Ouray, Colorado — the “Switzerland of America” — is breathtaking by day and bone-chilling by night. 
From elegant hotels to quiet cemeteries, echoes of the past still whisper through the mountain air.
These six (plus one in Silverton) haunted places remind us that history doesn’t always stay buried.
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Grand Imperial Hotel in Silverton, Colorado, is widely reputed to be haunted. We stayed there for Cam and Mady’s Wedding in 2025. I didn’t know then what I know now. Guess I’ll have to go back and investigate. [1, 2, 3]
Reported Hauntings & History
- Luigi Regalia & Room 314: The most famous spirit is Luigi Regalia, who died by suicide in Room 314 on November 1, 1890. Guests and staff frequently associate third-floor activity with him. [1, 2, 3]
- Third-Floor & Construction Activity: During past renovations, contractors reported mysterious occurrences like thrown nails, moving drywall, 3:00 AM construction noises, and the sound of pacing in Room 219. [1]
- Housekeeping & Room Disturbances: Staff members have reported beds appearing freshly slept-in after being made, being touched in Room 314, or finding dead-bolted empty rooms. House pets or staff dogs have also reportedly been spooked on upper floors. [1, 2]
- Bar and Kitchen Spirits: Staff in the kitchen have reported pots, pans, and food being knocked over or soda machines malfunctioning. Another recurring legend involves the ghost of a miner—believed to have died in an avalanche—who visits the bar, orders a drink, and then vanishes into thin air before taking a sip. [1]
1. The Beaumont Hotel
505 Main Street, Ouray, CO 81427
“She still checks in… but never checks out.”
Built in 1886, the Beaumont was once the grand jewel of Colorado’s high society. But behind its gilded halls lies a darker tale — a woman allegedly murdered by her husband in Room 305. Guests still report hearing footsteps in empty corridors and faucets that turn on by themselves in the middle of the night. At precisely 2:15 a.m., some have seen a flickering figure drift past the mirror and vanish into the walls. Even the hotel itself admits: “It’s rumored to be haunted.”
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2. The St. Elmo Hotel
426 Main Street, Ouray, CO 81427
“When the lights go out, she comes to check on her guests.”
The St. Elmo feels warm and welcoming… until the lights go out. Guests have told stories of waking to see a Victorian-era woman standing silently at the foot of their bed, vanishing the moment they blink. In the dining room, silverware shifts and chairs scrape across the floor when no one’s inside. Locals say the ghost is a former owner who loved the hotel so dearly she could never bring herself to leave. To this day, her presence lingers like a soft perfume in the night.
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3. The Western Hotel
210 7th Avenue, Ouray, CO 81427
“The saloon never closed—it just got quieter.”
Built in 1892 on the edge of Ouray’s rowdy red-light district, the Western saw its share of wild nights. Miners, gamblers, and ladies of the night filled its rooms — and some say their spirits still do. Visitors have heard heavy boots pacing upstairs, laughter drifting through the halls, and a woman’s voice humming an old saloon tune. The hotel’s guestbook even holds written accounts of guests waking from vivid dreams of shadowy figures standing beside their bed. After 130 years, the Western’s walls are still alive with stories.
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4. Ouray Museum (Former Miner’s Hospital)
420 6th Avenue, Ouray, CO 81427
“The patient who never checked out.”
Before it was a museum, this brick building healed — and sometimes lost — Ouray’s miners and their families. Staff and visitors report footsteps echoing through the hallways long after closing time, doors that creak open by themselves, and sudden drops in temperature in the old surgical ward. The most famous spirit is a pale man in a hospital gown who appears briefly near the stairwell, staring as if searching for someone. Locals believe he was a patient who never survived his operation — and never checked out.
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5. Cedar Hill Cemetery
U.S. Highway 550, north edge of Ouray
“Some guardians never sleep.”
Tucked above town among wind-bent aspens, Cedar Hill Cemetery is a silent keeper of Ouray’s earliest settlers. Visitors tell of a ghostly white cat that wanders the graves at dusk, vanishing just as it’s approached. It’s said to guard the resting place of its long-gone owners — loyal even in death. On cold mornings, paw prints appear in the frost leading to a headstone… and stop suddenly. For those who linger too long, a soft purr has been heard in the still mountain air.
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6. Ouray County Courthouse
541 4th Street, Ouray, CO 81427
“Justice never ends… not even after death.”
Since 1888, justice has been served inside these stately sandstone walls — but not every visitor has been of this world. A night custodian once met a woman in a 19th-century dress who introduced herself as Sally Beaudreau. When he reached out to shake her hand, she smiled — and vanished. Ever since, faint floral perfume and echoing footsteps have been reported drifting through the hallways. Some say Sally was the wife of a judge who died before her husband’s final verdict… and she’s still waiting to hear it.
In Ouray, the past isn’t gone — it lingers like fog in the canyon, clinging to stone walls and whispering down Main Street. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, one thing is certain: in this mountain town, the echoes of yesterday never truly fade.