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Swallows Nest

Ghost town · Montezuma County, Colorado

Soda Canyon quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1912, 1:62,500)
Soda Canyon quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1912, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Swallows Nest is a ghost town in Montezuma County, Colorado. It is one of 3 former communities in Montezuma County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 23rd among the 48 Colorado counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Swallows Nest as a historical populated place on the Moccasin Mesa 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 37.1572° N, 108.4679° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleMoccasin Mesa
Elevation6,747 ft
Nearest living townCortez, CO
Distance to it14.6 miles
GNIS feature ID179217
Coordinates37.15722, -108.46787

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What's there now

Swallows Nest is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Cortez, CO (population 8,898), about 14.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 6,747 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Swallows Nest?

Swallows Nest is in Montezuma County, Colorado, at 37.1572, -108.4679.

How many ghost towns are in Montezuma County?

Montezuma County, Colorado has 3 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.