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Grafton Ghost Town

Rockville, Utah

4.8/5
based on 4 reviews

Description

Added by Mayson

A long abandoned ghost town, near one of the nation's most popular National Parks- Zion NP.

Grafton Ghost Town is an abandoned small town 7 miles outside Zion National Park and the modern towns of Rockville and Springdale, Utah. 

To get there from Highway 9, get off on Bridge Lane residential road and cross the Virgin River on a historic single track iron bridge- then  head west. At the point where Bridge Lane bends south, a lesser, unpaved road continues roughly parallel with the river for another 2 miles to Grafton.

First settled in 1859, this ghost town has a bit of a dark history. The town was washed away by floods in 1862, causing all 28 families who lived there to rebuild creating a school, post office, church, and community hall by 1864. The town was then nearly completely abandoned by 1866 after being plagued by Indian attacks. This left only three families living there by 1920, who not long after also abounded the small town for the safety of larger Rockville, UT.

Today, the remnants of the town include several long abandoned buildings still standing today. These include a few houses, the old church, and two other buildings- all of which are open to the public. You can walk around the town, take a look in few of the buildings, and explore the general area seeing informational displays about the ghost town's history. 

A few other deserted buildings dot the area but are not all accessible to the public because they fall on private land and are marked by "No Trespassing" signs. 

The town's cemetery is also open to the public on a turnoff about a half mile south, just prior to reaching the end of the road into Grafton.  

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Features

Photography
Family Friendly
River
Scenic
Wildflowers
Wildlife

Grafton Ghost Town Reviews

Drove up there this past weekend. The views were incredible.

Gafton Ghost town is a cool place to explore just outside of Zion National Park. The building are quite well preserved and a small cemetery is nearby. Great place to photograph

The road is SUPER bumpy (if you can take a raised vehicle that would be better). But the town (really only a few buildings) is super cute. Also, it has great history. The school house is actually the one used in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

It was a bumpy ride but our Prius finally made it. I love this ghost town (especially after I found out that the main house was one of my ancestors) there are a couple of buildings you can peak at through the windows and one that you can actually walk through.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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