Haunted Hotels in Southern Colorado: Where to Stay

The best haunted hotels in Southern Colorado are clustered around Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs and the old gold camp of Cripple Creek, with one more classic waiting down in Durango. These are places built by mining fortunes, tuberculosis cures and railroad dreams, and the stories never quite left.

Here's where to stay if you want a little history and a little shiver with your mountain views, and an honest answer to the question we get asked a lot: is the Broadmoor haunted?

The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs

The Cliff House began in 1873 as a stagecoach stop on the route from Colorado Springs to Leadville. In 1886, Edward E. Nichols bought it, renamed it the Cliff House, and grew it into a resort that drew guests like Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison, P.T. Barnum and Clark Gable. Nichols, who came West to recover from tuberculosis, went on to serve as mayor of Manitou Springs.

The building survived a serious fire in 1982 and sat empty for years before a major restoration brought it back as a hotel.

Its ghost story is a sad one. Manitou Springs' own visitor guide tells of a night watchman named Albert who was shot during a 1913 robbery after refusing to open the safe, and who died two days later. The story goes that he still makes his rounds, and some people say they've seen him around the anniversary of that night.

While you're in Manitou, stop by Miramont Castle, a museum in town with its own legends: a little girl in the doll room and a bed in the priest's old bedroom that won't stay made.

Is the Broadmoor hotel haunted?

The Broadmoor opened in Colorado Springs on June 29, 1918, built by Spencer Penrose after he failed to buy the Antlers Hotel. It's one of the most famous resorts in the West, and a lot of people search to find out if it's haunted.

The honest answer: the Broadmoor's haunted reputation is thin compared with the other hotels on this list. The story you'll hear most is that some guests claim to have sensed the spirit of Julie Penrose, Spencer's wife and the hotel's co-founder, wandering the halls. But it isn't a hotel built on ghost stories the way the Stanley or the Cliff House is. Go for the setting and the history. If you want a better chance at a ghost story, head up the hill to Manitou or Cripple Creek.

Cripple Creek: a gold camp full of ghosts

Cripple Creek drew thousands of prospectors in the 1890s gold rush. The gold faded, the casinos arrived after gambling was legalized in the early 1990s, and the ghost stories stuck around. The Cripple Creek District Museum has even collected the town's best-known haunts.

Hotel St. Nicholas

This building was finished in 1898 as a hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order of nuns, to care for the district's miners. Over the following decades it was sold to local doctors, became a private hospital and later a nursing home, and then stood empty by the late 1970s. In the 1990s it was remodeled into a hotel.

A hospital past is about as good as it gets for a ghost story. Guests and staff describe the spirits here as mischievous rather than menacing. The current owners have reportedly set out small "spirit dishes" in every room, holding pennies and keys as a friendly offering. It's a small hotel with a tavern in the old boiler room, which is exactly the kind of place you want to end a spooky night.

The old Imperial Hotel

The Imperial was built in 1896, after a fire leveled much of town, and it has long been one of Cripple Creek's most storied buildings. It reopened in 2018 as the Christmas Casino & Inn, with the Imperial name still on the facade and about a dozen holiday-themed rooms upstairs.

Ghost stories here tend to center on the ghost of a former owner said to linger in the building, along with odd scratching sounds and the noise of slot machines after the casino has closed. Legends about the family's troubles have been told for years, with details that vary depending on who's telling them.

While you're in town, the Outlaws & Lawmen Jail Museum, the old Teller County Jail, is one of the most talked-about haunted stops in Cripple Creek.

The Strater Hotel, Durango

A long day's drive from Denver, Durango is worth the trip on its own. The Strater Hotel opened in 1887, built by pharmacist Henry Strater with help from his family. Western novelist Louis L'Amour wrote several of his books in Room 222, above the Diamond Belle Saloon, where he said the honky-tonk piano helped set the mood.

Guests and employees have reported a man in period dress, a little girl and a saloon girl, with most sightings said to happen on the upper floors. Even if nothing goes bump, ragtime piano in the Diamond Belle is a pretty good way to spend a night.

Planning a haunted Southern Colorado trip

• Start in Denver. Colorado Springs is roughly an hour south of Denver, and Manitou Springs sits right next door. Cripple Creek is about another hour from there, up a winding mountain road.
• Build a loop. Spend a night in Manitou, a night in Cripple Creek, then head back north. Durango is better as its own trip.
• Mind the season. Fall is gorgeous, but snow can arrive early at Cripple Creek's elevation. Check road conditions before you go.
• Call ahead. Small historic hotels have limited rooms and change hands. Confirm details directly before you book.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most haunted hotel in Colorado Springs?

The Cliff House in neighboring Manitou Springs has the strongest ghost story in the area, tied to a watchman shot during a 1913 robbery. The Broadmoor has a much quieter reputation.

Is the Broadmoor haunted?

Some guests say they've sensed Julie Penrose, the hotel's co-founder, but the Broadmoor isn't widely known as a haunted hotel. It's better known for its history and setting.

Why is Cripple Creek considered so haunted?

It's a former gold rush boomtown with a hospital, a jail and dozens of historic buildings still standing. The local museum has gathered stories from the fire station, the jail, old hotels and casinos.

Is the Stanley Hotel in Southern Colorado?

No, the Stanley is in Estes Park, northwest of Denver. See our guide to Stanley Hotel ghost stories and our list of haunted places to stay in Denver.

Flying in or out of Denver? Give yourself a night in the city before you head south. Our Denver ghost tours dig into the Mile High City's wild past, haunted legends and favorite watering holes, and they make a great first stop on any Colorado ghost trip.