Canada is teeming with bizarre, one-of-a-kind, and intriguing ghost towns. From the west coast to the east, Canadian history is littered with villages that, for one reason or another, everyone decided it was time to flee. Ideal for a summer road vacation.
This implies that a lot of areas in Canada appear precisely how they did when humans used to live there.
Many ghost towns in Canada are well worth a visit, from old mining villages in the mountains of British Columbia to places that were abandoned as recently as the 1980s.
And, if you visit any of these spots, please remember to respect the surroundings and observe all safety precautions!
Sandon, B.C – Ghost Towns in Canada
This historic mining hamlet was a hotspot for miners wanting to earn their fortune in silver in the 1890s, nestled in the Selkirk Mountains near Nelson, British Columbia.
According to the city’s official website, the town eventually became what it is now due to the dropping price of silver and a flood.
Sandon is not only close to Idaho Peak, a popular hiking destination, but it also possesses the historic City Hall structure from 1900 and a fleet of old trolley buses from around the province.
Butedale, British Columbia
This ghost town on the Pacific coast of Northern British Columbia is distinctive due to its distant location.
According to Canada’s Historic Places, the major attraction is a salmon cannery that began in 1911 and is one of the few structures of its kind still intact.
Even if you’re not interested in visiting for historical reasons, it’s difficult to pass up the spectacular ocean vistas and landscape that this section of the country is known for.
Bankhead, Alberta – Ghost Towns in Canada
Take a little detour to explore this 100-year-old abandoned coal-mining hamlet the next time you’re in Banff National Park.
According to Atlas Obscura, the town of Bankhead formerly had 1,000 citizens and a coal mining operation. However, as the mining company went out of business in 1922, the town gradually faded away.
You may now visit it to get a good sense of the area’s early history; there’s even an educational walk within the abandoned mine itself.
Orion, Alberta
This ghost town has everything you might want, largely old abandoned buildings that appear to be on the verge of collapsing.
According to Ghosttowns.com, this little town in Southern Alberta was devastated by droughts and dust storms, which drove its population away.
It’s now a terrific area to go to observe the façade of old buildings that are likely over a century old.
Balaclava, Ontario – Ghost Towns in Canada
This eerie Ontario ghost town appears to be precisely what you’d expect from a ghost town.
This location in Renfrew County, Ontario, features the remains of a sawmill that Ghosttowns.com said was erected in 1855.
This is an excellent place to visit if you want to experience what an old timber town was like, and it’s only about an hour and a half from Ottawa.
Exploits, Newfoundland & Labrador
This old-fashioned east coast fishing hamlet was built on Burnt Island in Notre Dame Bay, making it difficult to reach by car.
However, there are ways to reach the island via water. If you want to see more than just a historic village, you can remain on the island and trek or observe icebergs.
According to the Maritime History Archive, the town was formed in 1874 and was eventually subjected to “resettlement” in the mid-twentieth century, when the town’s inhabitants was relocated to larger cities.
LeMieux, Ontario
The Ontario town was claimed to have been abandoned only in 1991, according to ontarioabandonedplaces.com, making it one of the more recent ghost towns on this list. What’s the reason? The town was built on clay, which might cause a catastrophic landslide if the conditions were right. That is exactly what happened in 1993.
It’s unusual for ghost towns to be so young. While many buildings have been dismantled or relocated, the conserved cemetery is about 50 minutes outside of Ottawa.
