Colorado Springs sits at the base of Pikes Peak — a city shaped by the Gold Rush, Cold War military infrastructure, and a century of mountain railroads. Beyond the Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy lies a landscape dotted with forgotten mining tunnels, decommissioned Cold War sites, and historic ruins swallowed by the Rockies. Here are 5 of the best abandoned places in Colorado Springs, selected from our Abandoned Places Map USA — 5,000+ GPS locations across the United States.
Why Colorado Springs Is a Hidden Gem for Abandoned Buildings & Urban Exploration
Few American cities sit at the intersection of Gold Rush history, Cold War military infrastructure, and mountain wilderness the way Colorado Springs does. The region around Pikes Peak was strip-mined, tunneled through, fortified with missile silos, and connected by mountain railroads — all within a single century. Each of those eras left something behind in the surrounding landscape.
1. Gold Camp Road Tunnels – 1890s Gold Rush Railroad Tunnels Carved into Pikes Peak, Now Closed and Haunted by Legend (Known Location)
Built in the 1890s to carry gold ore from Cripple Creek to Colorado Springs along the Short Line railroad, these nine tunnels were carved directly into the rock of Pikes Peak. The railroad ran from 1901 until 1920 — President Theodore Roosevelt famously called the scenic journey something that "bankrupts the English language." Converted to a toll road in 1924, then a public road, several tunnels collapsed in the 1980s and remain sealed today while others are accessible on foot along Gold Camp Road in Pike National Forest. The closed tunnels have accumulated decades of ghost legends, including a widely repeated but unverified story of a school bus trapped during the 1988 collapse.
🔗 Learn more: Atlas Obscura – Gold Camp Road Tunnels
2. Victor & Cripple Creek Ghost Town Remains – Boom-to-Bust Gold Mining District with Original Buildings Still Standing, Teller County (Known Location)
At its peak in the 1890s, the Cripple Creek and Victor district produced nearly $500 million in gold — the last great gold rush in American history. While Cripple Creek has been partially preserved as a casino town, the surrounding district is littered with decaying headframes, rusting mill equipment, and entire camp structures untouched since mining collapsed. Victor in particular retains blocks of original late-Victorian commercial buildings with boarded storefronts, collapsing mine structures on the hillsides above, and the remnants of the vast industrial apparatus that processed Pikes Peak's gold for three frantic decades.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in the USA →
3. Decommissioned Cold War Missile Site – Concrete Launch Pads and Underground Access Tunnels Sealed in the 1980s, El Paso County (Exclusively on Our Map)
One of dozens of Cold War missile sites built around Colorado Springs to protect the nearby NORAD complex — concrete launch infrastructure still visible above ground, access tunnels sealed but partially exposed, and signage weathered to near-illegibility. The dry Colorado climate has preserved the above-ground structures far better than comparable sites in wetter states. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
4. Abandoned Mountain Sanatorium – Early 1900s Tuberculosis Facility with Solarium Porches Facing Pikes Peak, El Paso County (Exclusively on Our Map)
Built in the early 1900s when Colorado's dry mountain air was believed to cure tuberculosis, this hilltop sanatorium features long open-air solarium porches designed to face Pikes Peak — a daily view for patients spending months outdoors in all weather. Closed when antibiotics made sanatorium treatment obsolete, the building retains its original wraparound porch structure and several interior rooms with period fixtures. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
5. Forgotten Rocky Mountain Ranch Compound – 1920s Homestead with Timber Barn and Root Cellar Still Intact, Teller County (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1920s high-altitude ranch compound abandoned when the land became economically unviable — original timber barn with hay still in the loft, a stone root cellar intact beneath the main house, and a fenced corral with posts still standing at 8,000 feet. Colorado's altitude and dry air preserve wood remarkably well; this compound looks closer to 30 years abandoned than 70. Exact location available on our Abandoned Places Map USA.
Safety Tips for Urban Exploration in Colorado Springs
- Altitude: many sites around Colorado Springs sit above 8,000 feet — acclimate before extended exploration and carry extra water
- Mountain weather: afternoon thunderstorms are common from June through August — never shelter in a tunnel or mine opening during lightning
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person and let someone know your location
The urbex code applies everywhere: "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
❓ FAQ – Abandoned Places in Colorado Springs
What are the Gold Camp Road Tunnels?
Nine railroad tunnels carved into Pikes Peak in the 1890s for the Short Line gold railroad between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek. Several collapsed in the 1980s and remain sealed; others are accessible on foot along Gold Camp Road in Pike National Forest. Theodore Roosevelt called the railroad journey something that "bankrupts the English language."
Can you visit Victor and Cripple Creek for urban exploration?
Victor is largely accessible — it retains blocks of original Victorian commercial buildings and hillside mining structures from the 1890s gold boom. Cripple Creek has been partially commercialized as a casino town. The surrounding district has numerous mine structures on private or BLM land — always check ownership before exploring off the main streets.
Why does Colorado have so many Cold War abandoned sites?
NORAD's Cheyenne Mountain Complex made Colorado Springs one of the most strategically important locations in America during the Cold War — the surrounding region was ringed with missile defense infrastructure, radar stations, and support facilities, many of which were decommissioned after the Soviet threat receded.
🎯 Summary
Colorado Springs offers urban exploration unlike anywhere else in America — Gold Rush tunnels carved into a 14,000-foot mountain, Cold War missile infrastructure built to defend NORAD, and high-altitude ranch compounds preserved by thin dry air. Each of these 5 abandoned places in Colorado Springs captures a different chapter of a region shaped by gold, military ambition, and the Rockies themselves.
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