In today’s post, America’s Haunted Road Trip reader Emma Mills shares with us a list of seven hiking trails in Colorado that she believes are haunted.
Let’s face it: The paranormal scares us, yet we cannot help but be intrigued by it. If you love walking or hiking, tread carefully, for the ground you walk on may be cursed. Here is a list of haunted hiking trails in Colorado, a state known for its stunning natural beauty and, now, spooky stories to tell.
Thornton-Woodglenn Park
Thornton-Woodglenn Park has a playground and bathroom facilities toward the back of the grounds. In the 1980s, a group of teenagers played a prank on two of their friends, locking them up in the bathroom. The two apparently died in a fire. On windy days, visitors to the park hear screams of a boy asking for help.
Grand Lake
The battle between Ute and Cheyenne Native Americans had terrible consequences. The spirits of Ute women and children who perished in the waters of the lake when their rafts capsized still roam the area in search of their families.
Sand Creek
The Sand Creek Massacres or the Massacre of Cheyenne Indians is the gruesome killing and mutilation of 70 to 163 Native Americans, mostly women and children. Their bodies were left unburied and their spirits haunt the area to this day.
Central City
When in Colorado, do not miss the old mining town in Central City near Denver. Old buildings still stand, including an opera house and theater. The spirits of some inhabitants have never left, and they continue to haunt the city. One pair of ghosts is an old miner and his wife who whisper to each other at the local bar on their wedding anniversary.
Helen Hunt Falls
Be careful when hiking along Cheyenne Canyon in Colorado Springs. The spirit of Helen Hunt, who died at the falls, haunts the area to this day. Every year, at least one life is lost here, and hikers report hearing eerie voices at night near the waterfalls.
Fort Morgan Nature Trails
Watch out for the River Witch, who killed herself the 1900s after being mistreated by the townspeople in Nature Trails, Riverside Park. She continues to haunt these trails, looking for revenge.
Horse Thief Canyon
At the Colorado National Monument, you can see an apparition of a woman dressed in white roaming the canyon’s walls. She was accidentally trampled to death by a horse smuggler.
Have you hiked these trails? Do you think that they are haunted? If you liked Emma’s story you can visit her website for more haunted tales.
If you plan on visiting Colorado, check out Ghosthunting Colorado to learn more about 30 of the state’s most haunted locations. And watch out for ghostly hitchhikers!
Photo Credits
Grand Lake: Wikipedia user Jay Erikson [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Helen Hunt Falls: By Beverlytaz (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Central City: Carol M. Highsmith [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsHaunt