Explore Colorado: Native Americans & Ghost Towns
You can’t talk about Colorado’s history without talking about Native Americans and miners. Native Americans are a big part of Colorado’s history. Tribes like the Ute Indians inhabited the state, especially the southwest region. During the Gold Rush, Colorado was at the heart of the wild west exploration. There are many ghost towns in Colorado that you can visit, some you may just stumble upon during a hike. Two of the most popular ghost towns to visit during the summer are Alta near Telluride and Ashcroft near Aspen.
Mesa Verde National Park is one of four nation parks in Colorado. It is home to the cliff dwellings, arguably the best preserved ruins in the United States. The entrance fee to Mesa Verde National Park is $15 per car from Memorial Day to Labor Day and $10 the rest of the year. The four hour guided 700 years tour of the cliff dwellings is $45 for adults, $34 for children 5 to 11, and free for children four and under.
ACES or Aspen Center for Environmental Studies offers guided hikes to Ashcroft. The four hour Green World Day hike to Ashcroft and Castle Creek Valley includes lunch at Pine Creek Cookhouse. It's $75 per person and runs June through October.
You can find ghost towns in the state with the Ghost Town of Colorado interactive mapAlertMe