Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

Nathrop, Colorado

3.8/5

based on 5 reviews

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Added by Kristen May

This very historic ghost town in Colorado is a scenic stop if you're passing through Nathrop. Be sure to bring your camera to capture some amazing shots of the town.

If you're willing to go off the beaten path to a neat little ghost town, St. Elmo, Colorado is the place for you! About 2 and a half hours west of Colorado Springs, Colorado lies the town of St. Elmo, high up in the White River National Forest.

The town itself was founded in 1880 when they discovered gold and silver in the area but slowly began to decline in the 1920's as the mining industry declined.

While you're there be sure to head into the general store and pick up a pack of sunflower seeds to feed the very cute and friendly resident chipmunks!

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Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town Reviews

Kyle C

Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

10/09/20

We originally wanted to check this place out because it seemed like a cool town in a nice area with interesting history, but we ended up staying the longest because of the hummingbirds, ground squirrels and chipmunks. There is a little store that maintains hummingbird feeders and sells feed for the squirrels. Even if you do not buy the feed, which we did not, the squirrels are still really funny to watch as there can be close to a hundred running around at a time.

4.0

Explorer

Jared Beeler

Explorer

Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

08/05/20

This area is extremely beautiful however the town itself is very touristy and not very abandoned.

4.0

Explorer

Billy DiMirra

Explorer

Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

02/26/16

So, I drove a couple hours specifically to check this place out, because the pictures seemed really cool. The drive was awesome, seeing the collegiate peaks in Buena vista leading into the pass towards St Elmo was great. When we got to St Elmo thought, I won't lie, I pretty disappointed. Its one main road with some old buildings but not really anything to explore. We walked around for 10 or 15 minutes and by then, we had seen it all. My advice would be: If you're in the area of Buena Vista, go check it out. But if this is a trip destination you're planning on driving a couple hours to, there are better places to go.

3.0

Sonoma Olson

Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

02/16/16

I went during the winter and large snow banks were along the road to it made it difficult to take photos of the entire building. Also, take county line 162. The maps on iPhone led me county like 290 and that road was closed. It was a cool place to visit!

4.0

Explorer

Jason Hatfield

Explorer

Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

10/23/15

St Elmo is an interesting "ghost town" with an eclectic general store. The town still has some residents so unlike more abandoned places it's not a great spot for night photography.

4.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town

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Download the Outbound mobile app

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Explore the St. Elmo Ghost Town Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Photograph Cottonwood Lake, CO

Ptarmigan Lake near Buena Vista

Summit Mt. Yale

Hike to Lost Lake

Take in the Views on Cottonwood Pass

Mt. Princeton

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