Ironton to Colorado Boy Mine Hike: Exploring an Old Colorado Mining Town
My hike through the Ironton ghost town to the historic
Colorado Boy Mine in the San Juan Mountains.
Words by Michele Underwood | Photos by Michele
sign near Ouray, ColoradoThe Ironton Townsite trailhead, just off the Million Dollar Highway south of Ouray.
I've driven past Ironton several times on the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. I would see the trailhead sign every time I passed and was always curious about what was back there. I had no idea some of the old structures from Ironton were still standing.
So this time I stopped.
Ironton is about eight miles south of Ouray and was once a busy mining town in the Red Mountain Mining District. The old townsite is tucked back away from the highway, so you don't really see what's there when you're driving past.
There's a sign near the start that tells you more about Ironton and its history, including how the town got its name. I filmed it while I was there, but I don't remember all the details now. I always stop and read signs like this. Even when I think I know quite a bit about a place, I usually learn something I didn't know.
Then I started walking around.
There are little trails weaving throughout the ruins, so you can wander around and see what's left. Some of the buildings are still surprisingly intact, while others haven't survived time nearly as well and are literally rubble.
While I was walking around, I overheard a man telling someone that Ironton once had more than 100 buildings. Now only a handful are left. Looking around, that was pretty hard to imagine.
I really liked where they chose to build the town. It's tucked into the mountains right along Red Mountain Creek, with a different mix of trees surrounding it that gives this little area its own feel.
One white building immediately stood out because it was so well preserved. Another was clearly a home, and there was still wallpaper on some of the walls. I thought that was so cool. You could also see architectural details in these old buildings that we still use today, which I always notice.
Seeing the wallpaper especially got me. It's such a small thing, but it made it easier to picture someone actually living here instead of looking at Ironton as just another abandoned mining town.
While I was there, I stopped and asked a couple if the road running through Ironton—I think it's part of the old railroad route—went toward the Colorado Boy Mine. They told me yes, there was a trail that would take me all the way to it.
I was super stoked. I've seen the Colorado Boy Mine sitting up on the mountainside while driving the Million Dollar Highway, but I didn't know you could hike to it.
Of course, it was starting to rain.
Exploring the Ironton Ghost Town
One of the old homes still standing in Ironton’s residential area.
As soon as you get to the end of the road from Highway 550, you immediately start seeing old buildings. What is still standing today is part of Ironton's old residential area. The business district was farther north, but none of those buildings made it through the passage of time.
There are little trails that weave throughout the ruins, so you can wander around and see what's left. Some of the buildings are still surprisingly intact, while others haven't survived nearly as well and are literally rubble. Inside some of the old homes, you can still see details like wallpaper, frames on the walls and wainscoting. I thought the wainscoting was so cool because it's something we still use in homes today.
While I was walking around, I overheard a man telling someone that Ironton once had more than 100 buildings. There were saloons, brothels, restaurants, stores, a schoolhouse and two churches. At one point, there were even 12 saloons. Looking around at what's left today, it's hard to imagine this being an entire town.
I really liked where they chose to build it. Ironton sits tucked into the mountains along Red Mountain Creek, and the mix of trees gives this little area its own feel.
One of the homes still has wallpaper on the walls, and that detail especially got me. It's such a small thing, but seeing it made it easier to picture someone living here instead of looking at Ironton as just another abandoned mining town.
Finding the Trail to Colorado Boy Mine
While I was there, I stopped and asked a couple if the road running through Ironton went toward the Colorado Boy Mine. They told me yes, there was a trail that would take me all the way to it.
I was super stoked. I've seen the Colorado Boy Mine sitting up on the mountainside while driving the Million Dollar Highway, but I didn't know you could hike to it.
Of course, it was starting to rain.
I decided to head toward the mine anyway and see how far I could get. The route follows the old road south from Ironton before crossing Red Mountain Creek on a footbridge. From there, the trail starts climbing toward the mine.
This isn't a huge hike. The Colorado Boy section itself is short, but that's not really what made it interesting to me. You're walking out of an old mining town, following a route through the same landscape where people once lived and worked, and then suddenly you're standing below a mine structure you've probably seen from Highway 550.
Hiking Up to the Colorado Boy Mine
The Colorado Boy Mine from the wrong turn I took on the trail. It ended up giving me one of my best views of the mine.
The trail is pretty easy to follow, but somehow I still missed the sign telling me to turn left. I was focused on something else and just kept walking.
It turned out to be a good mistake. The route I took brought me directly in front of the Colorado Boy Mine and gave me a great view of the headframe from below. I've tried taking photos of it from the Million Dollar Highway before, but this was much closer and a much better angle.
Eventually, I realized I wasn't going the right way and turned around. When I got back to where I'd gone wrong, I saw the sign and thought, Oh. There it is.
After making the turn, I crossed Red Mountain Creek on a bridge and the trail started climbing more steeply toward the mine. The forest through here is thick and gorgeous. There are also trails branching off the main trail, which can make it a little confusing. My best advice is to keep working your way to the right as you climb.
Once the trail makes a left turn, the wooden headframe starts to peek through the trees.
The Colorado Boy Mine at the end of the trail, surrounded by fall color in the San Juan Mountains.
The Colorado Boy headframe has been stabilized, which is why there's still something substantial to see here. The mine shaft below it extends several hundred feet into the mountain, following one of the mineralized veins miners were chasing throughout this part of the San Juans.
I'd seen the Colorado Boy Mine so many times from the Million Dollar Highway, but standing right below it was completely different. You can see how steep the mountainside is and get a much better sense of the size of the headframe.
And, of course, I took more pictures.
Why I Liked This Hike
The trail to Colorado Boy Mine crosses Red Mountain Creek before starting the climb toward the mine.
It's cool to walk through an abandoned town, learn what it once was, and see what's left today. Ironton feels a little like stepping back in time, almost like a real-life history set that just stopped.
I'd driven past the Ironton trailhead sign so many times and always wondered where the trail went. I assumed it was a regular hiking trail that headed into the mountains. I had no idea an old mining town from the late 1800s sat back there, let alone that I could follow the trail all the way to the Colorado Boy Mine.
The San Juan Mountains still hold so much mining history. I wrote a separate article about the mining history along the Million Dollar Highway and some of the old mines and structures you can still see along the drive.
I've also written a full article about driving the Million Dollar Highway from Ouray to Silverton, including what the drive is like, what you'll see along the way, and what it was like driving it in my Sprinter van.
Sometimes the mining history is obvious, like the Yankee Girl Mine along the Million Dollar Highway. Other times you have to park, start walking, and see where an old road goes.
Ironton is one of those places, and now that I know what's back there, I want to go back and explore more.
I write Overland Girl, where I share firsthand travel experiences across the American West — from desert landscapes and national parks to small towns layered with history. My work blends movement, place, and the stories that shape them.
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