Schools top the list of Colorado's most haunted places
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Some of Colorado's spookiest spots might be its schools, according to an index of reader-submitted ghost sightings on the paranormal website The Shadowlands.
By the numbers: Of the 166 hauntings reported in Colorado between 1994 and 2022, about 61% happened inside elementary, middle and high schools, as well as on college campuses and in dormitories, the data shows.
The big picture: These alleged spirit-filled schools span numerous cities across the state, including Aurora, Boulder, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs and Denver.
- Many of the ghostly tales stem from claims of tragic deaths like drownings, hangings, murders and freak accidents.
Zoom in: Denver is home to numerous haunted places.
- For example, inside the historic Tivoli Union on the Auraria Campus, whispers can supposedly be heard in the bathrooms and voices seep through the vents on the third floor "as though an elegant party is going on," even when no one is there.
- Legend has it that at Denver's George Washington High School, the ghost of a bald, elderly man haunts the football field. He appears in broad daylight before vanishing into thin air. Many believe he's the spirit of a former football coach who passed away decades ago.
🥾 Zoom out: Colorado's wilderness is the source for the second-most supernatural sightings, accounting for more than a third of those reported in the state, according to The Shadowlands.
- For those interested in finding lost spirits outdoors, Westword's roundup features 10 haunted hikes across the state, including the Woodglen Bike Path in Thornton and Village Walk in Golden.