Utah’s ghost towns invite you to step off the well-worn tourist trail and dive into a piece of hidden history. These places that once bustled with life now stand as silent witnesses to a bygone era. From abandoned mining camps to deserted homesteads, each site offers a glimpse into the state’s rugged past.
It is important to recognize, however, that just because a town is abandoned does not mean the property is open to the public. Many Utah ghost towns sit on private property and others have active mining claims. If you visit, please don’t violate trespassing laws or you can expect to be prosecuted.
If you want to step back in time and get a taste of the old American West, here are a few different Utah ghost towns that are well worth a visit this year.
Paria
Paria (or Pahreah) is a ghost town near Kanab that’s worth visiting for the geological views alone. The colorful, striped mountain vistas that surround this little settlement make you wonder why anyone ever left it.
There are no buildings left at the town site, but there is a cemetery and it is obvious that people still visit to pay their respects. Gold mining was the principal draw for the town’s early settlers.
If the location seems familiar, it might be because the location used to have a western movie set with multiple buildings. Americansouthwest.net reports the site was featured in several films, including some scenes of Clint Eastwood’s “The Outlaw Josey Wales.” The buildings were destroyed by vandals in 2006.
The road to old Paria is gravel, but it is usually well maintained and passable even in a car. All bets are off, though, if it happens to be raining or wet. In fact, the wet roads were a problem for the town’s settlers. Repeated flooding from the Paria River is what caused people to leave.
Cisco
Writing for Only In Your State, Catherine Armstrong explains how the little town of Cisco went from being a thriving community to a deserted little town with a heartbreaking history.
Cisco used to be a main stop for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroads and a place for people to stock up on supplies. In 1924, it was Utah’s largest producer of oil and a very popular destination for road-tripping families.
But then, in what feels like a storyline from a popular Disney movie, Interstate 70 was built. And since it bypassed Cisco, people had to go out of their way to get there. Soon, people started moving away and the post office closed.
The town isn’t totally abandoned, however. Atlas Obscura reports that a woman named Eileen Muza purchased the town in 2015 and has slowly been restoring it, adding its own art residency.
“Today, there are approximately 100 abandoned buildings in Cisco, most of which are dilapidated sheds and shacks, and building materials left scattered about,” Atlas Obscura states. “Muza estimates that there are only seven fully intact buildings, one of which is her log cabin, another being Ethel’s Cafe.”
Muza even stars in a documentary called “Cisco Kid,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023.
If you decide to visit, be respectful and careful not to trespass on Muza’s property.
Castle Gate
Another once-thriving mining town, Castle Gate in Carbon County used to be a popular hideout for train robbers — most notably, Butch Cassidy. It was here that Cassidy and his sidekick Elza Lay famously stole about $8,000 from an arriving train.
On a sadder note, Castle Gate faced a bigger tragedy a few decades later when a big mine explosion killed 172 miners in 1924. According to Legends of America, “At the time it was the third-worst mining disaster in the United States and is still the tenth deadliest to this day.”
Silver Reef
Just about 15 miles northeast of St. George lies the old mining boomtown of Silver Reef. Silverreef.org reports the town gained quick notoriety in the late 1800s when silver was discovered in the local sandstone — “a geological rarity.” If you’re in the area, pay a visit to the Silver Reef Museum and learn all about the site’s unique Old West history.
Sego
Legends of America states that Sego used to be a thriving coal mining camp until railroads began using diesel engines in the early 1950s, which reduced the need for the mine’s products. It wasn’t long before the land was sold and many of its buildings were moved to Moab.
“Today, the old site continues to display numerous signs of its prosperous past. The stone walls of the old American Fuel Company Store continue to stand, though its windows and roof are long gone,” Legends of America notes.
You can also see crumbling structures, mine shafts and old railroad bridges throughout the canyon, as well as a cemetery with a few marked and unmarked headstones.
Bonus: Just before you get to Sego there are two amazing panels of petroglyphs…
Read More: 7 Utah ghost towns that are worth a visit this summer