Red Rocks Is An Iconic Coloradan Venue – But There’s A Fascinating Secret Hiding Below It

Deep beneath a world-famous music venue outside Denver, Colorado, a local reporter follows a guide into the bowels of the Earth. Skirting around signs that warn of impending peril, the pair find themselves in a dark and eerie space. Here the glitz and glamour of the stage seem worlds away – but what is the secret hiding under Red Rocks?

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the unique landscape of Red Rocks Park has played host to some of the greatest musicians the world has ever seen. In amidst towering pillars of sandstone, crowds have gathered to hear the songs of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and more ring out through the mountain air. But for decades a mystery has lurked beneath their feet.

Over the years, the organic acoustics of Red Rocks Amphitheater have drawn musicians from across the globe. And to many, a performance on the rock-flanked stage is the pinnacle of their career. But often, satisfied fans are not the only thing that they leave behind. In 2016 Denver anchor Jaclyn Allen went on an adventure into the belly of the beast – and what she found will blow you away.

The story of Red Rocks began around 300 million years ago, when the erosion of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains formed the bedrock known as the Fountain Formation. Over time, the plates of the Earth’s crust shifted, creating the region’s distinctive, tilted cliffs. And today, this unique landscape stretches for miles across Colorado and Wyoming.

In Colorado, the city of Denver owns some 870 acres of this landscape, known today as Red Rocks Park. Famous for its vast outcrops of rust-colored sandstone, it is littered with formations brought to life by evocative names. The Seat of Pluto, for example, casts a mushroom-like silhouette, while the Cave of the Seven Ladders mimics stairs stretching up towards the sky.