Chasing ghosts in Phantom Canyon

About an hour south of Colorado Springs, on the Bureau of Land Management’s Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway, is the vertiginous red-walled Phantom Canyon.  It supposedly takes its name from an 1890s sighting of a man in a prison uniform walking along the railroad tracks that once made its way through the ravine.  The passengers who spotted him claim he was executed at the Colorado State Penitentiary a few days before.

The road follows the old F&CC RR railbed through Phantom Canyon.

If you don’t see his apparition, you’ll see “phantom” traces of old mining operations associated with Colorado’s largest gold rush, as well as traces of the ghost towns of Adelaide, Wilbur and Glenbrook.  These all flourished in the late nineteenth century, and the narrow-gauge Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad snaked its way four thousand feet down the steep, narrow canyon carved by Eight Mile Creek, hauling passengers and goods to the mining camps, and carrying ore to Florence for processing.  Like most mining communities in the Colorado rockies, the ore quickly played out, and the railroad was abandoned in 1915.  Today, its grade is the unpaved Byway between Cañon City and Victor.

The road is not for the faint-of-heart; it is very narrow (the railway only had a 3’ gauge, and the road is only 8’ or so wide), and there are no guardrails as you teeter along the edge of ravine.  You’ll squeeze through two hand-chiseled tunnels and cross the National Register-listed steel Adelaide Viaduct, the sole surviving bridge from the railway.  BLM advises against vehicles or vehicle-combos longer than 25’.  Even with a shorter camper behind, you’ll scramble to back up to one of the few pullouts if you encounter another vehicle coming your way.  Also, keep an eye out for mountain bikers as the road is a popular getaway, and BLM-permitted outfitter offers rentals and shuttle services.

One of the old railroad tunnels.  You're not going to get through here with a wide load.

There are a number of excellent primitive camping areas along the road, and BLM provides vault toilets at a couple of locations.  We chose a spot downhill from the Byway, right along Eight Mile Creek, and were the only ones there.

Car camping just off the Byway.

This is a fabulous way to experience rugged mountain scenery and to experience the rich mining history of the Victor Mining District, but keep an eye out for the Phantom!