the route and ask locals before you set out.

Frisco is about 15 miles west of Milford, Utah. Cell service on the backroads can be unreliable, so plan your route before you leave.

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• Some of Grafton is private property: don't cross fences, and obey No Trespassing signs.
• Grafton is at the end of a dead-end road with no services, no water, power or toilets. The nearest restrooms are in Rockville.
• Bring water. The route crosses open country and is hot during the day, and summers are hot.
• Never enter an abandoned mine. Utah has an estimated 10,000 mine openings, and old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives. Old mine waste dumps often contain heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.
• Rock retaining walls along the old Wood Road sit on steep, unstable drainages.
• Many cemetery headstones are missing, so take care where you walk.
• Visit Utah suggests not lingering after sundown.
• The road can't be driven in a hard rain storm; see the conditions link.

Map: https://graftonheritage.org/directions/

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/smithsonian-butte-national-back-country-byway

• Photograph the adobe schoolhouse built around 1886, called perhaps the most photographed ghost-town structure in the Western U.S. It was used as a school, church, meeting place and dance hall.
• See the pioneer homes and cabins, several of them restored: the Russell Home (about 1888), the Wood Home (about 1877), the Ballard Home (about 1907), the Louisa Marie Russell log home (about 1879) and the Ruby Rose Cabin, rebuilt in 2020.
• Walk the Grafton Cemetery, with graves dating to 1862. It is on your left before you reach the town. About 74 to 84 graves are believed to exist, including those of Southern Paiute people.
• Look for the Wood Road, a wagon road the settlers cut into the hillside with rock retaining walls.
• Visit the Virgin River on the townsite's northern edge, where one of only a handful of remaining stands of cottonwood trees along the river grows.
• Read the interpretive information on site; the BLM describes rehabilitated buildings and interpretive information that give a glimpse of early pioneer life.
• Parts of several movies were filmed here, including the bicycle scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
• The town is easily explored and described as kid-friendly.

• Sources differ on when Grafton was settled. Visit Utah says five families homesteaded it on the Virgin River's south bank in 1859 and grew cotton and crops in irrigated fields; the BLM says it was first settled in 1861.
• Floods hit repeatedly, including a great flood in 1862 that destroyed the townsite. Settlers shifted from farming toward cattle raising after about 1865.
• Residents moved away over the years. The last classes in the schoolhouse were taught in 1918–19, and the last couple left in 1944.

• From Utah 9 in Rockville, turn south on Bridge Road and cross the Virgin River on the historic iron truss bridge. Keep right toward Grafton at the junction; a left turn goes up the Smithsonian Butte Back Country Byway.
• The road to Grafton is paved and gravel and dead-ends at the town. From the Zion National Park south entrance, Rockville is 4.7 miles along Utah 9.
• On foot or by bike, Grafton is 3.3 miles one way from Rockville (6.6 miles round trip), with minimal elevation gain. Park in Rockville near the junction of Utah 9 and Bridge Street.
• From the Smithsonian Butte byway, the Grafton side trip is about 1.8 miles each way (3.6 miles round trip); turn right at mile 1.6 of the byway.
• The road is impassable in a hard rain storm and the byway often becomes impassable during heavy rain and inclement winter weather; check conditions before you go.
• Spring and fall are the best seasons. Summers are hot, so go in early morning or evening.

Map: https://graftonheritage.org/directions/

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/smithsonian-butte-national-back-country-byway

• The BLM's page for the Smithsonian Butte Back Country Byway, the route that passes the turn to Grafton, lists no accessible facilities.
• Grafton has no toilets. The route in is a paved and gravel road.

Park in Rockville near the junction of Utah 9 and Bridge Street, or drive Bridge Road south over the Virgin River and follow the signs a few miles to the dead-end road into Grafton. The cemetery is on your left before you get to the town. GPS coordinates: 37 degrees 10’02″N 113 degrees 04’48″W.

Website: graftonheritage.org

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• The Iosepa town site is a private ranch today, but you may still access the old cemetery. The road in passes between two farmhouses, and you are on private property.
• Obey warning and no-trespassing signs.
• Never enter abandoned mines. Gold and silver mines operated in the mountains near Iosepa in the late 1890s, and abandoned mines can contain explosive materials, toxic gases and unstable structures.
• Many ghost towns require backroads with unreliable cell service and rough terrain. Do your research and ask locals before you set out.
• Remember the lives of those who once lived here and visit with respect.

Map: https://exploretooele.org/attractions/iosepa/

• Visit the Iosepa cemetery, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and read the memorial and historical marker describing the settlement of the area.
• Look for what is left of the town: little remains beyond the cemetery, a few building foundations and a fire hydrant.
• Watch for the last old shade trees, which are visible for several miles before you arrive.
• Head toward the large pavilion visible from the road. The Iosepa Historical Association built it, and it hosts commemorative events every Memorial Day.
• Every Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of Polynesians and others interested in Polynesian history gather at the site for a celebration.

• Iosepa (pronounced “Yo-see-pa”) was founded in Skull Valley in 1889 as a community for Hawaiian members of the Mormon faith who wished to move to Utah to be close to the temples and headquarters of their church.
• The first 46 settlers arrived on August 28, 1889. They built houses, a schoolhouse, a general store and an irrigation system that drew water from the Stansbury Mountains. The population reached 228 by 1915.
• The colony never supported itself. After crop failures, many men took work in the gold and silver mines of the nearby mountains in the late 1890s, and the burning summer heat and extreme winter cold took a toll on the settlers.
• In 1917 the residents returned to Hawaii, where a temple was under construction, and the church paid the travel costs for those who could not afford them. The land was sold that year to a livestock company.

More information: https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/i/IOSEPA.shtml

• Iosepa is in Skull Valley, about 75 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in Tooele County.
• The last stretch is a dirt road of about half a mile between two farmhouses, heading toward the large pavilion visible from the road.
• The site can easily be reached by car.

Map: https://exploretooele.org/attractions/iosepa/

Drive about half a mile up the dirt road between two farmhouses (you are on private property) and head toward the large pavilion visible from the road.

Website: exploretooele.org

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Land and access

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lists Joy Townsite as a place to visit.
• Stay on designated trails, obey warning and no trespassing signs, and never enter abandoned mines.

Hazards

• Never go into an old mine, shaft or tunnel. Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• Buildings and other old structures can be unstable. Don't go inside them.
• Mine waste piles (waste dumps) often contain elevated levels of heavy metals, such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and zinc.
• Old mine sites usually have no signs warning you of the danger, and emergency responders can have a hard time reaching them.

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/joy-townsite

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• Look over the building foundations and mining equipment that remain in the townsite.
• View the BLM's map of the site in full screen on its page.

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/joy-townsite

• Joy was founded in the 1870s as a mining town.
• Significant gold, silver and copper were extracted from the area.
• A post office operated from 1899 to 1919.

• From Salt Lake City, take I-15 South, then southwest on US-6.
• Take the exit for Highway 174 and continue for 30 miles.
• Make the unmarked left turn that heads straight toward Mt Laird. Joy will be on your right in 7 miles.
• The directions don't say what road conditions to expect or what vehicle you need. Ask the BLM office before you go.

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/joy-townsite

Phone: (435) 743-3100

Email: [email protected]

AddressOff US-6 via Hwy 174, about 30 miles on an unmarked left turn toward Mt Laird, Juab County, Delta, UT

Contact: (435) 743-3100 · [email protected]

Website: blm.gov

Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway

Byway useFree

Hours aren't listed.

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

• The Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for public use. Stay on the byway and obey all no trespassing signs.
• Never enter abandoned mines. Unsecured abandoned mines may be present near the byway's trails, and old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• Kelton's ruins and fallen buildings are unstable: look from outside and do not go in. Many railroad trestles along the grade are falling down.
• Stay on the road. Even one vehicle driven off the grade can leave a scar that lasts a lifetime.
• Old railroad spikes can surface on the road, and flat tires are common. Know how to change a tire.
• Leave artifacts where they are. Taking cultural artifacts, including historic trash, from public lands is illegal. Take only photos and leave only footprints.
• There are no facilities or services along the byway. Gas and services are in Snowville, Tremonton, Corinne, Brigham City and Wendover.
• Cell service along the grade is limited. Download the free audio tour before you leave (see Tours).

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/transcontinental-railroad-back-country-byway-bcb

• Look over what is left of Kelton: ruins, fallen buildings, abandoned foundations and a deteriorating cemetery. Keep to the outside of buildings and out of any mine openings.
• Spot the old railroad grade (the roadbed the tracks ran on), still clearly visible, and the trestles that carried the line, many now falling down.
• Read the interpretive signs. The byway has over 20 interpretive sites along the grade, and the signs explain the surrounding landscape and bring its ghost towns to life.
• The BLM encourages byway visitors to get out of their vehicles and explore the townsites. Photograph what you see and leave everything in place.

• 1869: the mostly Chinese work crew of the Central Pacific Railroad arrived on April 12, and the site was first settled as Indian Creek. When the post office opened on December 16, it took the name Kelton, after an early stockman.
• Kelton grew quickly into a prosperous railroad town with several fine hotels, stores, homes and a row of saloons. By 1871 the Kelton Freight Road was the best road into southwestern Idaho; the stage route was defunct by July 1884.
• In 1903-1904 the main rail line moved south across the Great Salt Lake, and Kelton's line became a backup track.
• On March 12, 1934, the strongest earthquake recorded in Utah damaged the town, and the leaning schoolhouse had to be abandoned.
• In July 1942 the Southern Pacific Railroad dismantled the old line in a week. The last residents left, taking some of the houses with them.

• A free Travelstorys audio tour covers the Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway. It is self-guided: download it to your phone in the Travelstorys app or on the web.
• Cell service is limited along the railroad grade, so download the app and tour ahead of time.

• The byway is unpaved and follows 90 miles of the old Central Pacific Railroad grade. Expect gravel roads in a remote setting.
• Low-clearance passenger vehicles can drive from Promontory Point to Kelton. Beyond Kelton, a high-clearance vehicle is recommended.
• Past Kelton, expect obstacles such as small ditches, washouts and large potholes, and be prepared to turn around if you get stuck.
• Roads may be impassable when wet.
• The route is narrow but allows two-way traffic: pull over and pass in a safe location.
• Driving the whole route takes 3-4 hours in remote mountain conditions.
• Going with two vehicles is safer in case of a flat.
• Off-highway vehicles must stay on the byway and other existing roads.
• The nearest towns with gas and services are Snowville, Tremonton, Corinne, Brigham City and Wendover; Park Valley and Montello have limited services.

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

Map: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/BLMUtahTranscontinentalRailroadMap.pdf

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/transcontinental-railroad-back-country-byway-bcb

AddressNear Snowville, off I-84 exit area, Snowville, UT

Follow SR 83 to Golden Spike National Monument, then follow the signs for the backcountry byway.

Contact: (801) 977-4300 · [email protected]

Website: blm.gov

Hours aren't listed.

The road is closed in winter; check current conditions before you go.

Stay out of the mines and buildings

• Never enter old mines, shafts or tunnels. Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives, and access can be difficult for emergency responders. Stay out and stay alive.
• Abandoned mines can have open shafts, tunnels, leftover equipment and piles of waste rock.
• Don't go inside the ruined buildings, the mine buildings or the Annie Laurie mill: old mining structures can be unstable.
• Sites like this usually have no warning signs, and even sealed mines are sometimes entered and left open.

Mine waste

• The upper canyon is filled with tailings, the waste left after ore is processed.
• Waste dumps at Utah's old mines often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and lead.

Rules and the route

• Stay on designated trails, and obey warning and no trespassing signs.
• The route is unpaved, high-clearance vehicles are strongly recommended and the road is closed in winter. See Getting around.
• All services are in Beaver, with limited services in Junction and along the U.S. 89 corridor.

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

What is left to see

• Ruins of many log and frame buildings line the lower canyon.
• The skeleton of the Annie Laurie mill is still standing, and a few mine buildings are largely intact.
• The upper canyon is filled with tailings, the waste left after ore is processed.
• Look at the ruins from outside; don't enter the buildings or the mines (see Before you go).

Nearby

• Fremont Indian State Park, where the Kimberly/Big John Scenic Backway ends near I-70, has more than 500 examples of petroglyphs and painted pictographs.
• Other nearby attractions include Butch Cassidy's boyhood home, historic Marysvale and Big Rock Candy Mountain.

• Prospectors began striking gold in the Gold Mountain area as early as 1888, and the camp was settled in the 1890s.
• Real growth began in 1899, when investor Peter L. Kimberly bought the Annie Laurie and other area mines and the town took his name.
• Kimberly became the leading gold camp in the state, with two hotels and two stores, and its population reached 500.
• Peter Kimberly died in 1905, and the Annie Laurie Consolidated Gold Mining Company went bankrupt in 1910, closing the mines and the town.
• A newly opened vein revived the camp in 1931. The ore was mined out by 1938, and most salvageable buildings were moved away by 1942.

• The Kimberly/Big John Scenic Backway is unpaved. It is generally suited for passenger cars, not large RVs or trailers, though high-clearance vehicles are strongly recommended.
• The backway is closed in winter. Kimberly's high elevation makes it inaccessible for much of the year.
• From Beaver, take Highway 153 (Beaver Canyon Scenic Byway) up the canyon. About 2 miles above Merchant Valley Dam, a turnoff on the left is marked for Big John Flat. This 22-mile section of the backway climbs over the Tushar Mountains and leads up to the old Kimberly mining district.
• On the paved byway, snow tires or chains are required from November 1 through March 31.
• Highway 153 beyond Eagle Point is closed in winter and impassable to most vehicles when wet.
• The unpaved Highway 153 section of the backway past Puffer Lake is technically closed in winter, which can last from November until mid-June.
• Not sure about your vehicle? Check with the Forest Service office in Beaver.

AddressGold Mountain mining district, Tushar Mountains S of Marysvale (4WD), Marysvale, UT

Reach the Kimberly mining district on the Kimberly/Big John Scenic Backway, a 22-mile section that starts at a turnoff marked for Big John Flat off Highway 153 above Merchant Valley Dam. Check the road's current status in Beaver before you go.

Hours aren't listed.

• Latuda sits entirely on private property, but every part of it can be seen from the road. View it from the road, and don't go onto the property without the owner's permission. The owner lives just up the street.
• Stay out of the mine portal (the entrance to a mine) and out of any mine opening. Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• Utah officials urge everyone to obey warning and no trespassing signs and never to enter abandoned mines.
• Waste dumps at old Utah mines often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and lead.
• Snow can make the road impassable in winter. See Getting around.

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• View the town from the road. Every part of it is visible from there.
• What remains: multiple intact buildings, small trestles, foundations and a mine portal. Look at the portal from a distance and don't go in.
• Only a stairway and a pile of concrete slabs are left of the old mine office.

• Latuda grew around a coal mine run by the Liberty Fuel Company. The first coal shipped in 1918, and the town was first called Liberty.
• The company's newer mine tested a mechanical loader and an air-sand coal cleaning plant for the first time.
• In 1923 the town was renamed Latuda because the US Post Office had too many towns named Liberty.
• The mine employed about 110 workers for many years, and the town had 300-400 residents.
• In 1927, multiple avalanches in quick succession killed many people and destroyed a section of homes.
• In 1954 a large part of the mining operation shut down, after nearly 5 million tons of coal had been produced. All mining ended in 1966, and the town was entirely abandoned in 1967.
• Sometime between 1967 and 1969, the mine office was blown up with explosives from the mine.

• The road to Latuda is listed as 2WD (two-wheel drive).
• Latuda was about seven miles from the mouth of Spring Canyon, in Helper.
• The best time to visit is April to November. The snowy season runs from mid-November to late April, when snow can be impassable.

Check the venue's website before you go.

Hours aren't listed.

Land and access

• Some residents still call Mammoth home. Treat every home, building and yard as private, and don't enter or collect anything.
• Who owns the land around the town, and what visitors may do on it, isn't confirmed. Check before you go.
• Some small-scale mining still goes on in the area today.

Mine hazards

• Never enter an abandoned mine. Old mine sites can hold dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives. Stay out and stay alive.
• Abandoned mines can contain explosive materials, toxic gases and unstable structures, and access can be difficult for emergency responders.
• Stay on designated trails and obey warning and no trespassing signs.
• Abandoned mine sites usually have no warning signs, so an unmarked opening can still be deadly.

Mine waste and cleanup sites

• Across Utah, mine waste dumps often contain heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and zinc.
• In nearby Eureka, about 3 miles north, Eureka Mills appears on the EPA's list of Superfund sites. Its listed contaminants from past ore mining and processing include arsenic, lead and mercury.

Services

• Services, water and cell service at Mammoth aren't confirmed. Plan to be self-sufficient.

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• See a former mining boomtown: Mammoth Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places (added March 14, 1979) and covers about 170 acres.
• Look for the legacy of the Mammoth Mine, which gave the town its name and was in production for about seventy-five years.
• The area is popular with ghost town enthusiasts, campers, off-road vehicle riders and hikers.
• Some residents still live in Mammoth, so look at homes from a respectful distance and stay out of every mine and building.

• The Mammoth Mine was discovered around the same time Eureka was settled, in February 1870. Miners rushed in and the town was founded around 1870 during the West's boom-and-bust mining cycle.
• The place was remote and harsh. No water was nearby; the mines piped in water for industry, but residents bought drinking water for ten cents a gallon.
• Mines in the area produced ore, silver and gold. The Mammoth Mine ran for around seventy-five years and was part of the Tintic Mining District.
• Activity peaked around 1900–1910, when 2,500–3,000 people lived here. The town had a school, four large hotels and other businesses.
• Mammoth was incorporated in 1910 but began to decline soon after. By 1930 the population was down to 750, and the town disincorporated on November 29, 1929.

• Mammoth sits at 6,391 feet in Mammoth Canyon, on the west flank of the East Tintic Mountains.
• It is about 3 miles south of Eureka and 2 miles east of Tintic Junction.
• Off-road vehicle riders are among those who visit the area.

Check the venue's website before you go.

EntranceFree

Every day, from sunrise to sunset.

Use caution getting there in the winter months.

Hours page: https://visitcedarcity.com/things-to-do/explore-the-city/old-iron-town/

• Utah State Parks' Frontier Homestead State Park Museum in Cedar City manages the site. It is open to the public in daylight hours only, and no staff are on the premises.
• Occupied homes stand at the town's location, and the road in passes through a residential area. Stay on the designated trails and obey any warning or no-trespassing signs.
• Never go into a mine opening, building or structure. Old mining sites can hold dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• Iron City had two charcoal kilns; weather and looters destroyed one, and only one remains.
• Restrooms and a small covered picnic area are on site. There are no campgrounds.

Hours page: https://visitcedarcity.com/things-to-do/explore-the-city/old-iron-town/

Rules: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• Ruins trail: a short ¼-mile walk with interpretive plaques about the ruins, including the kiln, furnace, foundry area and the Erastra (a grinding stone).
• Nature trail: a short ¼-mile walk with information about the area's vegetation, leading to the remnants of a pioneer cabin.
• Beehive kiln: a preserved domed oven where wood was turned into charcoal to fuel the iron works.
• Look for the chimney from the foundry and a furnace hood; signs and waysides along the path explain what you see.

More information: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/old-iron-town/

• In the 1850s, pioneer leader Brigham Young sent several families to the Cedar City area to establish an iron works. Iron City, now Old Iron Town, had a schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, foundry and charcoal kiln.
• It operated only seven years, closing because the iron ore could not be moved easily enough and because of the money panic of 1874.
• The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1971.

More information: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/old-iron-town/

The visit is self-guided, and no staff are on site. State Parks strongly encourages visitors to stop first at the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum, 635 North Main in Cedar City, to pick up a self-guided tour brochure.

More information: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/frontier-homestead/

Phone: (435) 586-9290

Email: [email protected]

• The ruins are about 25 miles west of Cedar City. Head west on Highway 56 for about 20 miles, then turn south onto Old Iron Town Road.
• Call or stop by the Frontier Homestead front desk for directions. Check with the venue before you go.
• Use caution getting there in the winter months.

Hours page: https://visitcedarcity.com/things-to-do/explore-the-city/old-iron-town/

Map: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14301

Phone: (435) 586-9290

Email: [email protected]

Turn south from Highway 56 onto Old Iron Town Road and follow it to the Old Iron Town Ruins parking lot. State Parks lists the GPS coordinates 37.599910971742815, -113.4494441995363.

Contact: (435) 586-9290 · [email protected]

Website: stateparks.utah.gov

Hours aren't listed.

Private land

• Ophir is a lived-in community, and many old buildings are private property with no trespassing signs. Obey every sign and stay out of the buildings.
• A 2004 news report said one private landowner owned more than 2,000 acres there, including the entire Ophir Hill Mine site.

Mines and mine waste

• Never enter a mine. Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• A 2004 news report counted about 500 mining shafts around Ophir.
• Heavy-metal mining left the area contaminated with arsenic and lead. In 2004 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared an emergency toxic cleanup site there, with lead in the soil around some homes at double the health standard and 17 times the standard at the Ophir Hill Mine site.
• EPA officials said lead can cause nervous system damage in children and that small children swallow a lot of dust, so keep children out of the dirt.

Leave everything where it is

• Don't take anything from the town or the mine sites. Remember the people who once lived here and visit with respect.

Services

• Cell service is unreliable on many ghost-town backroads, so do your research and ask locals before setting out.
• One ghost-town directory says the town's general store is rarely open.

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• Walk the historic main street and see the original homes and businesses, looking from where you are allowed to be.
• Look for the well-preserved 19th-century buildings, including a schoolhouse, church and hotel, and the Old Ophir City Hall, built in 1870.
• Visit the Ophir Museum to learn about the town's past and see artifacts from its mining days.
• See what is left of the town: stone foundations and walls, the graveyard and old mine sites. View mine sites from a distance and never go in.
• A 2004 news report also named hand-hewn stone retaining walls and railroad mining cars.

More information: https://exploretooele.org/attractions/ophir-historic-district/

• Gold and silver-lead deposits were found in Ophir Canyon in the 1860s. The mining district is named for the biblical Ophir, from which King Solomon brought back gold.
• The town was officially named Ophir in 1870.
• Zinc was recovered in 1911, and mining operations continued until 1959. Like many Western mining towns, Ophir emptied when its silver ran out.
• The town was disincorporated in 2016, when a town government could not be formed from the remaining residents. The 2020 census counted 24 people, so it is not completely a ghost town.

• Ophir is about an hour southwest of Salt Lake City, and Tooele is a good base for exploring the area's mining past.
• One ghost-town directory places Ophir just off Highway 73 and lists its roads as 4WD. Check current road conditions before you go, and ask locals about the route.
• The same directory names summer, fall and spring as the best times to visit and expects snow in winter.

Website: exploretooele.org

Hours aren't listed.

Call (435) 259-2100 before you go.

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lists the Sego Canyon Rock Art Interpretive Site; its directions say the major rock art panels are visible from the road.
• Who owns the Sego townsite, and whether you may walk through it, isn't confirmed. Treat the ruins as view only, and obey warning and no trespassing signs.
• Never enter old mines, mine shafts or buildings. Abandoned mines can contain explosive materials, toxic gases and unstable structures, and access can be difficult for emergency responders.
• An underground coal seam fire has burned at Sego for decades, and smoke still rises from deserted mine shafts.
• Old railroad trestles in the canyon are in a dangerous condition and cannot be crossed. Flash floods have hit the canyon, and a severe one in the early 1980s left the remaining trestles unsafe.
• Waste dumps at old Utah mines often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and lead.
• Old mine sites usually have no signs warning of their dangers, so don't count on signs to show you where the hazards are.
• Services, water and cell coverage aren't listed for this site; bring what you need.
• Utah's Stay Out, Stay Alive campaign explains why abandoned mines must never be entered.

Rules: https://www.blm.gov/visit/sego-canyon-rock-art-interpretive-site

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

Phone: (435) 259-2100

Email: [email protected]

Rock art

• See three culturally distinct styles of rock art: Fremont, Ute and Barrier-style.
• Major rock art panels are visible from the road.

The ghost town

• A stone company store and many foundations and dugouts still remain at Sego.
• The wooden boarding house has collapsed.
• Ruins of a coal mine are nearby. Look from a distance; don't go inside any mine or building.

More to know

• The BLM lists photography and interpretive programs as activities here; ask the BLM about programs.
• Plan for at least a half day to explore the area.

Rules: https://www.blm.gov/visit/sego-canyon-rock-art-interpretive-site

Phone: (435) 259-2100

Email: [email protected]

• Henry Ballard, a founder of Thompson Springs, found an exposed vein of coal here in 1908, and the camp was first called Ballard.
• A company built a town, a railroad spur to Thompson and a coal washer. The town was renamed Neslen, then Sego in 1918 for the sego lily, Utah's state flower.
• At the peak of coal production, from 1920 to 1947, about 800 tons were mined a day.
• By 1947 production costs exceeded income. Fires in 1949 and 1950 destroyed equipment, and the railroad's switch to diesel locomotives all but ended the demand for coal.
• The mine's holdings were sold in 1955. Homes were moved to Thompson, Moab and even Fruita, Colorado.
• Much of the area was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 13, 2017, as the Ballard-Sego Coal Mine Historic District.

• From I-70, take Exit 187, follow State Highway 94 through Thompson, and keep driving about three miles to Sego Canyon.
• The Sego townsite is in the narrow, winding canyon about 5 miles north of Thompson Springs.
• The town is reached along the grade of the old Ballard & Thompson Railroad; the first two miles of the grade are paved as an access road to Thompson's water supply.
• The road surface beyond that and vehicle needs aren't listed.

Rules: https://www.blm.gov/visit/sego-canyon-rock-art-interpretive-site

From I-70, take Exit 187, follow State Highway 94 through Thompson, and continue about three miles to Sego Canyon. Parking isn't described.

Contact: (435) 259-2100 · [email protected]

Website: blm.gov

Silver Reef Museum admission

Individual$5

Family of 4$16

Each additional family member$4

Children under 6Free

Organized groups (10+), each$4

See Things to do

See Tours

Mon10 AM–3 PM

TueClosed

Last tour starts at 2:15 PM.

Land and access

• Silver Reef's remains lie on BLM land, Utah Trust Lands and private land. Treat private land as off limits.
• Stay on designated trails and obey warning and no trespassing signs.

Hazards

• Utah has an estimated 10,000 abandoned mine openings. Old mines can hold explosive materials and toxic gases, and old structures can be unstable. Never enter a mine, and stay out of ruined buildings.
• Abandoned mines often have no warning signs at all.
• Mine waste dumps often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and lead.
• Dinosaur tracks are protected fossils: removing, casting or defacing them is prohibited.

Services and weather

• Food, fuel and lodging are in Leeds, Washington City and St. George.
• Cell service at the Silver Reef Trail is variable to limited, so don't count on a signal.
• Potable water is available in Red Cliffs Campground.
• Summer heat can be extreme; spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for short hikes.

Phone: (435) 688-3200

Email: [email protected]

• Visit the Silver Reef Museum. The original Wells Fargo Bank is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a museum telling the story of Silver Reef.
• See the underground mine exhibit on Saturdays, and ask about the Rice Building, which is open upon request.
• Pick up the Silver Reef Brochure and the Interpretive Trail Guide from the museum's website to explore on your own. The St. John Catholic Church is gone except for remnants that can still be seen.
• Walk the Silver Reef Trail at the Red Cliffs Dinosaur Tracksite, a short 0.2-mile trail inside Red Cliffs Campground. It passes marked dinosaur tracks to a viewpoint over the historic Silver Reef geologic formation, with interpretive panels. The trail is open year-round and has vault toilets at the trailhead. Pets are allowed on a 6-foot leash, the trail is day use only, and day-use fees apply.

Silver Reef Museum admission

Individual$5

Family of 4$16

Each additional family member$4

Children under 6Free

Organized groups (10+), each$4

More information: https://silverreef.org/visit/

Phone: (435) 879-2254

• Prospector John Kemple found silver in sandstone in 1870, and in 1874 he helped organize the Harrisburg Mining District. By early 1876 a silver rush was under way.
• Silver Reef became one of Washington County's largest towns, with about 1,500 residents. Its mile-long Main Street had 6 saloons, 9 grocery stores, 2 dance halls, a brewery and a billiard hall.
• Nearly 250 Chinese residents lived in town.
• It is the only known silver ore deposit in sandstone.
• Reduced mining continued through 1909, then stopped and livestock owners took over. Neighboring towns reused the leftover buildings' materials.

• The museum offers tours, and the underground mine exhibit is open on Saturdays. Call the museum to ask about mine exhibit availability.
• Call the museum to ask about tour times and whether to book ahead.
• Organized groups of 10 or more have their own admission rate.

Silver Reef Museum admission

Individual$5

Family of 4$16

Each additional family member$4

Children under 6Free

Organized groups (10+), each$4

Last tour starts at 2:15 PM.

More information: https://silverreef.org/visit/

Phone: (435) 879-2254

• The museum is on Silver Reef Drive at the corner of Wells Fargo Drive. From I-15, follow Silver Reef Road west about 1½ miles toward the red cliffs, turn left at the "y" onto Silver Reef Drive, and go about ¼ mile; the museum is on the right. Its website asks you to navigate to 1903 Wells Fargo Rd, Leeds.
• Coming from St. George, take I-15 north to Exit 22, about 15 miles north of St. George, and drive north on Main Street through Leeds for about 1.3 miles. Turn left at the sign for I-15 north onto Silver Reef Road, and stay on Silver Reef Road rather than getting back on I-15.
• Coming from Cedar City or Salt Lake City, take I-15 south to Exit 23, which ends at a T on Silver Reef Road, and turn right.
• To reach the Red Cliffs Campground and the Silver Reef Trail, you pass through two narrow tunnels under I-15 that limit vehicle height and width to less than about 12 feet. Large RVs or trailers may not fit.

More information: https://silverreef.org/visit/

• The Silver Reef Trail is unimproved, with uneven surfaces, slickrock and a relatively steep climb to the overlook. It is generally not considered wheelchair accessible.
• Parking at the trailhead can be limited during peak seasons.

Address1903 Wells Fargo Rd, Leeds, UT

After leaving I-15, follow the brown historical signs to Historical Silver Reef.

Website: silverreef.org

Tours: (435) 879-2254

Before you go: (435) 688-3200

Before you go: [email protected]

Website: silverreef.org

Hours aren't listed.

• Past the locked gate near the top of the canyon, the rest of Spring Canyon is private property, with no access.
• The Storrs town site is now mostly privately owned. View the mining remnants and buildings from County Road, and respect private property and no-trespassing signs.
• Old mining sites can hold dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives. Never enter an abandoned mine, stay out of old structures, and stay on designated trails.
• Utah's old mine sites can have open shafts and waste piles that contain heavy metals such as arsenic and lead. Abandoned mine sites usually have no warning signs at all.
• A vault toilet (an outhouse-style toilet) is by the Spring Canyon Trail and climbing area. Bring anything else you need.

More information: https://www.carbon.utah.gov/attraction/spring-canyon/

Rules: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

• Walk the popular trail that follows the canyon.
• Climb or rappel (descend by rope) the towering bands of gray and tan sandstone, or go bouldering.
• See some of the old mining remnants still in the canyon.
• Try geocaching (a GPS treasure hunt) if you have a GPS.
• Hear the local ghost legend, The White Lady of Spring Canyon.
• The gift shop at the Helper Museum, 294 S Main St in Helper, sells booklets for self-guided tours up Spring Canyon.

• 1912: Jesse Knight bought the land and built a mine and a company town. He named the town Storrs, after the mine superintendent.
• 1924: the town was renamed Spring Canyon.
• By 1954 much of the coal was used up, the Spring Canyon Coal Company had shut down most of its operations and most residents had left. The town was later abandoned entirely.

• Spring Canyon is a ghost town just above Helper, Utah.
• From U.S. Route 6, turn south onto Bryner Street, or turn west onto N Main and then left onto Bryner.
• Turn right off Bryner onto Spring Canyon Street and follow it up the canyon.
• There's no access past the locked gate near the top; beyond it is private property.

More information: https://www.carbon.utah.gov/attraction/spring-canyon/

Contact: (435) 636-3701

Website: carbon.utah.gov

Hours aren't listed.

View only

• The town is fenced off and posted as private property. Most of the ruins can be seen from the road, so look from the road.
• Obey warning and no trespassing signs.

Hazards

• A coal mine, the Standard Mine, operated here, and its remains lie beyond the bath house. Never enter a mine or an old building.
• Old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives. Stay out and Stay Alive!
• Across Utah, an estimated 10,000 abandoned mine openings remain. Abandoned mine sites usually have no signs warning of them or their dangers.

• Look for the coal storage unit, left standing after the coal tipple deteriorated.
• Spot the bath house at the top of the hill, where miners bathed and changed clothes.
• Find the foundations of the old town buildings.
• See where railroad tracks, once owned by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, end in town.
• Most of the ruins can be seen from the road. Many have graffiti.

• 1912: coal was discovered in Spring Canyon and the town was established. Its well-planned layout, with lawns, bushes and poplar trees, became the standard for Spring Canyon's coal towns, which gave Standardville its name.
• At its peak the town held about 550 people.
• 1922: striking miners attacked a train, and the shooting killed a mine guard.
• 1930: an explosion in the Standard mine killed 20 of the 29 miners working in it.
• After World War II, demand for coal fell and the mine could not meet its payroll. The mine closed in 1950, the shops, hospital and school closed as miners moved away, and two families stayed on until the 1970s.

Check the venue's website before you go.

Campsite, per night

Individual site$15

America the Beautiful Senior and Golden Age passes get 50% off campsites.

Stay limit: 14 days.

See Before you go

Price list: https://www.blm.gov/visit/temple-mountain-townsite-campground

Hours aren't listed.

Call (435) 636-3600 before you go.

• The Bureau of Land Management's Price Field Office manages Temple Mountain Townsite, a campground in the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area.
• Never go into an abandoned mine. Utah mine officials warn that old mine sites can hold explosive materials, toxic gases and unstable structures, so stay out of old buildings and shacks too.
• Stay on designated trails and obey warning and no trespassing signs.
• Mines in this part of the San Rafael Swell carry the usual abandoned-mine hazards (falls, cave-ins, getting lost) plus exposure to radiation and long-term health risks.
• Even mines that have been sealed off are sometimes vandalized, entered and left open, and abandoned mine sites usually have no warning signs at all.
• Utah's mine waste dumps often contain elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and lead.
• Rescue is hard: access to abandoned mines can be difficult for emergency responders.
• Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit; the desert gets less than 10 inches of rain a year and light winter snow.

Campsite, per night

Individual site$15

America the Beautiful Senior and Golden Age passes get 50% off campsites.

Stay limit: 14 days.

Price list: https://www.blm.gov/visit/temple-mountain-townsite-campground

More information: https://ogm.utah.gov/stay-out-stay-alive/

Phone: (435) 636-3600

• Hike from the campground to reclaimed uranium mines and look at them from the outside. Never enter a mine opening.
• Drive a short distance down the wash to the Temple Mountain Pictograph Panel.
• Drive the longer North Temple Wash loop.
• Visit sites in the historic Temple Mountain Mining District, on foot or by vehicle, to learn about Cold War-era uranium mining.
• The BLM's photos of the site show stone cabin ruins with a sandstone butte behind them. Look from a distance and stay out of old structures.
• Across the San Rafael Swell, old miners' shacks and car bodies remain as curiosities for visitors.
• Hike into the San Rafael Reef Wilderness from trailheads along Behind-the-Reef Road. Two of them, Chute Canyon and Wild Horse Canyon, are open to horseback riders.
• Little Wild Horse Canyon is the most popular hike in the San Rafael Reef. Paired with Bell Canyon via Behind-the-Reef Road, it makes an eight-mile moderate day hike with varied scenery.
• Goblin Valley State Park, a fee area famous for its sandstone hoodoos (called goblins) and buttes, is 2 miles east.

• Mining claims were staked at Temple Mountain as early as 1898, but little ore was produced until 1914, when mining for radium, vanadium and uranium began. It continued on and off into the 1920s.
• Ore from the Temple Mountain mines was shipped to France for Marie Curie's radium experiments.
• The Temple Mountain mines were major uranium producers in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
• During the Cold War uranium boom, a shanty town known as Temple City temporarily sprang up here.
• The boom was followed by a bust: over 200 abandoned uranium mines in the San Rafael region stayed open afterward. In time, 172 mine openings in the San Rafael Swell were selected for closure.

• From Highway 24, turn west onto Temple Mountain Road (signed for Goblin Valley State Park). Go straight past the state park turnoff as the road changes from pavement to gravel and enters a short canyon.
• The townsite is on the north (right) side of the road as the canyon opens up, seven miles from the highway turnoff, at the junction with Behind-the-Reef Road.
• Behind-the-Reef Road is passable for most vehicles for six miles. Past that, it continues another 14 miles that need high clearance and four-wheel drive. After about seven miles, the road narrows to a maximum vehicle width of 50 inches.
• Motorized vehicles are not permitted in wilderness.
• The Goblin Valley State Park entrance is two miles up Temple Wash Road, back toward Highway 24.
• Temple Mountain stands about 45 miles southwest of the town of Green River.

Price list: https://www.blm.gov/visit/temple-mountain-townsite-campground

Phone: (435) 636-3600

AddressTemple Mountain Rd at Behind-the-Reef Rd junction, Temple Mountain, UT

Look for the townsite on the north (right) side of Temple Mountain Road, seven miles west of the Highway 24 turnoff.

Contact: (435) 636-3600 · [email protected]

Website: blm.gov

Transcontinental Railroad Backcountry BywayFree

See Before you go

Travelstorys audio tourFree

See Tours

Hours aren't listed.

Roads may be impassable when wet; check current conditions before you go.

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

Access

• The Transcontinental Railroad Backcountry Byway, the route to Terrace, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for public use. You reach Terrace by driving it.
• Stay on the road. Off-highway vehicles are limited to the byway corridor and other existing roads.
• The BLM encourages visitors to get out of their vehicles and explore the townsites along the byway.

Dangers

• Never enter abandoned mines. Unsecured abandoned mines may be present near the trails, and old mines can hold dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives. Abandoned mines usually have no sign warning of them.
• Leave everything where you find it, including relics, pottery, railroad spikes and historic trash. Taking cultural artifacts from public lands is illegal, and the BLM reminds visitors of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979.
• Old railroad spikes can surface in the road, and flat tires are common. Know how to change a tire. It's safer to travel with two vehicles, in case you drive over an old railroad spike.

Remote location

• There are no facilities or services along the byway, and cell phone service is limited.
• Check with the BLM Salt Lake Field Office before you go.

Transcontinental Railroad Backcountry BywayFree

Roads may be impassable when wet; check current conditions before you go.

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/transcontinental-railroad-back-country-byway-bcb

Phone: (801) 977-4300

Phone: (801) 320-8300

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

At Terrace

• Walk through the concave dugout of the old turntable and see the outlines of the roundhouse stalls.
• Read the interpretive signs. According to the shot-up sign at the site, the town's justice of the peace also ran the saloon.
• Look out over the flat desert: the Grouse Creek Range lies to the west and Terrace Mountain to the south, with no buildings or cell phone towers in view. On a clear day you can see the southern Wasatch Mountains, 150 miles to the southeast.

Along the byway

• The byway has over 20 interpretive sites. It passes the remnants of railroad sidings, towns and trestles, and old foundations, earthworks and culverts.
• Wooden railroad trestles still stand along the route.
• Peplin Cut is a narrow passage the railroad crews dug through a low hill with dynamite, horses, shovels and manpower.
• Pottery shards, building imprints and metalwork are easy to find. Look, photograph and leave them in place.
• The BLM also lists a Junior Ranger Book for the byway.

Map: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/BLMUtahTranscontinentalRailroadMap.pdf

• Terrace's fate was tied to the Transcontinental Railroad. At its peak it had nearly 1,000 residents, many of them likely Chinese and left out of the census.
• The railroad town had a chain store, imported trees, a library, an opera house, a pleasure garden, a couple of hotels, a school and a public bath.
• Its water came by an underground aqueduct of hollowed-out redwood logs, from springs in the Grouse Creek Range.
• Terrace all but vanished after the shorter line was completed across Great Salt Lake. A site sign dates the end of Terrace Cemetery to about 1910. Trains still cross that route today on the Lucin Cutoff, a causeway that cuts the lake in two.
• The wider story: the Central Pacific Railroad built east from Sacramento and the Union Pacific west from Omaha, and the two met at Promontory on May 10, 1869.

Travelstorys audio tour

• A self-guided audio tour of the byway guides you down the 90 miles of old railroad grade. It was made with the Utah SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office).
• Download the Travelstorys app or use the web version, search for the Transcontinental Railroad tour with the magnifying glass icon, and press the blue download icon.
• Download it before you leave, because cell phone service along the route is limited.

Travelstorys audio tourFree

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/transcontinental-railroad-back-country-byway-bcb

• The byway is unpaved, with gravel roads in a remote setting. It follows 90 miles of the old Central Pacific Railroad grade (the roadbed the tracks followed).
• It begins west of Golden Spike. Follow SR 83 to Golden Spike, then follow the signs for the backcountry byway.
• A low-clearance passenger vehicle can travel from Promontory Point to Kelton. Beyond Kelton, high clearance is recommended: there may be obstacles such as small ditches, washouts and large potholes, so be prepared to turn around if you get stuck. The BLM map recommends high-clearance 4WD vehicles in the Hogup Mountains.
• There are several mud flats along the route.
• There are chances to leave the railroad grade and return to Highway 30.
• The road is rough at times; expect about 15–20 mph. Driving the whole route takes 3–4 hours.
• The route is narrow but two-way traffic is permitted. Pull over and pass in a safe location.
• Gas and services are in Snowville, Tremonton, Corinne, Brigham City and Wendover. Park Valley to the north and Montello to the west have limited services.

Roads may be impassable when wet; check current conditions before you go.

Bring at least one spare tire, extra water and gas if needed.

Map: https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/BLMUtahTranscontinentalRailroadMap.pdf

More information: https://www.blm.gov/visit/transcontinental-railroad-back-country-byway-bcb

Follow SR 83 to Golden Spike, then follow the signs for the backcountry byway and drive the unpaved route to Terrace.

Website: blm.gov

Before you go: (801) 977-4300

Before you go: (801) 320-8300

Before you go: [email protected]

Before you go: [email protected]

Website: blm.gov

Hours aren't listed.

• Look from the signed pullout and townsite stop along the highway. Don't enter the damaged structures left standing in the silt.
• Never enter abandoned mines. Utah officials warn that old mining sites can contain dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives.
• The ground here still moves. The landslide area has shifted on and off since 1983, and small mudslides (earth flows) happen near its edges and head.
• Leave the ruins as you find them.

Map: https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/thistle-landslide/

• Stop at the large highway pullout for an overview of the landslide and its interpretive signs. A railroad tunnel sits at the bottom of the slide, built after the slide buried the original railroad grade.
• Continue to the ruins of the town for more interpretive signs.
• See what is left: some structures still stand, buried in silt, including water-ravaged homes and railroad archway entrances to buildings long gone, plus a few rusting cars in the debris.
• For a view of the slide from the downstream side, use the Spanish Fork River Park road turnoff (see Getting around).

Map: https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/thistle-landslide/

• Thistle was designed as a railroad town in the late 1800s, a waypoint between Denver and points west.
• Its population peaked at about 600 around 1917.
• As the railroad moved from steam locomotives to diesel in the 1950s, the town shrank. The passenger depot was torn down in 1972 and the post office closed in 1974.
• Record rain and snowmelt in 1982–83 set off the Thistle landslide in April 1983. It dammed the Spanish Fork River and flooded the town, destroying most of it.
• Direct damage topped $200 million (1983 dollars), making it the most expensive landslide in U.S. history.

• From I-15, head toward the town of Spanish Fork, take exit 261 and go east on U.S. Route 6/89.
• The large pullout is about 12.7 miles from I-15, on the right immediately before a massive double road cut.
• To view the landslide from the downstream side, turn right onto Spanish Fork River Park road after about 11 miles.
• About 1.5 miles past the pullout, turn right onto U.S. Route 89 and go about 1.5 miles to the ruins of the town.

Map: https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/geosights/thistle-landslide/

Park at the large pullout on U.S. Route 6/89 immediately before a massive double road cut for the overview and interpretive signs; the ruins of the town, with more signs, are about 3 miles farther along.

Hours aren't listed.

• The town’s remains are shared among private landowners, the State of Utah and the federal government. The sources don’t say which parts are open to the public, so stay off private land and obey any warning or no-trespassing signs.
• Don’t remove debris from the site.
• Never enter an abandoned mine. Utah’s abandoned-mine program warns that old mining sites can hold dangerous gases, unstable structures and explosives, and about 10,000 abandoned mine openings remain across the state.
• The sources don’t list services, water, restrooms or cell service at the site, so bring what you need.

More information: https://www.brycecanyoncountry.com/widtsoe-ghost-town/

• See what is left of the town: a few homes, the church/school building and the cemetery.
• Expect open ground more than buildings: government workers tore down most of the town’s buildings in the 1930s.
• The sources don’t list interpretive signs or which spots can be seen from a public road.

More information: https://www.brycecanyoncountry.com/widtsoe-ghost-town/

• Settled in the early 1900s by Jedediah Adair, whose success as a ‘dry’ farmer (farming without irrigation) drew other settlers. The town was first called Adairville and was renamed several times, for local church leaders and finally for University of Utah president John A. Widtsoe.
• By 1919 the community had an estimated 1,100 residents, a post office, sawmills, two hotels, four stores and a church that also served as a school.
• In 1920 the threat of drought began to drive farmers out. Crops failed, the US Forest Service moved its district office away, and the population shrank to a few dozen families.
• In 1936 the Federal Resettlement Administration bought out the remaining landowners and tore down most of the buildings. The last residents left in 1938.

More information: https://www.brycecanyoncountry.com/widtsoe-ghost-town/

AddressIn John's Valley, about 16 miles northeast of Bryce Canyon National Park, Widtsoe, UT

Widtsoe is in John’s Valley, about 16 miles northeast of Bryce Canyon National Park near the East Fork of the Sevier River.

Website: brycecanyoncountry.com