You’ve seen the grainy ones. The shots where someone is standing on the grand staircase, but when the shutter clicked, they were actually alone. Or the ones where a face—vague, translucent, and decidedly not alive—peers out from a fourth-floor window. Ghost photos at the Stanley Hotel are basically their own sub-genre of internet lore at this point. It’s not just about The Shining or Stephen King anymore; it’s about the sheer volume of "evidence" that keeps piling up in the iPhone era.
The Stanley isn't some crumbling, abandoned asylum. It’s a gorgeous, white-walled colonial revival hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, sitting pretty against the Rocky Mountains. But since it opened in 1909, people have been seeing things they can’t explain. Honestly, most "ghost photos" are just lens flares or long exposures. But a few? A few of them make even the most hardened skeptics do a double-take.
The Maus Family Photo and the Ghost on the Stairs
In 2016, a guy named Henry Yau took a panoramic photo of the lobby's grand staircase. He didn't see anyone there. When he looked at the photo later, there was a figure at the top of the stairs. Not just a smudge, but what looked like a woman in period clothing. Then, a few years later, the Maus family caught what appeared to be two figures on that same staircase during a night tour.
What’s weird about the Maus photo isn't just the figure. It’s the fact that other people on the tour—who were standing right there—didn't see a second person. In the digital age, we're quick to yell "Photoshop!" or "double exposure!" but when you’re standing in that lobby, feeling the weirdly cold drafts that hit the stairs even when the heat is blasting, it feels different.
The grand staircase is the heart of the hotel. It’s where F.O. Stanley and his wife Flora would have greeted guests. It’s also where many people claim to see Flora herself. She’s often described as a "gentle" presence, sometimes heard playing the piano in the music room. If you’re hunting for ghost photos at the Stanley Hotel, this is the first place you go. You wait for the crowds to clear, you hold your breath, and you hope for a glitch in the matrix.
Room 217: More Than Just a Stephen King Story
We have to talk about Room 217. This is the room that started it all for Stephen King. He stayed there in 1974 when the hotel was nearly empty for the season, and a nightmare about his son being chased through the halls gave him the seed for The Shining. But the room has its own history that predates the book.
In 1911, a chambermaid named Elizabeth Wilson was injured in a gas explosion in that very room. She didn't die—she actually lived a long life afterward—but many believe her spirit returned to the hotel to keep working. Guests in 217 report their suitcases being unpacked, shoes being lined up, and even being "tucked in" at night.
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Photos from Room 217 often show "orbs," which most experts (the real, boring kind) say are just dust caught in a flash. But then you get the photos of reflections in the mirrors. There have been dozens of images circulating online where a woman in a black dress—presumably Elizabeth—is seen standing behind the guest in the vanity mirror. Is it a trick of the light? Maybe. But the frequency of these reports is what makes the Stanley different from your average "haunted" bed and breakfast.
The Fourth Floor and the Children Who Won't Leave
If the lobby is for the famous ghosts, the fourth floor is for the kids. Back in the day, the fourth floor was where the nannies and children stayed. It was tucked away, quieter, and out of the sight of the high-society guests. Today, it is arguably the most active part of the building.
People hear running feet. They hear laughter. They feel hands grabbing at their pockets.
The ghost photos from the fourth floor usually focus on the hallways. Because the ceilings are lower and the corridors are narrower, it’s a claustrophobic space. One famous photo shows a small, blurred face looking out from the bottom of a door frame. It looks like a toddler playing hide-and-seek. Skeptics argue it's just wood grain patterns and pareidolia—our brain's habit of seeing faces in random shapes. But when that "shape" matches the height and description of the "ghostly children" people have been reporting for eighty years, the pareidolia argument starts to feel a bit thin.
Why Do We Keep Believing the Images?
Honestly, most ghost photos are terrible. They are blurry, dark, and look like they were taken with a potato. So why does the Stanley Hotel keep attracting world-class paranormal investigators like the Ghost Hunters team or the Kindred Spirits crew?
It’s because the hotel is a "stone tape."
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This theory suggests that certain materials—like the quartz-heavy granite the Stanley is built on—can actually record emotional events and play them back like a loop. It’s not necessarily a conscious "spirit" talking to you; it’s more like a recording of the past. This would explain why so many ghost photos at the Stanley Hotel look like people just going about their day. They aren't haunting the living; they're just stuck in 1912.
The hotel also sits near a massive geological anomaly. The surrounding mountains are packed with minerals that some claim amplify "energy." Whether you believe in Ley Lines or just think the mountain air makes people hallucinatory, there’s no denying the vibe of the place. It’s heavy. It’s thick. You feel watched.
Dealing with the Skeptics
If you post a ghost photo from the Stanley, you're going to get roasted. It’s the internet’s favorite pastime. "That’s a smudge on your lens!" "That’s a tourist in a hoodie!"
And usually? They're right.
The Stanley is a massive tourist destination. People dress up. People take tours at 10:00 PM. The "ghost" you caught on the balcony might just be Kevin from Ohio trying to find the ice machine. The lighting in the hotel is also notoriously tricky. Long hallways, antique mirrors, and dim chandeliers create a playground for shadows.
But there’s a small percentage of photos—maybe 1% or 2%—that can't be easily explained away. These are the ones where the figure is solid, but the legs are missing. Or the ones where the "person" in the background is wearing a hat that hasn't been in style since the Taft administration. These anomalies keep the legend alive.
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How to Take Your Own (Legit) Ghost Photos
If you’re heading to Estes Park to try and catch something yourself, you have to be smart about it. Don't just walk around snapping the flash at everything. You'll just get a gallery of dust motes.
- Ditch the flash. Flash is the enemy of a good paranormal photo. It creates too many reflections and illuminates dust. Use a tripod and a long exposure if you can.
- Burst mode is your best friend. Take ten photos in a row. If a "ghost" appears in frame five but isn't in four or six, you might actually have something. If it's in all of them, it's probably a physical object or a person.
- Check the mirrors. The Stanley is full of them. Reflections are where most of the "extra" people show up.
- The Fourth Floor Hallway. Seriously. Spend some time there. Don't talk. Just wait. The area around Room 401 is notoriously active.
- Vary your heights. Everyone takes photos from eye level. Try putting the camera on the floor or holding it high. Sometimes the "entities" reported are quite small—the children ghosts, for instance.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think you need to be a "medium" or have special equipment to see the ghosts at the Stanley. You don’t. You just need patience. The hotel isn't a jump-scare movie. It’s a place where time feels thin.
Most of the best ghost photos at the Stanley Hotel weren't taken by pros. They were taken by people on vacation who weren't even looking for ghosts. They were just trying to get a nice shot of the architecture and ended up with a guest who never checked out.
Is the Stanley Hotel haunted?
Maybe.
Is it one of the most photographed buildings in America for paranormal activity? Absolutely. Whether it's the limestone, the quartz, the "stone tape" effect, or just the fact that we all want to see something, the Stanley remains a lighthouse for the unexplained.
If you’re planning a trip, don't just stay in your room. Walk the halls at 2:00 AM. Look at the grand staircase when it's empty. And keep your camera ready. You might not see anything with your eyes, but your sensor might pick up a guest from 1909 who still thinks they have a reservation.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Visit
- Book a Night Tour early. They sell out weeks in advance, especially in October. This is the best way to get access to the "active" basement areas.
- Download a "Ghost Box" app if you must, but trust your eyes more. The audio interference in the hotel is high, so physical sightings are usually more reliable than digital "voices."
- Visit the Concert Hall. It’s separate from the main hotel and often overlooked, but it’s where "Paul," the former caretaker, is said to roam. He’s known for being a bit grumpy with people who stay past "curfew."
- Review your footage in high resolution. Don't just look at the tiny screen on your phone. Blow the photos up on a laptop when you get home. Look in the dark corners and the window reflections. That's where the Stanley hides its secrets.
The Stanley doesn't owe you a ghost. It's a hotel first, a monument second, and a haunting third. But if you walk those halls with a bit of respect for the history—and a steady hand on your camera—you might just come home with more than a souvenir t-shirt. You might come home with a photo that makes you keep the lights on for a week.