13 Most Haunted Places in Colorado: Spirits of the Rockies
You’re about to discover the most haunted places in Colorado. Known for its towering mountains and historic towns straight out of a ghost story, this state has a ton of spirits.
These are the 13 most haunted places in Colorado:
Molly Brown House
Denver
The Molly Brown House in Denver, built in 1889, is home to Titanic survivor Margaret “Molly” Brown and is one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
After her Titanic ordeal, where she helped others survive the sinking, Molly returned to this Victorian mansion, which is now a museum.
Visitors claim to encounter several spirits here, including Molly herself, her husband JJ (whom she separated from but never legally divorced), and their daughter Catherine, who died young. Young Catherine’s room is the most active; she often likes to rattle the blinds.
The scent of JJ’s cigars sometimes wafts through the air, and light bulbs mysteriously unscrew themselves. Other odd occurrences include furniture shifting and kitchen doors opening and closing without cause.
With such frequent paranormal activity, the Molly Brown House is truly one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Central City Masonic Cemetery
Central City
The Central City Masonic Cemetery, located about 35 miles from Denver, is home to one of Colorado’s most intriguing ghost stories.
This cemetery, once part of the “Richest Square Mile on Earth,” is visited by a mysterious lady in a black satin gown. She is often seen near the grave of John Edward Cameron, a man who died in 1885.
Local lore says this woman planted a rosebush by Cameron’s grave, which blooms every spring. On April 5th and November 1st, she returns to tend the flowers and leaves columbines, Colorado’s state flower.
Though her visits stopped briefly after 1888, she resumed them a few years later, pushing the cemetery’s reputation as one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
To this day, she glides through the cemetery, leaving a lasting impression of love that has transcended time.
Hotel Jerome
Aspen
Stay a night at Hotel Jerome in Aspen to experience a hotspot of paranormal activity.
These are the ghosts said to linger throughout its halls:
- Water Boy: The most famous ghost is the Water Boy, a young boy who drowned in the hotel pool in 1936. Guests staying in Room 310 often see him wet and shivering, only for him to vanish, leaving wet footprints behind.
- Katie Kerrigan: A former maid, Katie is said to haunt the hotel after dying of pneumonia. She manifests by turning down bedsheets and surprising housekeeping staff.
- Henry O’Callister: A miner who died heartbroken after his fiancée left him, Henry’s sobbing can still be heard in the hotel halls at night.
- Clarissa Wellington: The heiress who broke Henry’s heart is said to occasionally appear in the hotel, looking regretful and longing.
- Third Floor Haunting: An evil presence lurks on the third floor, constantly playing tricks to frighten people, which some staff members refuse to visit.
With so many spirits, it’s easy to see why Hotel Jerome is one of the most haunted places in Colorado!
The City of Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek is so haunted that nearly every building has a ghost story.
Hotel St. Nicholes
Hotel St. Nichols was originally built as a hospital and expanded to house mentally ill patients. Guests in Room 11 often feel uneasy—two women once reported something sitting at the end of the bed, and one saw a shadow in the same spot.
The Palace Hotel
The Palace Hotel also has paranormal activity, with sightings of a woman in a nightgown walking the halls. Hotel guest Bob Lays’ saw the ghostly woman with long puffy sleeves and a laced collar heading up the stairs, causing a creaking sound as she went by. Local legend disputes whether this is the spirit of former owner Kitty Chambers or former resident and manager Mrs. Mary B. Hedges.
Colorado Grande Casino
Built in 1898, this casino is home to several spirits, including two female spirits named Lily and Maggie, who are typically seen in the halls. If you want to make a good impression, Lily loves purple balloons. Bring her one, and she will gleefully carry it around the hotel. (Make sure to leave her purple- she’ll pop it if it’s any other color!)
Visitors also witness ghostly voices, footsteps in the ballroom, and apparitions at the slot machines.
Additional hauntings include a ghostly girl haunting the stairwell at Bronco Billy’s and the trapped spirits of former inmates at the Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum.
With its wild history of corruption, murder, and mischief, Cripple Creek is one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
The Stanley Hotel
Estes Park
Nestled in the scenic, remote town of Estes Park, the Stanley Hotel is a massive, iconic landmark in the Colorado Rockies. With stunning mountain views all around, its peaceful yet isolated setting adds to the mystery.
Known for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining, it’s no surprise this beautiful hotel is also one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Haunted must-sees at the Stanley Hotel include:
- Room 217: The room where Stephen King slept in 1974, where he was inspired to write The Shining! Guests here encounter the ghost of Elizabeth Wilson, a former housekeeper who moves items, unpacks luggage, and flickers lights.
- The Vortex: The grand staircase is considered a spiral of energy, jokingly called the rapid transit system for the ghosts.
- Concert Hall: Paul, a former hotel worker, enforces curfew by telling guests to “get out,” and Flora Stanley’s ghost is known to play the piano.
- Room 401: Kids are heard laughing and playing; the closet door opens and closes on its own.
- Room 428: A cowboy ghost (complete with a hat!) appears at the foot of the bed, and his footsteps are heard walking near the bed.
- Grand Staircase: Ghosts have been captured on camera here, including the famous photo of a woman in 2016.
- Underground Caves: Workers used to move through these tunnels, and the high concentration of limestone and quartz is said to trap paranormal energy.
- The Maze: While it’s smaller than the movie version, the hedge maze is modeled after The Shining.
The Museum of Colorado Prisons
Cañon City
Cañon City’s Museum of Colorado Prisons, originally an all-female prison that opened in 1935, now showcases artifacts dating back over 140 years.
Many believe the souls of former inmates are still trapped here, with visitors seeing shadow figures darting through the cells, hearing angry disembodied voices, full-bodied ghosts dressed in inmate clothing, and poltergeist activity like doors slamming on their own.
Though the museum is no longer a prison, it shares a wall with a prison that has been in operation since 1871. If you’re brave enough, you can book a tour and explore one of the most haunted places in Colorado!
Common hauntings:
- Orbs floating between cells
- Screams shattering the silence
- The smell of tobacco in the corridors
- Inexplicable cold spots
- Shadowy figures and angry men glaring from the cells
- Disembodied female voices harassing male guests
The Broadmoor
Colorado Springs
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs is a luxury resort with a haunted history.
The spirit of Julie Penrose, the original owner, is said to roam its halls. Julie mysteriously disappeared in the woods near the lake, only to be found days later, unclothed, confused, and shaken.
She passed away shortly after, and her spirit is believed to be tied to the hotel, usually the penthouse where she once stayed.
Guests report eerie phenomena, such as lights flickering, cold spots, and objects moving on their own. Some have felt an unsettling presence watching them, while one guest claimed to be dragged by their foot during the night.
Staff members often see a woman in a 1930s dress floating through the hallways, believed to be Julie.
The hotel’s haunted past also includes the spirits of victims from a 1897 casino fire.
St. Elmo Ghost Town
Chaffee County
Founded in 1880 during Colorado’s gold and silver rush, St. Elmo was once a busy town with nearly 2,000 residents, complete with hotels, saloons, and even a newspaper.
Today, St. Elmo is one of the most well-preserved haunted places in Colorado, and its general store still opens in the summer for tourists.
The ghost of Annabelle Stark, one of St. Elmo’s last residents, is the main haunt here. Annabelle and her brother, Tony, lived in isolation without modern conveniences.
Known as “Dirty Annie” due to her unkempt appearance and habit of roaming the streets with a rifle, Annabelle died in 1960.
Today, she’s known for:
- Temperature drops: After Annabelle’s death, the grandchildren of a family friend experienced a sudden 20-degree drop in temperature, followed by all the doors in the hotel slamming violently shut, terrifying the kids, who refused to return.
- Poltergeist activity: One of the grandchildren, now in her 20s, attempted to restore the hotel. After neatly storing cleaning supplies, she returned the next day to find them mysteriously scattered across the floor despite locking them away.
- Apparitions: “Dirty Annie” is said to still roam the streets of St. Elmo at night, rifle slung over her shoulder.
Hotel Colorado
Glenwood Springs
Established in 1893, the Hotel Colorado is one of the oldest and most haunted places in Colorado.
Known as “The Little White House of the West,” thanks to famous guests like Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, the hotel is nothing short of prestigious.
During World War II, it housed over 500 wounded soldiers, and its basement ovens were used to cremate those who didn’t survive.
The main floor is home to the spirit of Bobbie, a nurse from the war era who was killed by a jealous boyfriend. Her presence is marked by the floral scent of gardenia, especially around the dining room.
In room 661, guests frequently report seeing a woman in a floral dress. In 1993, a couple staying in the room experienced a strange occurrence where the windows were repeatedly opened and closed by an unseen woman, despite the wife only stepping away briefly.
Additionally, the spirit of an angry man occupies the hallway in front of room 551, thought to be one of the original construction workers from 1893. Many also report female apparitions that peer over male guests while asleep.
With its haunted history, this hotel remains one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Cheesman Park
Denver
Cheesman Park in Denver is a peaceful urban retreat today, but its dark past makes it one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Built in the late 1800s over what was once Mount Prospect Graveyard, the park sits atop hundreds of unclaimed graves, leaving many to believe human remains still lie beneath its grounds.
This park was even the inspiration for the horror film Poltergeist.
Visitors often see shadow people while getting feelings of being watched. The most infamous ghost, Slackjaw,” has a broken jaw and a blood-soaked gown and is said to appear in the park at night.
With its combination of restless spirits and lingering graves, Cheesman Park is more than just a beautiful spot—it’s a chilling reminder of Denver’s haunted past.
Gold Camp Road
Colorado Springs
Gold Camp Road in Colorado Springs, located in Bear Creek Park, is home to 3 creepy tunnels once used for railroads but now for cars.
Legend says one tunnel collapsed while a school bus full of orphans passed through, killing everyone aboard.
Since then, people hear children’s laughter and screams echoing from the tunnels, and drivers often find small handprints in the dust on their car windows. Hikers report feeling tugged or scratched, with no obvious cause. Workers who died during the tunnels’ construction are also believed to haunt the area.
Riverdale Road
Thornton
Riverdale Road, just outside of Denver, is notorious for its dark history and eerie legends, earning it the nickname “the gates to hell.”
One of its most chilling stories involves a man who built a mansion, went mad, and burned it down with his family inside. No wonder people also claim to see a woman in white searching for her slain children.
Another haunting feature is the Camaro. In the 1970s, a Camaro crashed on the road, killing its driver. Today, many report seeing the car’s ghostly version, with one headlight out, racing behind them.
Riverdale Road’s haunted past also includes disturbing stories of lynched slaves and an underground chicken coop used for sinister summoning rituals.
With its gruesome history and frequent paranormal sightings, Riverdale Road is one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Denver International Airport
Denver
Denver International Airport (DIA), built in 1995, is famous not only for its size but for its weird reputation as one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
Instead of distancing itself from the wild conspiracy theories, the airport has cleverly leaned into its quirky image.
Recent marketing campaigns feature ads depicting aliens, lizard people, and the infamous Blucifer statue. Travelers can even enjoy the exhibit Conspiracy Theories Uncovered between flights.
But beyond the quirky campaigns, DIA’s dark stories are plentiful:
- Indian Burial Ground: Some claim the airport was built on a Native American burial ground, which could explain the strange feelings of unease passengers experience, especially in the terminals and elevators that lead to random places.
- Blucifer: The 32-foot-tall blue Mustang statue with glowing red eyes killed its creator, Luis Jiménez, before it was installed. Many believe it’s cursed.
- Secret Societies: The Freemason cornerstone at the airport features symbols linked to secret societies like the Illuminati and the New World Order, sparking rumors of underground bunkers meant for post-apocalyptic survival.
- Tunnels and Bunkers: Legends suggest DIA is home to secret underground tunnels and bunkers, possibly housing extraterrestrials or even a government headquarters for an apocalyptic scenario.
- Apocalyptic Art: Murals inside the airport depict disturbing images of war, death, and environmental destruction, fueling theories that they are messages about the coming apocalypse.
- Gargoyles: Creepy gargoyles guard the baggage claim area, traditionally meant to protect from evil spirits but often seen as eerie harbingers of doom.
Whether it’s the weird artwork, secret tunnels, or cursed statues, Denver International Airport has earned its spot as one of the most haunted places in Colorado.
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