Entry No. 36 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: ghost town

Independence Ghost Town

Prospectors struck gold here on July 4, 1879, and within three years more than forty businesses — three saloons, four grocery stores, boarding houses — crowded a canyon shelf at 10,900 feet. The boom burned out by 1883 when the shallow ore pinched off; most residents drifted down to the silver bonanza in Aspen. The rump population of a few dozen finally fled in the winter of 1899 when record snowfall cut the supply roads and food ran out — they spent three days lashing together 75 pairs of skis from cabin planks and escaped en masse. What the Aspen Historical Society has stabilized includes a log-cabin general store, a stable, two boarding houses in various states of collapse, and the Farwell Stamp Mill used to crush ore, all connected by a short dirt path with interpretive signs.

The move: Drive Independence Pass on CO-82, stop at the roadside pullout 16 miles east of Aspen, and walk the trail through the mill and log cabins. The pass summit is four miles further east — sit on the Continental Divide above treeline and watch the light drain off the Elk Mountains.

📍 Before you go CO-82 over Independence Pass is closed from roughly late October through late May — CDOT opened it May 21 in 2026, but the date shifts with snowpack; check cotrip.org or call 511 before you go. The site is self-guided with no set hours; admission is a suggested $5 donation (honor system). Aspen Historical Society runs guided 1.5-hour tours on Saturdays at 1 pm from mid-June through early October — no reservation needed but confirm at aspenhistory.org. No dogs allowed on the townsite. Standard 2WD cars are fine on CO-82. From Grand Junction allow roughly 2.5 hours each way.

• 📍 Aspen
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: CO-82 (Independence Pass Road), approximately 16 miles east of Aspen, CO 81611 — signed roadside pullout on the south side of the highway

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

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

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

last checked: 2026-06-11