Parkhurst Ghost Town

The most iconic of the graffiti left at Parkhurst. pirhan/cc by-sa 2.0

Hidden in the woods above a popular Canadian ski town is a forgotten relic of the past. The decaying ghost town sits along the edge of Green Lake, slowly being swallowed by the forest.

Originally a successful logging outpost, the little town was abandoned in the mid-20th century, when the industry started to decline. It was originally built by the Parkhursts, and sold to the Barr Brothers Logging Company in 1926.

About 70 loggers lived and worked within the small settlement. A store and school were built in the late ‘30s, but they were short-lived. After a decade of decline, the tiny town was abandoned in 1966.

Now, it sits empty and is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Some vehicles and buildings remain, rusting and crumbling. Colorful graffiti covers bits of the abandoned settlement, transforming into a canvas for unsanctioned art.

Know Before You Go

Start walking down and over washed out road and make shift bridge crossing a skinny Green River Creek. Continue past two yellow gates, one with the new TM, Sea to Sky Trail. The train tracks are on your right. Carry on as you cross a tired bridge over green river. Watch your steps here. Cross the train tracks. Note: Walking on the train tracks is illegal. Keep walking and the train tracks soon merge. The entrance to the TM is here.

As you go up the wide trail you'll come to a branch in the trail. For a fun little side view go to the right and down the trail and cross the active train tracks. There are two trail markers here showing you the way into the forest. Walk down the trail to see some old beaten cars and machinery for years past. Once you’ve filled your camera with golden old memories walk back up the trail and over the trail tracks and the path.

Go up the trail. Now you’re in a blanket of lavish emerald green moss as you walk up and down. Views of the mountains and Green Lake peek through the trees. Soon you’ll hear the creek and you come to the end of the trail. Go to your right and walk down the path past a trail to the lake on your left and a few feet up the hill is your first site of years gone by.