Baldpate Inn, 1917, courtesy Denver Public Library.
The Baldpate Inn, nestled along the mountainside at an elevation of 9,000 feet near the Rocky Mountain National Park, has served guests for more than 100 years. Today, it is said to be haunted.
Gordon and Ethel Mace, newlyweds, homesteaded the property in Estes Park and built a classic log cabin in 1911. To supplement their income, they built several small tourist cabins, which proved to be a huge success. Next, they began to make plans to build a larger lodging facility, and in 1917, they opened the Baldpate Inn.
They named the inn after a fictional inn in a mystery novel where regular guests were given their keys to the building. The Maces practiced this tradition until World War I when the cost of metal rose so steeply that they could no longer afford to give away keys. When this happened, their loyal guests started bringing keys to leave at the inn, which started the famous “Key Room,” which holds over 20,000 keys. The room is adorned by keys from Westminster Abby, Mozart’s wine cellar, the Pentagon, and even Frankenstein’s castle.
Baldpate Inn, Estes Park, Colorado, by Kathy Alexander.
Today, Ethel and Gordon continue to stay spiritually at their old Inn. Staff and guests say that Ethel has haunted her old room for years and particularly likes spending time in the Key Room. She also likes to sit in a wing-backed rocker before a fireplace in a storage room. With her feet up, she is said to sit in the rocker reading the Bible.
Ethel supported the prohibitionists because she likes to spill mixed drinks while others fly off tables. Gordon’s pet peeve, on the other hand, is smoking. Though the lodge does not allow smoking, if a guest does light up a cigarette, something smashes it, or their cigarette packs come up missing.
Baldpate Inn is now run by the Smith family, who purchased it in 1986. Only the second family to own the inn, the Smiths continue to welcome guests in the same fashion as the Maces. The 12-room lodge is open from Memorial Day to mid-October 1st and seven miles south of Estes Park at 4900 South Highway 7.
The Baldpate Inn
PO Box 700
4900 South Highway 7
Estes Park, Colorado 80517
970-586-6151
The Baldpate Inn is near the Rocky Mountain National Park.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2025.
Also See:
Colorado – The Centennial State
See Sources.