This 100-Year-Old Ghost Town Is a Short Hike from Estes Park, Colorado

One of the most rewarding parts about hiking is reaching the destination at the end of the trail. In Colorado, sometimes that means alpine lakes and awe-inspiring views, or in other cases, the trail takes hikers on a trip back in time.

The Homestead Meadows hike in Estes Park gives a glimpse of what life was like over 100 years ago in this northern Colorado town. Unlike other local ghost towns that were settled by miners, the Homestead Meadows site was built up by a group of men and women who agreed to help improve the land by living there.

The US Forest Service shares:

It provides access to the area known as Homestead Meadows that is rich in the history of eight homesteads established there between 1889 and 1923.

Interestingly, unlike many Colorado ghost towns, this community did not revolve around mining, rather agriculture. Uncover Colorado shares,

Both men and women staked claims. The first resident settled at Homestead Meadows in 1889. Men of Homestead Meadows often worked in nearby Lyons. They made the walk along the creek into town, and stayed for the work week while the women tended the land.

The town never even had a post office or school. It was just a collection of ranches. The last of the residents left in 1952.

If you venture out, here's what you'll find along the trails.