
Ancho
A short drive from Carrizozo, Ancho was settled by cattle ranchers looking for a fertile grazing land.
Madrid
Drive the historic Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway to stop in this quaint town. About 400 residents live here year-round, and the art scene is booming.
Dawson
Home to some of the world’s worst mining disasters, this was once a bustling metropolis of nearly 9,000. The town, originally owned by Phelps Dodge, boasted schools, an opera and even a bowling alley.
Hagan
Coal was the moneymaker behind this Sandoval County town. Built around the turn of the century, it was deserted by the end of WWII.
Shakespeare
Located off I-10 near the Arizona border, this was once Billy the Kid’s stomping ground. You can walk along the Butterfield Trail and see Billy’s Old West.
Steins
Within miles of the Arizona border, this privately owned ghost town offers guided tours through the ten refurbished buildings.
The best ghost town is often the one you are visiting next, what is your favorite New Mexico ghost town?
By Anna Philpot













Those pictures are very creepy. Ghost towns are not something that I want to see.
Enjoyed your website. I guess I am a living “Ghost” as I was born at Hagan NM Feb.7, 1926,…yes, I am 85, and I have a sister who is now 94 years old who was born in Dawson, NM. We are sad to see a part of our past disappear into the beutiful New Mexico sunset. P.S. A note to Madrid Girl (above): Enjoy NOW your suroundings, as someday they will gradually all fade away. Guy H. Owensby, Annapolis, MD