Entry No. 32 — the Boulder file — filed under: ghost town

Ward Ghost Town (Old Ward)

Ward began as a silver and gold camp in 1860 when Calvin Ward staked his claim at a site called Miser's Dream. By the 1880s it ranked among the richest towns in Colorado, with one mine eventually pulling more than two million troy ounces of silver from the mountains. In January 1900, fire consumed over fifty buildings, but the mines were profitable enough that the town rebuilt almost immediately. Then the ore gave out. The rebuilt Ward shrank to a ghost of itself by the 1920s, and in the 1960s the remaining handful of year-round residents were joined by waves of hippies who came for the cheap land and the altitude. Their descendants still live here — about 128 people by the last census — in a town famous for its deliberate unwelcoming posture: derelict vehicles arranged roadside, dogs loose in the streets, and a long-running local tradition of removing directional road signs.

The move: Drive the Peak to Peak Highway up to Ward on a clear afternoon, park on Columbia Street, and walk the dirt roads past collapsed cabins and mine tailings as the sun drops behind the Continental Divide. Stop at Utica Street to find remnants of the pre-1900 town, then warm up with hot drinks in the car on the way back down Left Hand Canyon.

📍 Before you go Ward sits at 9,450 feet — altitude hits fast, especially if you come straight from Boulder (5,430 ft). The town is open to drive and walk year-round, but the dirt roads through the older sections can be impassable in deep snow; visit May through October for best access. No admission, no hours, no services. Residents are private; stay on roads and do not enter structures or private property. The nearest gas is in Nederland, about 9 miles south on CO-72.

• 📍 Ward
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Columbia Street, Ward, CO 80481 (Peak to Peak Highway / CO-72, ~20 miles northwest of Boulder)

Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-11