Gold Camp Road is a spooky haunted spot with collapsed tunnels in Colorado Springs
Gold Camp Road is a highly scenic 32-mile trail winding from Colorado Springs to Victor. This captivating road, once a railroad, offers scenic beauty by day and tales of haunting by night, drawing adventure seekers and those curious about its intriguing past.
Where is Gold Camp Road?
The road is located in Teller County, in the central part of Colorado, running through North Cheyenne Canyon, just thirty minutes southwest of the center of Colorado Springs. The road is loved for the breathtaking scenery by day and feared for the hauntings at night.
When was Gold Camp Road built?
Set into the hills of Colorado Springs' Bear Creek Park, in the 1880s, a railroad was built from Cripple Creek to Colorado Springs during the gold rush. In 1922, it ceased its activities and was converted into a highway in 1924. On May 6, 1939, the route became a free public road and remained open to vehicular travel until 1988 when a portion of tunnel #3 collapsed.
How long is Gold Camp Road?
The road is about 50 km (32 miles) long, running east-west from Colorado Springs to Victor. It has paved and unpaved parts. A few parts of the road are totally closed to vehicles. It is possible to drive through 2 tunnels via the well-maintained Gold Camp Road. Although it is safe for any passenger vehicle (4×4 not required), the winding dirt and gravel road becomes narrow in several areas and may be rocky at times. The road is popular with bikers and hikers.
How many tunnels are on Gold Camp Road?
The road had nine tunnels. Most of the tunnels have totally or partially collapsed and are no longer safe to enter, due to age and vandalism. One tunnel, tunnel 3, is sealed off from the public completely. And there’s a legend about this tunnel, which is very much alive today. While this is just superstition, the threatening claws of the fence guarding one of the tunnels aren’t doing anything to discourage the stories. It’s said to have collapsed around 1988 when a school bus full of orphans collided with it, killing the driver and all of the children aboard. There are no records found of such an accident. The collapsed tunnel is sealed off by huge gates and located past where cars can easily drive. While most of these claims have been made about the closed third tunnel, others have reported strange occurrences in the remaining ones as well.
What happened at Gold Camp Road?
Part of the Gold Belt Scenic Byway, the road is said to be haunted. This location is a popular hangout for high schoolers and teens, especially on summer nights. Various stories surround what makes these tunnels haunted. When the tunnels were built in the 1800s, it’s said that many workers died in actually building the tunnels. There have been rumblings of a school bus accident ranging from a suicidal driver to an oncoming train. Legend has it that the entire bus full of children perished. Nowadays, hikers report hearing laughter in the area, and cars able to get close enough have found tiny handprints in window fog. Today, people drive through the second tunnel waiting for the car to be moved after putting it in park and turning off the lights. Be careful: people are known to stop and turn their lights off in the tunnels to experience the paranormal. Others have said to see apparitions of men in cloaks. The third tunnel is not drivable, but many peer in, wondering about the secrets of this spooky spot.
Pic&more info: https://www.visitcos.com/areas/downtown-colorado-springs/haunted-places/