Cisco Ghost Town

The ghost town of Cisco Utah was established in the 1880s as a water-refilling stop for the Rio Grande Western Railroad (now known as the Union Pacific)

During its early years of growth, there were hotels and saloons and it was a natural provisioning center for the sheep ranchers and farmers in the area, and was a hub for shipping wool from the area.

Eventually, the railroad didn’t need the stop anymore and things got even worse when I-70 was built in 1971 a few miles to the north detouring travelers past the town.

You’ve heard of how the Interstate system in the American west either blessed small towns by passing through them or cursed them by bypassing them? Cisco is one of those towns.

Back in the day of steam engine locomotives water was an important ingredient to make steam and trains needed to stop at regular intervals to refill their water supply from the water tanks next to the rails. Cisco was ideally located and the Cisco railroad station kept the tank filled by pumping water from the Colorado River 3 1/2 miles away from 1883 to the 1940s.

Cisco had a small boom in 1924, with the discovery of oil in the nearby Cisco and Utah desert oil and gas field, one of the oldest oil fields in Utah and for a time one of the largest producers of oil in the state. The town of Cisco regrew to a population of almost 200 residents.

By the 1950s diesels replaced steam locomotives and Cisco was no longer an important water stop. However, the bust due to the loss of the railroad was offset by the boom in Uranium prospecting and mining in the area.

Over the decades there were many businesses in Cisco, one of the most well-known up until its closure in 1978, was Ethel’s Cafe in the old Shell gas station run by the cranky Ethel Hall and her husband Spanky, but now long gone.

Travelers began passing by Cisco with the building of the Interstate just north of town, and the town slowly died through the 1980s and 1990s. The post office closed in the 1990s and Cisco officially became a ghost town.

Recently there was a short-lived small revitalization of Cisco by artists. There is even a quirky general store called the Buzzards Belly open again worth a visit and spending a few bucks to help sustain the fragile existence of Cisco.

Johnny Cash wrote a song said to have been inspired by Cisco and its demise caused by the interstate called Cisco Clifton’s Fillin’ Station.

The police car chase scenes of the movie Thelma and Louise were filmed in Cisco.

Getting there

Traveling west along I-70 take Exit 214 ( 39.038058, -109.283339 ), pass back under the highway and turn right onto the dirt road, continue 5.5 miles to Cisco ( 38.970314, -109.321104 ). From Cisco, you can continue west and then south on highway 128 scenic byway all the way to Moab the backway

Traveling east along I-70 take Exit 204 (38.938367, -109.408438 ) , follow the dirt road, and continue 5.5 miles to Cisco. From Cisco ( 38.970314, -109.321104 )you have to double 2.7 miles back the way you came and then head south on highway 128 scenic byway all the way to Moab the back way

Notes

The Cisco Ghost town is a nice option to include in your itinerary when traveling from Denver to Moab or vice versa, as it takes you the back way to Moab from I-70 and along the scenic byway 128 along the Colorado River, and takes about the same amount of time if you take the main highways to or from Moab

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

Moab Grotto

Short hike to two rock art sites, one an over-night camp with art under overhangs and the 2nd is the Moab Grotto rock art site

Secret Spire

A quick hike along a sandy road to a rock spire sitting on rolling slickrock hills near Moab

Dellenbaugh Tunnel

An easy hike to a tunnel that takes you to an overlook into Spring Canyon near the Tombstone Rock formation

Moki Mesa

Hike to a hidden shelf above the Colorado river you get to using an old cattle trail blasted out of the canyon cliff face

Seven Mile Canyon (South Fork)

This is a rewarding hike due to the large amount of famous and interesting petroglyph and pictograph panels in the area.

Moab Maiden – Hike

The Moab Maiden is a single petroglyph pecked into a large single boulder on a ridge above Kane Springs Creek. There are other petroglyphs at the cliff face at the overlook, as well as the ruin of a granary and pithouse.

Courthouse Wash (Lower Canyon) – Hike

An easy hike that takes you from the bridge in Moab into Arches National Park through a low canyon with water

Mill Creek North Fork – Hike

A local swimming hole, with a waterfall, two arches, and an amazing amount of rock art

Seven Mile Canyon ( Lower ) – Hike

Explore a canyon that was part of the Spring/Fall Anasazi migration route, originating in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park to the La Sal Mountains. There are Barrier style rock art panels in the canyon.

Hidden Valley – Hike

Discover a hidden Valley “Behind the Rocks” in Moab, and hike a two-thousand-year-old path used by Native Americans, see many petroglyphs and two ruins

The Owl Panel – Hike

This short hike takes you to discover the Owl Panel which also has the big man, lots of sheep, and other petroglyphs.

Arches National Park...

U-Turn Canyon

Scramble up to a secret canyon in Arches National Park above Park Avenue

Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch is a family favorite, perfect for kids, it is a quick and easy stroll on a sandy easy-to-follow trail

Skyline Arch

Skyline Arch sits against the skyline at the top of a large red rock fin. A short and easy walk.

Tapestry Arch & Broken Arch

Hike to both Tapestry Arch and Broken Arch on a short out-and-back trail that leaves from the Devil’s Garden Camp Grounds

Guide for the Devil’s Garden

A special place walking through rock fins, towers and arches, see the famous Landscape Arch or hike the challenging Primitive Loop to see more remote sections of the Devil’s Garden

Windows section of arches national park 11

How to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window at sunrise

This guide will give you everything you need to know about how to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window arch in Arches National Park in Utah.

Tower Arch Hike

Rarely visited due to its location in the western part of Arches National Park, a great place to go if you want a quieter experience off the beaten path away from the crowds

Willow Springs Road

Willow Springs Road is a backdoor road into Arches National Park that avoids the toll gate, and reservation system

Park Avenue – hike

This is a fun and easy hike and is a great introduction to hiking in Arches National Park for beginners, the trail gets you quickly immersed among the high red rock features of what Utah and the park is all about.

Windows Section of Arches National Park

The Windows and Double Arch are the main attraction, but you can see The Parade of Elephants, Turret Arch, Cove Arch, Ribbon Arch, Elephant Butte, and the Cove of Caves also.

Canyonlands National Park - Island In The Sky District...

Canyonlands National Park – Island in the Sky District

The Island in the Sky district is one of the easiest and most popular districts of the park, the main attraction are the viewpoints and hiking the trails.

False Kiva – Hike

The site sits in an alcove and a stone circle. There are some handprints on the back of the wall of the alcove and some faint images that are hard to make out today.

Photography Tips for Mesa Arch

Every sunrise, Mesa Arch is descended upon by masses of photographers trying to capture their own early morning sunrise framed through the arch.

Canyonlands National Park - Needles District...

Guide for hiking Davis Canyon

Davis Canyon contains arches, granaries, ruins of cliff dwellings, and rock art including the amazing five faces pictograph

Dinosaur Tracks...

Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackway

A short hike to see where an Allosaurus and a Brontosaurus dinosaur walked and left their footprints over 160 million years ago

Klondike Bluffs Dinosaur Track – Hike

The tracks in this area are predominantly those of carnivorous dinosaurs called allosaurus, which were probably on the hunt for other animals that would come to what was once a large body of water.

Dinosaur Stomping Grounds – Hike

Enjoy a short hike to a “mega track site” that is covered with over 2000 dinosaur tracks left on a 160 million years old mud flat.

Scenic Drives...

Guide to the Potash Road Rock Art Sites

Just a few minutes from downtown Moab, on the Potash road running along the Colorado River is the opportunity to see a half dozen sites that hold hundreds of petroglyphs and even some dinosaur foot prints

La Sal Mountain Loop

The 60-mile route follows the Colorado River, and climbs into the La Sal Mountains via Castle Valley, it offers great views of the peaks and the red rock canyons far below.

Onion Creek & Narrows Hike & Scenic Drive

A scenic drive into beautiful Onion Creek Canyon just south of the Fisher Towers with many stream crossings and a fun optional hike in a narrow canyon

Highway 128 Rock Art

An easy quick stop along scenic byway 128 if coming or going from Cisco to Moab. A large boulder with about 50 petroglyphs sits above the highway.

Potash Road / Shafer Trail

The scenic drive – Utah Scenic Byway 279, takes the back roads and runs from Moab to Canyon Lands National Park along the Colorado River

Anticline Overlook

Rarely visited by most travelers but is worth the effort. The view is overlooking Deadhorse state park and Canyonlands National Park Islands in the Sky district, to the north, looking over Hurrah Pass and the Kane Creek.