The Most Bizarre Myths and Legends of Colorado

Those who like to travel around often seek out the unknown. Learning more about the unique local stories of a place is a driving force to see those peculiar spots for yourself. If you’re interested in heading out to the Centennial State, you may want to brush up on some of the most bizarre myths and legends of Colorado, ranging from ghost stories to gigantic land fish.

The Devil’s Highway

For some travelers, few things are more exciting than cruising down the highway and seeing what the roads have to offer. However, many drivers report strange things happening on Colorado’s own Devil’s Highway. Route 666 is a stretch of highway where people have reported all sorts of strange happenings.

For unknown reasons, the relatively straight road has an abnormally high accident rate, and some drivers claim to have seen evil dogs and phantom sedans that come and go without warning. While the state renamed this road to Route 491 in the early 2000s, people still report strange, possibly demonic happenings.

Slide-Rock Bolters

The Slide-Rock Bolter is a wild story, even as far as local cryptids go. The Slide-Rock Bolter is a massive, slimy amphibian that’s about the size of a whale. These sculpin-like animals live at the top of tall mountains, but only those that slope at 45 degrees or more.

Lumberjacks in the early 1900s claimed that the beasts would slide down the mountain and eat whatever animal was in its path, somehow filtering out the trees and rocks. Then, they would pull themselves back up with their fluke-like tails, still holding onto the mountain’s peak. Naturally, if there were blue whale-sized monsters eating people and animals in the beautiful mountains of Colorado, we’d probably have seen them. You’re not likely to encounter any Slide-Rock Bolters, but there are many beautiful places in Colorado to see wildlife if you’re interested in making a trip to the mountains. Keep your camera ready just in case you do hear something massive hurtling itself down the slopes.

The Stanley Hotel

Those looking for the most bizarre myths and legends of Colorado owe it to themselves to plan a trip to the Stanley Hotel. This large building, located in Estes Park, may look glamorous. However, things take a weird turn when you learn that this is the hotel that inspired Stephen King’s iconic story, The Shining. You may not encounter any strange little girls or elevators full of blood, but you can still experience a beautiful hotel with an eerie ambience that’s sure to delight and excite those with a lust for adventure.