Wayfarrow

Independence

Ghost town · Pitkin County, Colorado

Independence Pass quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1960, 1:24,000)
Independence Pass quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1960, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Independence is a ghost town in Pitkin County, Colorado. It is one of 4 former communities in Pitkin County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 18th among the 48 Colorado counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Independence as a historical populated place on the Independence Pass topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.1072° N, 106.6059° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleIndependence Pass
Elevation10,929 ft
Nearest living townAspen, CO
Distance to it13.8 miles
GNIS feature ID180342
Coordinates39.10721, -106.60587

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Independence is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Aspen, CO (population 6,862), about 13.8 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 10,929 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

The ghost town of Independence, Colorado. The town is located on Colorado Highway 82 in Pitkin County. Independence is listed on the National Register of Histor
The ghost town of Independence, Colorado. The town is located on Colorado Highway 82 in Pitkin County. Independence is listed on the National Register of Histor · Jeffrey Beall / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Independence?

Independence is in Pitkin County, Colorado, at 39.1072, -106.6059.

How many ghost towns are in Pitkin County?

Pitkin County, Colorado has 4 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.