The Most Fascinating Canyon In Colorado May Be Haunted

It's one of Colorado's most scenic and historic drives, and one photographer has called it the "most fascinating canyon in Colorado."

Where Is Phantom Canyon Road?

Phantom Canyon Road is part of the Gold Belt Scenic Byway in southern Colorado, a beautiful 131-mile loop over famous roads and byways, some of which are unpaved, and some requiring four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Off the beaten path northeast of Canon City, Phantom Canyon Road connects Florence with Victor via a winding unpaved road through hand-cut stone tunnels and across three elevated old steel and wooden bridges. You'll come across the ghost towns of Wilbur, Adelaide, and Glenbrook that dried up after the railroad closed in 1912. The 29-mile road is narrow and gradually increases in elevation from 5,500 to 9,500 feet. Traffic goes both directions, but in some places, there's room enough for only one vehicle.

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Is Phantom Canyon Road Haunted By A Ghost?

Some people believe the road is named for an alleged ghost sighting in the 1890s. A man wearing a prison uniform was reportedly seen walking along the tracks, and train passengers claimed it was a man who had been executed at the Colorado State Penitentiary a few days earlier.