Alder Ghost Town

Saguache County, Colorado38.3694, -106.0394

Can you visit?

Public land, closed

Slb Land · No public entry

Nearest town
11 miPoncha Springs, CO
Mild months
Jun–Aug3 of 12
Elevation
8,540 ft2,604 m
Alder, Colorado
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alder is a former settlement in Saguache County, Colorado, listed among the ghost towns of Colorado. It lies at about 8,540 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miCañon CitySalidaBuena VistaPark CenterPoncha SpringsAlder
  • National Forest
  • State
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Alder. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Poncha Springs, CO, about 11 miles north in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Colorado Springs, CO, 77 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Calcite9.4 mi northeast
  2. Mary Murphy Mine27 mi northwest
  3. Alpine27 mi northwest
  4. St. Elmo28 mi northwest
  5. Ohio City34 mi northwest
  6. Tincup36 mi northwest
  7. Trump36 mi north
  8. Abbeyville37 mi northwest

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

State land: Slb Land

PAD-US places this spot on Slb Land, land managed by the state land board. PAD-US marks it as closed to the public. Another parcel starts within a quarter mile: San Luis Valley Field Office. Ruins often spread across more than one owner.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

-10°10°30°50°70°90°33-5Jan37-3Feb459Mar5420Apr6526May7632Jun8239Jul7937Aug7328Sep6117Oct468Nov34-4DecJan: 1.3 inFeb: 1.3 inMar: 1.2 inApr: 1.5 inMay: 1.2 inJun: 0.8 inJul: 1.6 inAug: 1.6 inSep: 1.3 inOct: 1.0 inNov: 0.9 inDec: 1.1 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run June to August, judging by NOAA normals from Sargents. Snow is normal from October to May.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Sargents station (USC00057460), 21 miles away. About 14.8 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationSaguache County, Colorado
Coordinates38.36944, -106.03944
Elevation8,540 ft (2,604 m)
Also known asAlder, Colorado
SourcesWikidata Q4713605 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Alder ghost town?

In Saguache County, Colorado, at 38.3694, -106.0394. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Poncha Springs, CO, about 11 miles north in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Colorado Springs, CO, 77 miles away.

Can you visit Alder?

Public land, closed. PAD-US places this spot on Slb Land, land managed by the state land board. PAD-US marks it as closed to the public. Another parcel starts within a quarter mile: San Luis Valley Field Office. Ruins often spread across more than one owner.

When is the best time to visit Alder?

Mild months here run June to August, judging by NOAA normals from Sargents. Snow is normal from October to May.

Are there other ghost towns near Alder?

Yes. Calcite (9.4 mi), Mary Murphy Mine (27 mi), Alpine (27 mi), St. Elmo (28 mi).

More ghost towns in Colorado

All 141 ghost towns in Colorado · Ghost towns near Colorado Springs