People Swear These Colorado Tunnels Are Haunted and the Stories Are Wild

A school bus full of orphans dies in a tunnel collapse, their spirits doomed to haunt the darkness forever. Sounds like the opening scene of a low-budget horror movie you’d absolutely still watch at 1 a.m., right?

Nope. This is the legend behind Colorado’s famously creepy Gold Camp Road tunnels.

The Gold Camp Road Tunnels are three so-called “abandoned” railroad tunnels just outside Colorado Springs. They were built in the late 1800s during the gold rush, then later converted for cars once trains were done rattling through them. Historic? Absolutely. Quiet and peaceful? Not even close.

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Colorado’s Gold Camp Road Tunnels: Why People Actually Care

Despite their legit history, the tunnels aren’t famous because they moved ore. They’re famous because people swear they’re haunted. During construction, workers reportedly died, and from there the stories only get darker—and way more dramatic. But how much of it is real?

Visitors have reported everything from kids laughing, giggling, and screaming to a shadowy man pacing the tunnels. Some claim mysterious handprints appear on their cars. Others say their vehicles move on their own. Because apparently just driving through a pitch-black mountain tunnel isn’t unsettling enough.

A First-Hand Experience on Gold Camp Road

One of the most common stories centers on Tunnel #2. Legend says if you pull in, turn off your headlights, and kill the engine… things happen. Naturally, a group of friends decided to test that theory, because poor decision-making is the backbone of all good ghost stories.

They shut everything off. Silence. Darkness. Then one person noticed a dark figure pacing near the tunnel entrance. The figure slowly approached the back of the vehicle, leaned in, and placed its hands on the car—before vanishing. Terrified (and probably reconsidering every life choice), the group took off. When they stopped later, dusty handprints were visible on the truck.

Cue the screaming. And possibly new pants.

So, what about the children and the bus accident?

So What’s the Deal With the Kids?

This is where the most famous and gruesome myth comes in.

According to legend, a bus full of orphans (or students, depending on who’s telling it) was returning from a field trip when Tunnel #3 collapsed, killing everyone inside. Supposedly, you can hear children laughing in tunnels #1 and #2… but as you approach tunnel #3, the laughter turns into screams. The story claims the kids slap cars, scratch visitors, and leave tiny fingerprints behind.

Here’s the buzzkill: there was never a bus accident. Tunnel #3 did collapse—but it happened because the structural supports failed, not because of a tragic field trip gone wrong.

Other rumors floating around the area include pagan rituals and devil worshippers hanging out nearby. That could be true… or it could just be people trying to keep the legend spicy.

Read More: From A to Z: Tour the Haunted Streets of Colorado Ghost Towns

Either way, Gold Camp Road has earned its reputation. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, those tunnels have a way of making your skin crawl.

So, have you ever driven through them?