La Plata

Tucked into the Bear River Mountains of Cache County, Utah, La Plata was a mining boomtown that flared to life in the 1890s before fading just as quickly. It sat along a small tributary of the east fork of the Little Bear River, at the southern end of the county — terrain that was rugged enough to attract prospectors but harsh enough to make permanent settlement unlikely.

Today La Plata is a ghost town, and visitors should arrive with modest expectations. The remote mountain setting is the main draw, and whatever physical traces remain are the quiet aftermath of a short-lived rush.