Hiker dead after falling into abandoned mine shaft in Colorado backcountry – Denver Gazette

November 25, 2025

A 54-year-old hiker’s fatal fall into an abandoned mine shaft near Ouray last month highlights a broader danger left behind by Colorado’s rich mining history: more than 23,000 inactive mining sites, many of which are still unmarked, unsecured or unknown to the state.

Colorado has closed about 14,000 abandoned mine openings since 1980, but officials say thousands more remain. Erosion, vegetation and shifting terrain have obscured decades-old mine features, making it difficult for the state to track them and even harder for hikers and recreationalists to spot hazards before it’s too late.

The state was unaware of the 8-foot-wide mine shaft near Spirit Gulch in the Uncompahgre National Forest before Jennifer Nelson, of Ridgway, fell to her death while hiking with dogs Oct. 20, Graves said.

After she was reported missing on a Monday evening, rescuers found her body the following morning in a deep, water-filled pit about 50 feet off the mining road. The dogs stayed nearby and were silently watching the volunteers, according to the newspaper.

Historically, more rescues have been along the Front Range, which Graves attributes to the higher population in closer proximity to historic mining sites, but the state doesn’t keep record of the number of mine-related accidents or fatalities across the state.

Nelson, who served on Ridgway’s planning commission, was hiking in an area above the historic Idarado Houses, which is a popular spot for hikers, especially in the summer with three wildflower-filled basins and views of the Red Mountains. It is accessed via an old gated mining road and has ruins of the Barstow and Greyhound mines.

There was no visible cue, like a rock pile, that there was a shaft nearby, Graves said.  Denver Gazette