Mile High Hauntings: Guided Ghost Tour in Downtown Denver

Denver’s best ghost stories work because they are tied to real streets, old hotels, tragic events, and people who helped shape the city. Mile High Hauntings uses that mix well, taking you through Lower Downtown, or LoDo, with Josh’s lively storytelling at the center. Expect less theatrical fright and more local history with a supernatural edge.

I like the small maximum of 20 people, which should make it easier to hear the guide and ask questions. I also like the route’s useful shape: it begins at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row and ends at walkable Larimer Square, with stories connected to places such as Union Station and the Oxford Hotel. The main consideration is the 2.5-hour outdoor format, so weather and comfortable walking shoes matter.

Key reasons to consider this Denver ghost walk

• Josh’s storytelling: He brings historical characters, ghost reports, and personal accounts together in a clear, entertaining way.
• A real LoDo setting: The stories unfold in Denver’s historic downtown rather than in a dark attraction built only for scares.
• More than ghost tales: You get background on Denver, its people, personalities, and cultures along with the paranormal stories.
• Several memorable locations: Market Street, Union Station, the Oxford Hotel, and a speakeasy-related story can form part of the route.
• A manageable group size: The tour accepts no more than 20 people, with some departures potentially much smaller.
• A practical finish: The walk ends at Larimer Square, a pleasant place to continue your evening.

Why LoDo makes a strong ghost-tour setting

Lower Downtown is the historic heart of Denver, and that gives this tour a useful advantage. You are not simply listening to spooky stories in an anonymous park. You are standing among old streets, hotels, stations, bars, and buildings with their own pasts.

That setting lets the guide explain how Denver developed and who lived, worked, celebrated, suffered, and sometimes died in the area. The supernatural material then becomes part of a larger city story. I prefer this approach to a tour that relies only on jump scares or a string of disconnected legends.

The experience stays within LoDo, but the route covers enough ground to give the evening a sense of movement. The walk begins at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Denver at 1946 Market Street and finishes at Larimer Square at 1430 Larimer Street. Both locations are in downtown Denver, making this easier to add to an evening than a tour that starts or ends far outside the center.

You should still think of this as a proper walking outing. The tour lasts about two and a half hours, and the information provided does not promise a seated format or a vehicle for the whole experience. Wear shoes you can walk in and check the forecast before you go.

Starting at Whiskey Row on Market Street

The meeting point is Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Denver, at 1946 Market Street. This gives the opening a clear downtown landmark, but you should confirm the precise meeting instructions on your mobile ticket before setting out.

Josh’s opening approach, based on the experience described by past participants, is to establish the history of the spot where the group is standing before moving into the haunting stories. That is a smart way to begin. You first learn what kind of place this was and who belonged there, then the ghost story has some context.

The strongest part of the tour seems to be this blend of people and place. Josh is described as bringing historical figures to life with lively detail, while also explaining the setting around you. If you enjoy city history, you may find the background just as interesting as the paranormal material.

This is also where the group size matters. With a maximum of 20 people, the guide should not have to compete with a huge crowd. One account describes a tour with only three people, creating a very personal experience. You cannot count on such a small departure, but the limit is still reassuring for anyone who dislikes packed walking tours.

Market Street and the stories behind the streets

The route can continue down Market Street, where the focus remains on Denver’s past and the people connected to it. The supplied details do not provide a fixed script or exact stop-by-stop schedule, so you should allow for the guide to adjust the storytelling to the group and conditions.

That flexibility may be part of the appeal. Josh is praised for avoiding a canned feel and for making the evening seem more like a conversation with a friend who knows Denver well. I would expect the tone to include humor as well as unsettling moments. This is not presented as a nonstop fright experience.

The stories appear to include a mix of documented local history, traditional haunting accounts, and personal experiences. That combination can make the tour more engaging, but it also means you should approach it as entertainment and local storytelling rather than as a formal investigation of paranormal claims.

The balance is important. If you want a theatrical haunted house, this walking tour may feel restrained. If you like hearing how a city’s buildings and characters became part of its folklore, the format should suit you better.

Union Station, where history and hauntings meet

Union Station is one of the most promising portions of the route. It is a major Denver landmark, and the stories connected with it give the guide a strong setting for tales of movement, loss, work, and city life.

The information provided describes several chilling stories connected with Union Station. The value here is not only the scare. A station is naturally a place where many lives crossed, and the guide can use that setting to explain Denver’s past while building suspense.

You may find this section especially effective after the opening history on Market Street. By then, you should have a sense of Josh’s style and the tour’s rhythm. He can shift from ordinary city facts to accounts of ghosts associated with the station, giving the evening a mixture of education and unease.

Do not expect every stop to produce a supernatural event. The appeal is the story itself, the building in front of you, and the way the guide connects the two. The tour’s perfect five-star rating across 28 posted reviews suggests a strong track record, but your enjoyment will still depend on how much you like spoken storytelling and walking after dark.

The Oxford Hotel and a more colorful cast of spirits

The Oxford Hotel adds another notable setting. It is described as having its own colorful group of spirits, giving the tour a change of mood after Union Station.

Hotels make natural ghost-story locations because they hold so many private dramas under one roof. In this case, the guide uses the hotel as another doorway into Denver’s past. You are likely to hear about the personalities tied to the building rather than receive only a vague claim that it is haunted.

This is where Josh’s delivery seems especially important. The available comments repeatedly praise his ability to tell a story, explain Denver’s history, and keep the evening moving. A good guide can make a familiar building feel different by pointing out the human story behind it.

The tour should work well for couples, friends, and families with older children who enjoy spooky subjects without needing extreme scares. The description says most people can participate, but it does not give a specific age minimum. If you are booking with children, use your judgment about a two-and-a-half-hour nighttime walk and the subject matter of tragic deaths and hauntings.

The speakeasy tale and Josh’s personal account

Near the end, the route can include a story in front of a speakeasy about a mother’s tragic loss. This sounds like one of the more emotional parts of the evening, and it shows why the tour is not simply a collection of ghost jokes.

The best supernatural stories have a human center. A tale involving grief can explain why a place became associated with a ghost and why the story continued. You may find this section more affecting than frightening.

Josh also adds personal experiences, including an account involving an elevator ghost. That detail gives the tour a first-person angle and makes the guide part of the storytelling rather than a distant narrator. Personal testimony will appeal to people who enjoy paranormal accounts, though you should decide for yourself how literally you take it.

The balance of humor and darker material seems to be one of the tour’s main strengths. One account describes plenty of laughs along with a few spine-tingling moments. That sounds like the right expectation: an entertaining evening with occasional chills, not a guaranteed encounter with the supernatural.

Ending at Larimer Square

The walk ends at Larimer Square, at 1430 Larimer Street. This is a practical finish because you remain in central Denver, and the square is described as gorgeous and walkable.

The ending location gives you options. You can stop there after the tour or use it as a convenient point for continuing your downtown evening. The activity details do not include a meal, drink, or admission to another attraction, so plan anything afterward separately.

I also like the contrast between the tour’s darker stories and the setting at the end. You finish in a lively, attractive part of downtown rather than at an isolated pickup point. During the holiday season, the city decorations can add to the atmosphere, as one account noted.

Josh, Gable, and the guide-led experience

Josh is the guide most clearly associated with this tour. His strengths appear to be historical explanation, lively characters, and an easy storytelling style. The comments also describe a guide named Gable, referred to as a driver, so the company may use more than one person depending on the departure.

That matters because a walking tour’s quality depends heavily on the person leading it. The high rating and full recommendation rate point to a consistently strong impression, but Josh’s style may not be identical to Gable’s. If you have a strong preference, you can ask Smile High Tours who will lead your date, though the supplied booking information does not promise a particular guide.

The guide’s role is more than pointing out buildings. You need someone who can make a street corner meaningful, explain the historical setting, and tell a ghost story without losing the thread. The strongest feedback focuses on exactly those skills.

Is $38 a fair price?

The price is $38 per person. For a two-and-a-half-hour guided downtown experience, I consider that reasonable if you value the guide and the local storytelling.

You are paying for a focused evening walk rather than admission to a large attraction with sets, actors, or special effects. The value comes from the route, the guide’s preparation, and the stories connected to real Denver locations. If you already know LoDo well, the tour can still offer a new way to read familiar streets, especially around Union Station and the Oxford Hotel.

The price may feel less worthwhile if you want dramatic production, guaranteed paranormal activity, or a short activity with little walking. It is a better fit for someone who wants history first, ghost stories second, and a friendly guide to connect the two.

The group limit also helps support the price. A tour capped at 20 people gives you a more direct experience than a large downtown crowd. If you happen to be on a very small departure, the guide may have more time to respond to questions and tailor the stories.

Who should book this tour?

I would choose this experience if you like:

• Denver history told through real downtown locations
• Ghost stories with humor and human drama
• A guide-led walking tour instead of a staged haunted attraction
• An evening activity that stays in central LoDo
• Small or moderate group sizes
• A tour that ends somewhere useful for the rest of your night

I would think twice if you dislike walking for two and a half hours, prefer daytime sightseeing, or want a purely factual history tour with no paranormal claims. The mood includes tragic stories, personal ghost accounts, and some chilling material.

The tour is offered in English. It has a mobile ticket, is near public transportation, and service animals are allowed. Most people can participate, but the long outdoor duration remains the main physical point to consider.

Booking and weather tips

You receive confirmation at booking, and the mobile ticket should make the meeting details easy to keep on your phone. Arrive with enough time to find Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row at 1946 Market Street.

The experience requires good weather. If poor weather causes cancellation, you are offered another date or a full refund. The tour also requires a minimum number of participants, so a cancellation for that reason comes with the same choice of another date or a full refund.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time. Inside that 24-hour window, the amount paid is not refunded and changes are not accepted. The cutoff uses Denver local time, so keep that in mind if you are arranging your plans from another time zone.

Should you book Mile High Hauntings?

Book it if you want a personable Denver history walk with a spooky side, especially if Josh is leading your departure. The route links LoDo, Market Street, Union Station, the Oxford Hotel, and Larimer Square, while the stories add humor, grief, colorful personalities, and a few chills.

At $38, the experience offers solid value for a two-and-a-half-hour guided outing. I would not book it expecting a haunted house or proof of ghosts. I would book it to hear Denver explained by a strong storyteller, then see the city’s old downtown through a more unusual lens.

FAQ

Where does the Mile High Hauntings tour start?

The tour starts at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row Denver, 1946 Market Street, Denver, Colorado 80202.

Where does the tour end?

The tour ends at Larimer Square, 1430 Larimer Street, Denver, Colorado 80202.

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts approximately two hours and 30 minutes.

How much does the tour cost?

The listed price is $38 per person.

Who operates the ghost tour?

The experience is operated by Smile High Tours.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English.

What area does the tour cover?

The entire tour takes place in Lower Downtown, known as LoDo, the historic heart of Denver.

How many people can join the tour?

The tour has a maximum of 20 participants.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The experience requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you are offered a different date or a full refund.