Colorado’s Ghost Towns

If reading Stephen King novels and watching AMC’s FearFest just isn’t doing it for you, take a walk outside. Colorado may be home to some of the best ski slopes and dispensaries in the country, but the Centennial State also has a haunted history.

Colorado Grande Casino, Cripple Creek

This old town isn’t only known for its secluded casino scene. Staff at the Colorado Grande Casino has reported suddenly smelling roses and slot machines being played after hours; it’s believed that an Irish woman named Maggie haunts the casino floor.

Masonic Cemetery, Central City

If unexplained alien phenomena are more your thing, take a trip to Central City. There have been reports of strange lights appearing above the cemetery during the night. Even better, ghosts of both a little boy and a woman in black have been spotted over the years from time to time.

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park

An oldie, but a goodie. Located in Estes Park, the hotel is undoubtedly most famous for being the headquarters for Stephen King while he wrote “The Shining.” The Stanley’s been around for more than 100 years, and the staff caters to the creepiness of it. There’s even a channel dedicated to showing the film adaption of “The Shining” 24/7. Also awesome? You can book a ghost tour complete with infrared detectors.

Silver Cliff Cemetery, Silver Cliff

This cemetery has been around since the late 1880s, and rumors of “dancing blue lights” have been around almost as long. Legends of these lights have been passed down for generations, and were even featured in a 1969 edition of National Geographic.

Ramada Inn, Sterling

For an almost cheap thrill, take a trip down to Sterling, CO. For less than $100 a night, request room 104. Over the years guests have reported seeing a woman in a blood-drenched white nightgown cleaning the room in which she was murdered.

Brittany Hill Mansion, Thornton

As ghost stories go, this one is particularly creepy and nearly plausible. Rumor has it that some years ago, the wife of the mansion’s owner discovered her husband in bed with another woman. She was so upset that she flung herself from the third story of the tower. Now you can supposedly see the ghost of the husband standing in the tower window, clutching his dead wife in his arms.

So put on your Ghostbusters gear, take out your iPhones, and step into the paranormal world of Colorado. You’re sure to stumble onto something.

Check out our other Halloween stories from this issue:

• Colorado’s Ghost Towns
• Ouija, Is Anyone Here?
• Five Haunted Hospitals
• Messages from Beyond the Grave
• Netflix Instant Screaming
• The Stanley Hotel: Colorado’s Premiere Spooky Destination
• Oh, Blucifer
• First stop for UFOs: the Watchtower in Hooper
• The Ghosts of Cheesman Park
• Scientology is Scary [Opinion]
• Halloween Hitmakers
• En Garde