Harrisburg

Harrisburg is a ghost town in Washington County, Utah, with roots stretching back to 1859, when it was founded under the name Harrisville. Within just a few years, the Virgin River flooded the original settlement, forcing residents to rebuild farther up Quail Creek and adopt the new name Harrisburg. The community grew to around 200 people by 1868, but a combination of repeated flooding, Native American raids, and a grasshopper plague steadily drove residents away to nearby Leeds and Silver Reef. By 1895 the town had been effectively abandoned.

Today Harrisburg is a quiet, largely vanished settlement in the high desert of southern Utah. Visitors drawn to ghost towns and pioneer history will find the landscape itself — shaped by the same forces that ended the town — more present than any standing structures. The site suits those interested in photography, sightseeing, and a tangible connection to early Utah settlement history. Spring and fall offer the most comfortable conditions for a visit, while summer heat can be intense and winter months may bring difficult road conditions.