If you find haunted houses to be child’s play, how about poking the paranormal? From horrific accidents to cold-blooded murder, lost spirits lurk in spooky places across the state. If you’re seeking a hair-raising fright, pack your ghost-hunting gadgets and head to these ten haunted hikes in Colorado:
Alta Ghost Town OHV Trail
Telluride
Easy, 10 miles out and back
One of the most famous ghost towns in Colorado, Alta sits high in the San Juan Mountains. During its boom, the town roared with raucous, newly rich miners, but when the mill burned to the ground, Alta residents left their cabins to crumble. The walls of some still stand, and in their windows, you may spot a flicker of candlelight and the shadows of those long forgotten.
Black Forest Loop
Black Forest
Easy, 2.2-mile loop
You take a gamble when you buy a cabin in the woods. Charming, or unquestionably haunted? Unfortunately for Steve Lee and his family, their new abode was the latter. Upon moving in in the early ’90s, they began witnessing paranormal activity — flickering lights, footsteps on the roof, slamming doors and a sharp chemical odor. In October 1995, a crew from the paranormal show Sightings visited the home, capturing similar disturbing occurrences. A medium present during filming confirmed that multiple spirits reside on the property. Maybe you’ll encounter a few in the aptly named Black Forest.
Carter Lake Sundance Trail
Loveland
Easy, 5.9 miles out and back
Having some of the best campgrounds near Denver, Carter Lake draws summer crowds. Though perfect for cookouts and lakeside fun, what drifts alongshore may urge you to keep the kids close. Local legend says that a man by the last name of Bennet lived near the reservoir, but over an unknown dispute, his neighbor shot him dead. Recent hikers have seen his apparition, though his timid soul quickly vanishes. Other encounters, perhaps more sinister, have involved visitors being grasped in the water. Safe to say, Carter Lake might not be one of the most peaceful places to paddleboard.
Crestone Crater
Crestone
Easy, 0.5 miles out and back
There’s a certain something hovering in the dry, desert air of the San Luis Valley. Some, like one of Colorado’s many cults, deem it a high vibrational vortex, a place crackling and swirling with energy — but could that energy be of the menacing sort? Snippy, a horse found eerily mutilated outside an Alamosa ranch, might be able to confirm. Many believe that the Appaloosa’s bloodless carcass was afflicted by aliens.
After all, hundreds of UFO sightings have been reported in the valley. One may even have landed, as scientists have yet to determine a clear reason for the large, 23-foot-deep crater on the northwest edge of Great Sand Dunes National Park. See it for yourself by parking at the Liberty Gate trailhead and hiking off-trail for about a quarter-mile, but don’t let the little green men get you.
East Shore Trail
Grand Lake
Easy, 5.8 miles out and back
Happy-go-lucky Grand Lake tourists bop between downtown’s ice cream shops and the East Shore Trailhead, oblivious to what lies behind the Ponderosa pines. But turn from Jerico Road onto the town’s old main street, and you’ll come across an abandoned home with web-like wood accents on its two-story exterior.
Children quickly pedal by — or avoid altogether — Mary O’Brien Gregg’s former residence, which is infamous among locals. Grief struck the woman several times, as three of her children were claimed by the plague. But her daughter and three sons who managed to evade the Black Death were massacred when their melancholic mother snapped, shooting them and herself with an old pistol. All five bodies were buried in a singular grave, but their souls may very well remain in the “spider house.”
Gold Camp Road
Colorado Springs
Moderate, 14.3-mile loop
During the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, the short-line railway transported minerals and miners from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek. Freight cars would wind through the mountains, passing through narrow, dark tunnels to reach their destination. The route later opened to vehicle traffic, but in 1988, the third tunnel collapsed. According to urban legend, the incident crushed and killed a school bus full of children. In recent years, visitors to the area have reported hearing children’s laughter and screams, and seeing small handprints on their foggy car windows.
Helen Hunt Falls
Colorado Springs
Easy, 0.1 miles out and back
You hear about search-and-rescue missions in Colorado’s backcountry, but rescues on a 0.1-mile walking path? At Helen Hunt Falls, this is a common occurrence. Year after year, visitors slip and plummet down the 35-foot cascade — and not all make it out alive. Though the area is heavily trafficked during the day, nighttime hikers have heard strange voices, perhaps belonging to those whose lives have been lost. If you’d rather not antagonize the dead, check out these less spooky waterfalls near Denver instead.
Kokopelli Trail to Horsethief Bench
Fruita
Moderate, 8-mile loop
From hiking to mountain biking, whitewater rafting and canyoning in Colorado, Horsethief Canyon is famed for its outdoor recreation. It’s also famed for its brutal murder: In the days of the Wild West, horse smugglers would travel within the remote canyon, but on one fateful escapade, a local woman was trampled to death. Now visitors catch glimpses of her wandering the desert landscape, alone for eternity — unless you care to join her.
Oil Creek Tunnel Trail
Cripple Creek
Moderate, 4.4 miles out and back
Drive along the Pikes Peak Highway to reach Elk Park Trailhead, an infrequent hiking area with a chilling past. Fueled by greed and hoping to strike it rich, prospectors blasted the Oil Creek Tunnel in 1899. The incident resulted in the death of two miners, a needless tragedy that also resulted in zero profit. Their restless spirits haunt the passageway and surrounding area, littered with abandoned equipment and battered cabins.
Old Glendale Stagecoach Station
Penrose
Easy, 1.8 miles out and back
One of the creepiest places in Colorado, Old Glendale Stagecoach Station is said to be haunted by the ghost of Kathleen Cooper. She stands in the shadows, colorless, with gray skin draped in a worn white wedding dress. Legend has it that her soul waits for her lover, Julian LaSalle, a gold miner who was robbed and murdered while heading home. He won’t return to her, but maybe she’ll greet you on this haunted Colorado hike.
Village Walk, Red Rocks, and Cherry Gulch Loop
Golden
Moderate, 5.2-mile loop
In the mid-1800s, Mount Vernon was a frequented depot that serviced miners on their way to Black Hawk and Central City. Now, all that remains is the Mount Vernon Cemetery. Set near Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Dinosaur Ridge, trail runners and tourists overlook it daily. But a short spur trail off Village Walk leads to the weathered tombstones and crosses. Only two graves are marked: Reverend I.R. Dean’s reads, “I am at rest,” and James H. Judy’s reads, “Aged 21 years 8 months 15 days.”
Woodglen Bike Path
Thornton
Easy, 1.5 miles out and back
"Boys will be boys," and these ones likely shrugged their suburban parents. No one expected a prank to become a violent tragedy. Locked in a bathroom by those whom they called friends, two teens burned to death in Woodglen Park. Since the 1980s incident, some who frequent the park have reported hearing the screams of the boys, begging for help. Others have felt their stalking presence, looking behind their shoulders to see no one there.