Colorado's Once-Thriving Mining Town Is Now An Abandoned Mountain Gem Surrounded By Forest Beauty

Mining played an integral role in the settlement of Colorado, with the Colorado Gold Rush kicking off in the late 1850s. All kinds of small towns started being built up throughout the Rocky Mountains as hopeful prospectors worked to find silver and gold. But as the boom faded, many of the mountain mining towns were abandoned, leaving just a few broken-down buildings as a memory of the once bustling communities. One such place is Winfield, Colorado, which built up around the Winfield Mining Camp. While it's no longer an active town, you can still visit to enjoy the beautiful forest and mountain setting, see some of its abandoned buildings, and learn more about the area's history. It's also a great place for outdoor recreation.

Within the heart of the Sawatch Range and near the confluence of the north and south forks of Clear Creek, Winfield once had around 1,500 people living there towards the end of the 19th century. It had multiple stores, saloons, and hotels along with a school, post office, church, and boarding house. However, by 1918, the last load of ore was delivered from Winfield, and after that, the town was abandoned.

You can still see the remains of four of the original log structures at the Winfield Mining Camp Interpretive Site, including the school and Ball cabin. Both of these structures have been restored to what they looked like during Winfield's heyday. There's signage around the site that shows you where things once were, so you can try to envision the town as a bustling mining community, and there's also a small cemetery with a few dozen gravesites.

Some of the old cabins in Winfield, Colorado, may not look entirely abandoned; some of them are private residences used by locals as backcountry getaways. This is definitely a hot spot for outdoor adventure. Winfield is 12 miles up from the Clear Creek Reservoir, which is a great place for hunting and fishing. Plus, on the way to Winfield from Clear Creek, you'll pass by Vicksburg, another abandoned mining town.

Campers are allowed to stay overnight in Winfield, though not in the townsite itself. The Winfield Dispersed Camping Area is about five minutes from the town, and there are spaces right off the main road. You can find fire pits from previous camps to use, and you can set up pretty much anywhere. It is primitive camping with no water or toilets. For a bit more camping luxury, Clear Creek Reservoir has both tent and RV camping as well as toilets and water. 

Winfield's location in the Sawatch Range means you're basically surrounded by some of Colorado's highest mountains and lush forests. There are more than a dozen mountains over 14,000 feet — known as fourteeners — including Mt. Elbert, the highest mountain in the state. You can make Winfield your base camp to check out some of these peaks; the closest fourteener to Winfield is Huron Peak, one of the Collegiate Peaks. The lower trailhead for the mountain is near the Winfield camping area. Another popular hike that starts near Winfield is up to Lake Ann. The trail follows the Continental Divide Trail National Scenic Trail for a few miles before splitting off to the beautiful alpine Lake Ann.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the road to Winfield, Colorado, is unpaved, and it may not be in the best condition. It's also seasonal; it's only open when there's no snow. When the snow is gone in summer, many 2WD cars should be able to get to Winfield, but it will be slow going. As one Tripadvisor reviewer noted: "The road to Winfield is 12 miles and the road gets progressively worse. We ended up turning around a little over halfway ... I had no idea the drive would be so rough, so I wanted to put it out there." If you plan to go past Winfield, like to the upper trailhead for Huron Peak, you'll need a 4WD vehicle with high clearance.

You shouldn't expect to have good (or any) cell service in Winfield or on the way. Make sure you have maps downloaded on your phone or a GPS device, especially if you're not familiar with the area.

If you want to explore more abandoned Colorado mining towns, St. Elmo is one of the West's best-preserved ghost towns. It's about a 90-minute drive from Winfield and 40 minutes from Buena Vista. If you want some Gold Rush history but with modern amenities, the former gold mining town of Cripple Creek, which has reinvented itself as a tourist destination, is about 2.5 hours away.