10/13/2026
Exploring the Abandoned Entrance to Ghost Town In The Sky
📍Ghost Town In The Sky
Maggie Valley, North Carolina
Ghost Town in the Sky (also known as Ghost Town Village) is an abandoned Wild West-themed amusement park perched at an elevation of 4,650 feet atop Buck Mountain in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.
Key History and Details
• Opening & Peak: Founded by businessman R.B. Coburn, the park opened in 1961 as a "mile-high" attraction featuring 40 replica Old West buildings, staged hourly gunfights, saloons, and a scenic chairlift or double incline railway to reach the summit. During its 1970s and 1980s heyday, it drew over 500,000 visitors a year.
• Closure: The park largely ceased regular operations after a July 16, 2002 chairlift malfunction stranded passengers for more than two hours.
• Failed Revivals: Brief, unsuccessful reopenings occurred around 2007–2009, and former co-owner Alaska Presley repurchased the property in 2012, though it never permanently reopened before her passing in 2022. New investors have explored future possibilities, but the site remains closed and derelict.
• Notable Attractions: The mountaintop featured the Red Devil (later renamed Cliffhanger) roller coaster, the Black Widow Scrambler, bumper cars, and a themed ghost house.
•• Trespassing Warning••
The property is strictly private and patrolled, and the Maggie Valley Police Department actively cites anyone attempting to trespass on the access roads, parking lots, or mountain trails.
