The 5 Most Haunted Places in Cripple Creek, CO

Nestled in Colorado’s rugged high country, ghostly tales are as abundant as the mountain air, yet Cripple Creek stands apart, a historic mining town shrouded in spectral lore. Its tumultuous past, marked by mining catastrophes, devastating floods, fierce fires, and tumultuous clashes between miners and magnates, has woven a rich tapestry of hauntings, earning it whispers of being America’s most haunted city.

Embark on a chilling journey through Cripple Creek’s shadowed streets and explore its most haunted enclaves, where echoes of yesteryear linger and the line between the past and the present blurs.

Prepare for an adventure where each corner turned and each story told sends shivers down your spine, revealing the most haunted places in this once-thriving gold town.

If you want to experience one of the most haunted places in Colorado, check-in at the Hotel St. Nicholas. Originally built as a hospital in 1898 for the prospectors and their families, it expanded and also catered to people who were mentally ill. It was closed when the population started dwindling.

Room 11 is considered a hotspot for paranormal occurrences, and investigators often book the room in the hopes of witnessing sightings. Two ladies who have checked in the room had more than their fill of fright. They decided to leave the TV when they slept because they were not comfortable being in a pitch-black room.

One of the women felt something sit on the bed near her legs, although she could not see anyone. In the morning, her friend told her that she saw the figure of someone sitting near the bed, exactly where she had felt the presence. [Book a Room]

The closed Palace Hotel & Casino was originally a wooden structure, that was built to be the town’s drug store in the early 1800s. It was later expanded to become a hotel as the gold rush swept through town. Tragedy hit in 1896 when a huge fire destroyed the building, and it was later rebuilt from brick that same year.

See also: Colorado’s Most Haunted Hotels

In the Palace Hotel, a woman with a nightgown has been frequently seen walking around and carrying a nightgown.

The ghost of the former owner Mrs. Kitty Chambers is known to frequent the hotel, supervising the business that she loved so dearly during her life. She died in room 3 in 1908.

The currently closed Imperial Hotel is another haunted hotel that was opened in 1896.

It was run by a man named George Long, who was married to his first cousin. They had a daughter named Alice, who was mentally disabled, and she was kept locked in an apartment next to the lobby.

This room is now the hotel’s Red Rooster Bar. It is believed that Alice, using an iron skillet, hither father on the head. George fell to his death in the basement. He can be seen and felt in the hotel today. He would play the slot machines at night, and the security guards have reported hearing him.

Maggie is the resident specter of the Colorado Grande, and she has been sighted numerous times. She looks like a 25-year-old girl, and she wears Victorian clothing. She can sometimes be heard singing, and her rise perfume also permeates the air.

Plans are afoot to renovate this historic building, though its use is not yet clear.

Hospitality House was originally a hospital known as Teller County Hospital, built in 1901. It was Cripple Creek’s second hospital, after Hotel St. Nicholas.

It was the largest and grandest hospital in the area, boasting several wards, a modern operating room, and a grand staircase. It survived many booms and busts through to the late 1950s and finally closed its doors in 1960 after it had been used for several years as a retirement home.

The current management are well aware of the hauntings of this historic building, but they are adamant there is only good energy here. Whether that’s the case or not, is up to you to decide.

Past guests have sleepless nights from unexplained sounds, and movement in their rooms. They have claimed the “energy” is most certainly not as the management state. Some state, it’s one of the most active spots in Cripple Creek.

At the core of Cripple Creek, the Outlaws and Lawmen Museum stands as a stark reminder of the wild and unruly days of the “World’s Greatest Gold Camp,” its foundations deeply entrenched in the town’s rugged history as the original Teller County Jail.

Built in the throes of the 1901 gold rush, this jail became a symbol of semblance and order amidst the chaos, its bars confining the era’s most notorious criminals and desperate souls.

Decades have passed since the last echo of footsteps faded from its corridors, yet rumors persist, hinting that the spirits of its former occupants still roam the premises.

The museum now beckons the daring to wander its historic confines, where the past is palpable in every corner. Tales of spectral encounters abound, from the resolute jail guard eternally making his rounds to the haunting cries of inmates frozen in time, and the enigmatic little boy, a silent shadow seeking recognition in the gloom.

Navigating this formidable edifice is a journey through time, but tread lightly—within these haunted walls, each whisper and shadow may hold a message from the beyond, offering a hauntingly vivid connection to the turbulent, ghost-ridden legacy of Cripple Creek.