Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · San Juan County, Colorado

Silverton

Town in Colorado, United States.

Record

About Silverton

Silverton is a statutory town that is the county seat of, the most populous community in, and the only incorporated municipality in San Juan County, Colorado, United States. The town is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Silverton, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Silverton is

USGS topographic map around Silverton
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

12 historic USGS maps cover Silverton

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Silverton

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Colorado index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Silverton": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Silverton, Colorado": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q679125.
  4. USGS GNIS 204750.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).