Entry No. 6 — the Boulder file — filed under: ghost town
Caribou Ghost Town
At 10,000 feet in the mountains west of Nederland, Caribou was once one of Colorado's most productive silver camps. Founded in 1869 after the discovery of rich silver ore, the town swelled to roughly 3,000 residents by the mid-1870s, supporting hotels, saloons, and a school. The Caribou Mine produced millions in silver before the ore played out and the population collapsed. Today the townsite is a scattering of stone foundation walls, collapsed cellars, and rusted debris half-reclaimed by lodgepole pine and alpine scrub. The Indian Peaks Wilderness frames the skyline. On a weekday you may have the whole ghost town to yourself, which sharpens the silence considerably.
The story
In 1869, prospector Sam Conger struck rich silver ore nearly 10,000 feet up in the mountains west of Nederland. Within a few short years, a wind-scoured boomtown of roughly 3,000 residents erupted out of the alpine tundra, packed with hotels, three saloons, a brewery, a school, and its own newspaper, the Caribou Post. The mine was so lucrative that in 1871 a Dutch investment firm bought it for $3 million, naming their processing plant down in the valley "Nederland"—Dutch for "low lands"—simply because it sat 2,000 feet lower than this frozen, high-altitude ridge.
The wealth didn't last long. The Dutch buyers quickly realized the easiest silver had already been pulled, and ownership bounced to Colorado mining figures Jerome Chaffee and David Moffat. Plagued by a destructive fire in 1879, brutal high-country winters, the 1893 silver crash, and another major fire in 1905, the town steadily withered. By 1917, the post office shuttered for good, and decades of alpine snow and relentless winds slowly dismantled what the blazes had left behind.
What stands today is stark and bare: a pair of gaping stone foundation walls, sunken cellars, and rusted iron scrap half-buried in lodgepole pine and scrub brush. Just north on Idaho Hill, the weather-beaten Caribou Cemetery holds forgotten graves and stolen headstones from the boom era. Sitting on cellar stones at 10,000 feet with the sharp ridge of the Indian Peaks Wilderness filling the skyline, you get a heavy sense of how fast a million-dollar fortune can crumble back into dirt.
What it's like
Reaching the site means bouncing up County Road 128 over slow washboard dirt and loose rock, so bring a high-clearance vehicle even on a clear day. When you arrive, there are no gift shops, restrooms, trail signs, or cell service—just cold wind whipping across open tundra and skeletal stone walls standing silent against the peaks. You can pick your way through collapsed cellars and examine rusted mining debris, but keep an eye on the sky: intense afternoon thunderstorms can build over the Continental Divide without warning, and snow can block access from October through May. Go on a quiet weekday afternoon with a thermos of coffee, and remember that federal antiquities law strictly protects every artifact on the property.
The move: Drive the rough dirt road up from Nederland, pick your way through the stone foundation walls, and piece together which building was which. Bring a thermos and sit on the cellar stones while the Indian Peaks fill the horizon. Eerie and strangely intimate on a quiet afternoon.
📍 Before you go The dirt road to the townsite (County Road 128 / Caribou Road) requires a high-clearance vehicle; a standard SUV is usually fine in dry conditions. Snow can block access October through May or later — check conditions before going. The site sits on BLM land and is open to the public with no fee or permit required. No facilities, no cell service. Bring layers; wind at 10,000 feet is no joke even in summer. Do not remove artifacts — the site is protected under federal antiquities law.
- 📍 Nederland, CO
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Caribou Road (CR 128), approximately 3 miles west of Nederland, CO 80466
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Nederland Mining Museum — The silver ore pulled from Caribou was hauled down the mountain to be milled in Nederland, making this free museum down in town the direct continuation of the story.
- Train Cars Coffee & Kava — Grab a hot drink inside three century-old railroad cars in Nederland to thaw out after the 10,000-foot wind strips the heat off you.
- Carousel of Happiness — This hand-carved, whimsical mountain carousel in Nederland offers a bizarrely gentle contrast to the stark silence of Caribou's stone ruins.
- Grandpa Bredo's Tuff Shed — Pair Caribou's abandoned 19th-century mining ruins with Nederland's famous cryonics story just a few miles down the road.
Good to know
Do I need a 4WD or high-clearance vehicle to reach Caribou Ghost Town?
A high-clearance vehicle like a standard SUV is recommended for County Road 128 (Caribou Road), which is an unpaved dirt road with rocks and washboards. In snowy or muddy conditions, 4WD is necessary.
How much does it cost to visit, and are permits required?
The townsite is on public Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, so visiting is completely free and requires no permits.
When is the road to Caribou open?
The road is typically accessible from late June through September. Heavy snow at 10,000 feet frequently blocks access from October through May or later.
Are there restrooms or cell service at the townsite?
No. There are zero facilities, restrooms, trash cans, or cell service at the site, so bring your own supplies and pack out all trash.
Can I collect rocks or old metal artifacts from the site?
No. Removing artifacts or disturbing ruins on federal BLM land is illegal under federal antiquities law.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura · fs.usda.gov · bouldercoloradousa.com · Wikipedia · themountain-ear.com
last checked: 2026-06-11