Nestled In A Cramped Canyon In Idaho Is An Abandoned Mining Town With Yesteryear Charm

While you may not think of Idaho as a vacation destination, it has a lot to offer. You can visit the Niagara of the West, an overlooked, majestic waterfall that is year-round, or hit the beach and ski slopes in the same day at the lakefront town of Coeur d'Alene. However, if you're visiting the Gem State and want to see some creepy abandoned buildings, visit the ghost town of Burke, which is 7 miles from Wallace. This isn't a touristy attraction with actors in costumes, gift shops full of cowboy hats, and books about hauntings. Burke is a real abandoned mining town, and it's both charming and really creepy. 

Silver was discovered in the area of Burke in 1884, and it quickly became a booming mining town. The town was built within the Burke Canyon, which is unique for its incredibly cramped, narrow structure that is only 300 feet wide in some spots. The Northern Pacific Railroad ran through the town's main road. Tracks even ran through the lobby of the Tiger Hotel, and legend says that store awnings had to be rolled up when the train passed. It's quite an experience to visit the ruins, and there are those who say the town is haunted.

While Burke may have been booming for a while, at the end of the 19th century, there was a strike against some mine owners and crime went up. In 1899, about a thousand armed miners hijacked one of the trains and blew up the Bunker Hill Mine with dynamite. It has also suffered from fires and avalanches. Later on, it was abandoned, with the last mine closing in 1991. The Tiger Hotel and its lobby train tracks are long gone, but plenty of old buildings still remain. 

Today, you can visit the town on your own, though it's recommended that you don't visit at night — whether that's because of ghosts or the lack of light making you more prone to injury, it's a good rule to follow. If you visit during the day, you can see quite a bit. Surrounded by the Coeur d'Alene mountains, this old town has multi-story buildings, as well as the remains of the railroad track and caves that people once lived in. There are still pictures and postcards of the old town around so you can compare its history to its current state when you visit. 

Keep in mind that Burke isn't run by a tourist company, and these are very old buildings within a canyon. If you visit, make sure to tell people where you're going (you may not get a cell signal here), bring flashlights and extra batteries, and don't go alone. If a sign says to stay out of a certain building, pay attention. Don't take anything you find, and if something looks unsafe, skip it. Continue your search for spooky cities at one of the best-preserved and most photographed ghost towns in Rhyolite, Nevada.