Entry No. 87 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: haunted
Pikes Peak Phantom Ghost Tour
This nightly, year-round walking ghost tour leads small groups through downtown Colorado Springs after dark, stopping at genuinely haunted-reputation buildings like the Mining Exchange, the Gold Room, and the Acacia Park area. Guides weave in real local history alongside murder tales and paranormal lore as you walk the lamp-lit streets. It runs as an evening experience rather than a daytime stroll.
The story
Colorado Springs likes to promote its crisp alpine air and quiet Victorian streetscapes, but beneath the manicured exterior lies a history written in gold rush greed and sudden ends. When the late-19th-century Cripple Creek mining boom transformed the town, downtown instantly became a high-stakes arena of speculative fortunes, backroom corruption, and unsolved deaths. The Pikes Peak Phantom tour turns off the municipal polish and walks you right into that dark underbelly.
The route covers roughly a mile of downtown sidewalk after dark, focusing on building exteriors rather than indoor jump scares. You stop outside landmarks like the 1902 Mining Exchange Building—where stock trades fueled wild speculation before leaving behind a legacy of lingering presences—alongside the Gold Room and the Acacia Park area. Instead of theatrical gimmicks, guides lean on archived municipal records, true-crime history, and recorded local lore, leaving you with a very different view of the city's grid once the streetlamps flick on.
What it's like
Expect an all-outdoor, evening walking tour that winds past downtown landmarks for about a mile. You meet your guide after dark near the Mining Exchange and Gold Room area. Because the group stays entirely outside, dress for the drop in mountain temperatures and wear practical walking shoes. The atmosphere leans toward grounded local history and eerie true-crime lore rather than costumed theatrics, making it a natural precursor to a late drink down the street.
The move: Walk the dark downtown streets on a guided ghost tour, lingering at supposedly haunted hotels while the guide unspools grisly local history.
📍 Before you go Reservation-based and time-specific; tours run in the evening year-round but confirm the meeting point and start time when booking. It's a walking tour, so wear comfortable shoes.
- 📍 Downtown Colorado Springs
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Downtown Colorado Springs (meets near the Gold Room / Mining Exchange area)
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- District Eleven — Slip through a taco shop's vault door for a hidden post-tour cocktail just a block away from the tour route.
- Shrunken Head Tiki Bar — Head subterranean on Tejon Street to process the city's dark history over underground tiki drinks.
- The Rabbit Hole — Keep the eerie momentum going by dining underground inside Colorado Springs' former city morgue.
- Novis Mortem Collective (classes by The Terrorium Shop) — If dark history whets your appetite for oddities, stop by this gallery two blocks away for taxidermy and specimen workshops.
Good to know
Do tour groups go inside the haunted buildings?
No. The tour takes place entirely outdoors on public sidewalks, allowing you to cover more historic downtown sites without stepping inside private property.
How far is the walking route?
You will walk roughly one mile over flat downtown sidewalks during the evening tour.
Are tickets required ahead of time?
Yes, tours are reservation-based and time-specific. Even though the tour runs nightly year-round, you must book in advance and verify your exact meeting spot when reserving.
Can dogs join the walking tour?
Yes. Because the tour remains outdoors on public sidewalks, well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome to walk along.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: colorado.com · Official site · bringfido.com
last checked: 2026-06-23