Estes Park
The Stanley Hotel
Steam-car maker F.O. Stanley's 1909 resort above Estes Park, where Stephen King's 1974 stay inspired The Shining; its ghost tours retell the lore.
- Built
- 1909Construction began October 1907; opened June 22, 1909 with 88 guest rooms (Colorado Encyclopedia). NRHP significant years 1907 and 1909.
- Architect
- F. O. Stanley (NRHP); Colorado Encyclopedia says he probably designed much of it himself but employed an architect
- Type
- Resort
- Rooms
- 220
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley, co-creator of the Stanley Steamer, came to the Estes Valley in 1903 for his health and decided to build a resort modeled on East Coast grand hotels. It opened on June 22, 1909, with an all-electric kitchen powered by his Fall River hydroelectric plant, and helped make Estes Park a destination after Rocky Mountain National Park was created in 1915. Stanley sold it in 1926, reclaimed it at a 1929 foreclosure sale and kept visiting until his death in 1940. Stephen King and his wife stayed in 1974 as the main building was closing for the season, which inspired The Shining (1977); a 1990s miniseries was filmed on site.
The ghost story
The hotel says guests, staff and visitors have long shared stories of unexplained experiences, and it embraces its reputation as a haunted hotel with ghost tours. Lore attributes late-night piano music to Flora Stanley's Steinway and a presence in the Billiards Room to F.O. Stanley, and Room 217, where Stephen King stayed in 1974 before writing The Shining, became the most-requested room.
Source: coloradoencyclopedia.org
Good to know
- Parking: on-site free
- No pets
- Address: 333 E Wonderview Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517
Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.