Ghost Towns of Idaho
Idaho’s ghost towns trace the silver and gold rushes of the Owyhee Mountains and beyond — remote mountain camps that boomed on rich quartz veins, fought underground wars over disputed claims, and emptied out once the ore gave way.
Explore the Map
Interactive map of Idaho’s mapped ghost-town sites. Click a marker for details.
A Short History of Idaho’s Ghost Towns
Idaho’s ghost towns trace the state’s mining frontier across mountain ranges that were among the last corners of the West to be settled. Silver City, high in the Owyhee Mountains on the flank of War Eagle Mountain, was one of the richest and most enduring of these camps. Gold and then vast bodies of silver drew thousands of miners in the 1860s, and the town grew into a substantial community with newspapers, hotels, and the machinery of hard-rock mining. It weathered underground disputes between rival companies over the same ore bodies and outlasted many of its neighbors, but as the mines gave out the population dwindled. Today Silver City survives as a remarkably intact collection of weathered wooden buildings, a seasonal ghost town preserved by its very remoteness.
Getting There & Access
Silver City is reached by a long, unpaved mountain road that climbs into the Owyhees from the desert below, and it is emphatically seasonal: snow closes the route through the winter and often well into spring. The road is passable to most vehicles when dry, but it is rough, narrow in places, and best driven with high clearance and a full tank, since there are no services along the way. Plan for a slow drive, watch for oncoming traffic on the switchbacks, and check current road and weather conditions before setting out. Summer and early fall are the practical window, and even then afternoon mountain storms can make the grade slick.
Public Land & Responsible Visiting
The Owyhee country is largely public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, interlaced with private inholdings and patented mining claims within Silver City itself. Many of the town’s buildings are privately owned and lovingly maintained, so admire them from the public roads and do not enter or disturb private property. Old shafts and adits riddle the surrounding hills and are extremely dangerous — stay out of them. Leave artifacts and hardware where they lie, pack out all trash, and drive only on existing roads to protect the fragile high-desert soils. The respect visitors show is what allows this rare, unrestored ghost town to keep standing.