St. Elmo Ghost Town

St. Elmo sprang up in the late 1870s and 1880s as miners worked the rich silver and gold veins in the mountains around Chalk Creek. At its height the town supported stores, saloons, a hotel, homes, and the traffic of a nearby railroad built to serve the mines and cross the range.

As the ore played out and the railroad was abandoned, the population dwindled until St. Elmo became a ghost town. Unlike many camps that burned or were dismantled, it survived largely intact, leaving one of the most complete pictures of a Colorado mining town anywhere in the state.

The heart of St. Elmo is its main street, lined with weathered false-front buildings, cabins, and the old town hall and general store. Standing among them, it is easy to imagine the boom years, and interpretive touches help tell the story of the people who lived and worked here.

Most of the buildings are historic and privately owned, so visitors are asked to look and photograph but not enter or climb on the fragile structures. A general store operates seasonally, keeping a small spark of life in the old town and offering a place to learn more and pick up a few supplies.

St. Elmo has become almost as famous for its chipmunks as for its history. The little animals gather boldly around visitors, especially near the store, and have become a beloved, photogenic part of a visit, delighting children and adults alike.

The town's setting is a reward in itself, tucked in a forested valley beneath the high peaks of the Sawatch Range. The drive up Chalk Creek from the Arkansas valley is lovely, and the surrounding mountains, streams, and old mine roads make the area a fine place to explore beyond the town.

St. Elmo is a popular jumping-off point for the high country above it, where rugged four-wheel-drive roads climb to old mines, alpine lakes, and passes over the Continental Divide. Nearby trailheads lead toward some of the state's high peaks, and the area is rich in mining relics.

This mountain country is part of the ancestral homeland of the Ute people, whose ties to the Sawatch high country long predate the mining era. Summer and early fall are the best times to visit, when the access roads are clear and the aspens turn gold, while winter buries the valley in snow and quiets the ghost town further.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.