Entry No. 92 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: ghost_town
Book Cliff Mine
Established in 1884, the Book Cliff Mine was a prominent coal operation that birthed the short-lived mining town of Carpenter and the Little Book Cliff Railway. A devastating underground coal seam fire ignited in 1923, leading to the site's abandonment in 1925. Today, stone foundations, old building remnants, and a sealed adit remain, though the subterranean fire continues to smolder and release toxic gases.
The story
In 1884, William T. Smith tapped into the coal seams north of Grand Junction, establishing the Book Cliff Mine and giving birth to the short-lived boomtown of Carpenter. To haul the heavy output down to the valley, Smith built the narrow-gauge Little Book Cliff Railway. Over its lifespan—operating alongside the nearby Grand Valley Mine—the complex moved over 350,000 tons of coal out of the canyon walls.
The downfall of Carpenter didn't come from a market crash or dry veins, but an uncontrollable fire. In 1923, an underground coal seam ignited beneath the mountain. The subterranean blaze choked the works with fumes and made subterranean labor impossible, forcing the mine's complete abandonment by 1925. The town melted back into the desert, but the fire never went out.
A century later, the subterranean fire is still smoldering beneath your feet. It continuously eats through the buried coal, releasing toxic gases up through rock fractures while stone foundations and a sealed mine adit sit silent in the canyon above.
What it's like
Reaching the ghost town requires a high-clearance 4x4 or a UTV trek up Carpenter Canyon Road, traversing a rugged public off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation area. When you reach the site, you will run straight into heavy safety fencing and explicit warning signs. You cannot wander through the ruins or enter any mine mouths—the real experience is standing at the fence line in the quiet desert landscape, photographing crumbling stone foundations and sealed portals while knowing a 100-year-old fire is active directly under your tires. Stay strictly behind the perimeter gates; the toxic off-gassing from the seam is very real.
The move: Take a guided UTV tour or drive a high-clearance 4x4 vehicle up Carpenter Canyon Road to view the dramatic desert landscape and safely photograph the distant stone ruins of the ghost town from behind the safety fences.
📍 Before you go The mine itself is sealed, fenced off, and extremely dangerous due to an active underground coal seam fire that releases toxic gases. While the surrounding Carpenter Canyon is a popular public OHV recreation area, visitors must stay behind the gates and fences of the historic mine site.
- 📍 Book Cliff Mine
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Book Cliff Mine, Colorado 81520, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Old Black Diamond Mine — Continue exploring the coal-mining history of the Book Cliffs at another historic, inactive mine site less than two miles away.
- Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range — Trade the fenced-off ghost town for 36,000 acres of protected wild horse country tucked into the exact same mountain range.
- Palisade Insectary — Pivot from smoldering underground mine fires to a state-run facility breeding targeted beneficial insects down in Palisade.
Good to know
Can I walk among the ruins or enter the mine shafts?
No. The mine adit is sealed and the entire ghost town site is fenced off due to dangerous toxic gas releases from the ongoing underground fire and severe collapse hazards.
How do I physically get to the Book Cliff Mine site?
You need a high-clearance 4x4 vehicle or a UTV to navigate Carpenter Canyon Road, which sits inside a popular OHV area roughly 10 miles northeast of Grand Junction.
Is the underground coal fire actually still burning?
Yes. The coal seam fire ignited in 1923 and continues to smolder deep underground, venting invisible, toxic fumes through fissures in the rock.
What remains visible from behind the safety fences?
You can see stone building foundations, scattered structural remnants of the town of Carpenter, and the sealed adit portal of the Book Cliff Mine.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · mesacountylibraries.org
last checked: 2026-07-20