A Day Trip to Jerome: Arizona's Liveliest Ghost Town

If you’ve got a spare day, point the car northeast: about an hour from Prescott, the old copper town of Jerome clings to the side of Cleopatra Hill like it’s defying gravity. It’s one of the most unusual, atmospheric places in Arizona, and the drive over Mingus Mountain is half the fun.

From boomtown to ghost town to comeback

Jerome was born in the 1870s and exploded into a copper boomtown. At its 1920s peak it had around 15,000 people and a reputation as “the wickedest town in the West.” The mines pulled roughly a billion dollars in copper, gold, and silver out of the hill before the big mine closed in 1953. The population cratered to a few dozen, and Jerome nearly became a true ghost town, until artists, makers, and dreamers moved in and brought it back. Today it bills itself as the largest ghost town in America.

What to do in Jerome

• Wander the galleries and shops. Jerome is an artist colony now, studios, jewelers, oddities, and great little boutiques line the steep streets.
• Taste some wine. Several tasting rooms pour Verde Valley wines right downtown.
• Soak up the history. The Jerome State Historic Park (the Douglas Mansion) and a local mining museum tell the boomtown story.
• Chase a ghost story. The Jerome Grand Hotel and various ghost tours lean happily into the town’s haunted reputation.
• Take in the view. From up here, the whole Verde Valley spreads out below. It’s a stunner, especially in late afternoon.

Tips

The streets are steep and winding (both the drive up and the town itself), so wear good shoes and take it slow. It’s an easy half-day, and pairs well with the Verde Valley wine country around Cottonwood on the way back. Then it’s a scenic hour home to your cabin in the cool pines. Check the calendar.

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Jerome photo by Finetooth, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.