ST. ELMO, Colo. — There’s still time to sneak in a few more summer adventures before fall officially arrives, and one place that’s definitely worth checking out is St. Elmo.
The entire town was listed as an Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. St. Elmo is located about 25 miles southwest of Buena Vista on County Road 162, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Colorado Springs.
The area is packed with things to do like hiking and camping, but one activity that’s also quite popular in the area is four-wheeling.
St. Elmo lies in the heart of the Sawatch Range and was once the most important town in the Chalk Creek Valley.
Its residents have since moved on, but more than 130 years later, St. Elmo maintains its importance as one of Colorado’s most preserved ghost towns.
Founded in 1880, it was gold and silver that initially attracted people to the area, but now they come for a different kind of reward.
“It’s so beautiful to get out here and if you stop for a second, which people don’t do, and you just listen, you don’t hear anything, and it’s so nice, so nice,” said Jim Johnson, President of the Bighorn 4X4 Club of Colorado Springs.
With eight of the 20 highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains nearby, there’s plenty of opportunities for adventure and scenic views, some a little harder to get to than others.
“There’s easy and extreme here,” said Johnson.
One fairly easy trail option is Tincup Pass.
“If you’ve got the stock Wrangler, maybe something that has small tires, you can still come up here to where we’re at today,” said Johnson.
A 4×4 is still recommended, and Johnson said it’s best to travel in pairs.
“Bring somebody along for safety reasons. It might not be an accident that you’re in, maybe your Jeep breaks down. It’s not that you get stuck but you need a way to get back home,” he said.
An easy day trip from Colorado Springs, St. Elmo offers an escape and a chance to reconnect with nature.
“It sounds kind of weird, but cleansing your soul,” said Johnson. “I think it’s just not being at home. I mean you can be a homebody, but do that stuff in the wintertime.”
St. Elmo’s slow decline started in the late 1890s with the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, and two fires helped push out most of the remaining residents. But there’s still treasure to be found there and a sense of excitement in the air, perhaps left behind by those who came there in search of a new life so long ago.
“It’s beautiful to get see Colorado. This is what the pioneers came here for,” said Johnson.
Always stay the trail.
To learn more about the Bighorn 4×4 Club, visit http://www.bighorn4x4.org/ .