Hidden Within Colorado's Pike National Forest Are Haunted Train Tunnels Left Over From The Gold Rush

Before ski resorts and craft breweries became the state's trademark, Colorado's towns were forged in the heyday of the Gold Rush. In the mid-1800s — about 10 years after California's Gold Rush — those seeking to strike gold came to the area around Pikes Peak in Colorado and set up mining camps that burgeoned into towns like Independence, the once-thriving mining boomtown near Aspen that's now abandoned. There are still traces of these faded Gold Rush years, many of which come with an eerie story. One of Colorado's most haunted spots is a ghost town called Nevadaville, but some of the state's spookiest Gold Rush remnants are less obvious, lying deeper within the forest. Outside Colorado Springs in the Pike National Forest, the Gold Camp Road tunnels, once used for transporting gold, draw curious hikers and ghost hunters alike.

Gold Camp Road, more than 30 miles long, is a mostly dirt road that connects from Colorado Springs to Cripple Creek, which was once a gold mining camp. It was originally a railway route used for hauling gold between the towns. The nine Gold Camp Road tunnels were built to continue the route through the mountains. In 1988, one of the tunnels, tunnel 3, caved in, and parts of the road have been closed to vehicles ever since. This collapse fueled the tunnels' immersion into legend and ghostly lore. A rumor spread that the tunnel collapsed onto a school bus full of children, killing them all. While there's no proof of this actually happening, reports of paranormal activity associated with the alleged incident, like hearing children's laughter or seeing small hand prints on cars, have solidified the story as part of the tunnel's cryptic fascination.

Three of the Gold Camp Road tunnels have collapsed (tunnels 3, 7, and 8), so they're only accessible if you go on foot or bike. You can get near them, but their entrances are blocked off with fences and "keep out" signs. However, the most haunted of all the tunnels, tunnel 2, is still open for cars to drive through. Supposedly, people have parked their car in neutral here and felt their vehicle get pushed uphill. There have also been reports of seeing a man pacing around in the tunnel at night. While stories of ghost children and gravity-defying supernatural activity may be pure folklore, there is some truth to the tunnels having a darker history: It's widely believed that some rail workers were killed during the tunnels' construction.

One thing to note about driving through the tunnels is that Gold Camp Road can be tight and rocky. In the tunnels themselves, only one car can pass through at a time. You can go through or get close to all the tunnels by staying on Gold Camp Road and its detours around impassable areas. The road starts about a 10-minute drive west of Downtown Colorado Springs, or about 20 minutes from the Colorado Springs Airport. After passing tunnel 2, the road goes through North Cheyenne Cañon Park, where you can take a detour to the Helen Hunt Falls Visitor Center and explore a hiking trail that shows off two waterfalls with Rocky Mountain views.