History and culture - Mountains
Animas Forks is a real ghost town, kept by the BLM
Animas Forks above Silverton is a preserved mining ghost town on the Alpine Loop, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, where the standing buildings are protected and meant to be left as found.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 11, 2026
High above Silverton, where the forks of the Animas River meet, sits Animas Forks. It is a genuine ghost town, not a recreated one. It grew in the 1870s as silver and gold prospecting spread through the high San Juans, peaked in the 1880s, briefly revived around a large mill in the early 1900s, and was largely empty by the 1920s once the mining gave out.
A handful of weathered wooden buildings still stand, which is part of what makes the place special. Those structures survive because they are protected. The site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the buildings are meant to be looked at and photographed, not climbed on, carried off, or altered. Taking artifacts or damaging the structures is against the rules and erases history for everyone who comes after.
Animas Forks is reached on the Alpine Loop, a system of unpaved mountain roads. The route to it is rough and only open in the warmer months, so plan around the season and the right vehicle. Weather at this altitude can turn fast even in summer.
For visiting guidance, road status, and the site’s history, the Bureau of Land Management page for Animas Forks and History Colorado are the sources to check.