Ghost stories aren’t confined to old hotels and creaky houses. Across the United States, they’re also told about abandoned mining roads, remote mountain passes, and wooded trails where hikers have reported mysterious figures, disembodied voices, or the unsettling sensation of being watched. These supposedly haunted trails offer an immersive way to explore some of America’s most beautiful landscapes and the sometimes unsettling histories attached to them.
MJ Wayland, a ghost researcher and author who has spent decades tracing the origins of American hauntings through historical newspapers and archival records, says there’s a reason the wilderness provides such fertile ground for ghost stories.
“A place starts to feel haunted when it sits at the edge of what a community knows,” says Wayland. “Historically that meant the boundary of a parish or the lonely stretch of road between two towns, and on a modern map it’s the trail that leads beyond the last house and out of phone signal. People stop feeling in control there, so anything ambiguous, like a snapped branch or a figure that turns out to be a tree stump, gets read as a presence.”
Over time, these encounters can become the foundation for legends that endure for generations. “Every ghost story primes the next witness,” Wayland explains. “Once a hiker hears that a stretch of trail is haunted, they walk it differently, and an odd sound they might have ignored becomes evidence.”
Brian Riordan, head of maps at AllTrails, says for some, that’s part of the appeal. “The best part is that people often show up looking for a legend and leave with a story of their own,” he says.
Of course, you don’t have to believe in ghosts to enjoy a lore-filled trail—many of these forests and parks are worth visiting for their scenery or historic landmarks alone. Here are some of the best haunted hikes across the United States.
Look for the light at the end of a dark tunnel
- Trail: Moonville Tunnel Rail Trail
- Location: Zaleski State Forest, near Zaleski, Ohio
- Hike details: 1.1 miles (out and back) | Easy | Approximately 30 minutes | Route map
Deep in southeastern Ohio’s Zaleski State Forest, a 1.1-mile hike follows an abandoned railroad corridor to the brick-lined Moonville Tunnel, one of the few remaining landmarks of a former mining community. According to local legend, a railroad brakeman who was killed by a passing train in the 19th century still haunts the tunnel, wandering its dark passage with a glowing lantern.
The mostly flat trail crosses Raccoon Creek on a footbridge and winds through dense woodland, with a historic cemetery nearby. For a longer adventure, hikers can continue along the old railroad route toward King’s Hollow Tunnel, another relic of the area’s industrial past.
Listen for the sounds of war on an ocean peninsula
From shipwrecks to wartime battles, this Oregon state park has seen its fair share of ghostly armed men.
Photo by Bandersnatch/Shutterstock
- Trail: Fort Stevens, Jetty Loop, and Fort Steven Ridge Trail
- Location: Fort Stevens State Park, near Hammond, Oregon
- Hike details: 9 miles (loop) | Easy | Approximately 2 hours, 45 minutes | Route map
At Fort Stevens State Park, the ghosts are said to be on patrol. Locals claim a young soldier carrying a flashlight wanders near Battery Russell, a former coastal artillery installation where visitors have also reported unexplained sounds and sudden cold spots. The fort guarded the mouth of the Columbia River during the Civil War through World War II, when it was shelled by a Japanese submarine in 1942.
Today, the mostly paved nine-mile loop passes through coastal forest, wetlands, and historic military batteries. Nearby, the rusting remains of the Peter Iredale, a four-masted sailing ship wrecked in 1906, still rise from the sand.
Hike around an abandoned witch-trial town
- Trail: Babson Reservoir Dogtown Loop Trail
- Location: Dogtown Common, Gloucester, Massachusetts
- Hike details: 1.9 miles (loop) | Moderate | Approximately 45 minutes | Route map
Dogtown was once a colonial settlement where several of the final residents were women accused of practicing witchcraft. Among them was Thomasine “Tammy” Younger, dubbed the “Queen of the Witches,” who, according to local lore, threatened to curse passersby unless they gave her food. Even after her death in 1829, locals feared her supposed powers. According to historical accounts, the family of the man who made her coffin was so frightened that they refused to sleep under the same roof as it. The settlement was abandoned by the 1830s, but stories of ghostly voices and mysterious figures persist.
Today, the loop skirts Babson Reservoir and winds among enormous glacial boulders, some carved with messages like “Never Try Never Win” and “Keep Out of Debt.” These aren’t ancient warnings, though. Local businessman Roger Babson hired stonecutters to inscribe them during the Great Depression.
Visit an old mine and alleged site of a massacre
Will you believe the hearsay in Superstition Mountains?
Photo by Paul A Smith/Shutterstock
- Trail: Massacre Falls Trail
- Location: Tonto National Forest, near Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, Arizona
- Hike details: 5.3 miles (out and back) | Moderate | Approximately 2.5–3.5 hours | Route map
Massacre Falls gets its ominous name from the alleged Peralta Massacre of 1848, when Apache warriors supposedly ambushed Mexican miners transporting gold through the Superstition Mountains. Decades later, German prospector Jacob Waltz, aka the “Lost Dutchman,” was said to have rediscovered the mine, although historians dispute whether the massacre occurred at all. Stories of ghostly Spanish soldiers, Apache warriors, and unexplained lights have only added to the mountains’ reputation.
The rugged out-and-back hike passes saguaros, rocky washes, and remnants of an old mine shaft before reaching a seasonal waterfall that flows after heavy rain or snowmelt.
Find the woman in the cemetery
- Trail: Nortonville and Black Diamond Loop
- Location: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, near Clayton, California
- Hike details: 5.8 miles (loop) | Moderate | Approximately 3–3.5 hours | Route map
Among the rolling hills of Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, a ghost known as the “White Witch” is said to haunt Rose Hill Cemetery. The apparition is supposedly the spirit of Sarah Norton, a beloved 19th-century midwife who died in a carriage accident in 1879. Despite the ominous nickname, there’s no evidence Norton was accused of witchcraft during her lifetime. According to local legend, after storms reportedly interrupted her funeral twice, she was buried without a religious service. Ever since, visitors have claimed to see a glowing woman drifting among the headstones.
The six-mile loop passes the cemetery and the remains of Nortonville, one of five former coal-mining communities. Along the way, hikers encounter oak woodlands, colorful sandstone formations, and panoramic views of the surrounding hills and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.
Try to explain the glowing lights in the mountains
For the most mysterious views, wait for nightfall at Wiseman’s View Scenic Overlook.
Photo by Chansak Joe/Shutterstock
- Trail: Wiseman’s View Trail
- Location: Pisgah National Forest, Linville Gorge Wilderness, near Linville Falls, North Carolina
- Hike details: 0.4 miles (out and back) | Easy | Approximately 10 minutes | Route map
For more than a century, people have reported seeing mysterious glowing orbs hovering above North Carolina’s Brown Mountain, sometimes drifting through the trees before suddenly disappearing. Known as the Brown Mountain Lights, the phenomenon has inspired stories of spirits searching for lost loved ones, although scientists have attributed many sightings to distant headlights and other ordinary light sources.
One of the best places to watch for the lights is Wiseman’s View, reached by a short, paved trail leading to stone overlooks with views of Linville Gorge, Hawksbill Mountain, and Table Rock.
Hold court with the devil in a cave
- Trail: Devil’s Courthouse Trail
- Location: Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville, North Carolina
- Hike details: 0.9 miles (out and back) | Moderate | Approximately 30–45 minutes | Route map
Visitors come to Devil’s Courthouse for the views, but the mountain’s name comes from a far stranger feature: a cave beneath its rocky summit where the devil supposedly held court. Cherokee stories also associate the cave with Judaculla, a powerful giant who was said to dance there.
The short but steep hike climbs through a high-elevation forest before reaching a rocky overlook that takes in four states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Watch for the shape-shifter in the prairie
- Trail: Military Ridge State Trail
- Location: Near Ridgeway, Wisconsin
- Hike details: 40.4 miles (point-to-point) | Easy | Approximately 12 hours, 40 minutes for the full trail | Route map
Since the 1840s, travelers along Wisconsin’s old Military Road have told stories about the Ridgeway Ghost, a shape-shifting apparition said to appear as a shadowy stranger, an animal, or even a headless horseman. Some accounts trace the haunting to two brothers murdered in a tavern brawl during the area’s lead-mining days.
Today, the 40-mile rail trail follows the historic corridor through the rolling farmland, prairies, and woodlands of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. But there’s no need to tackle the entire route. For a shorter hike, start at Ridgeway’s restored 1913 railroad depot and explore part of the 5.4-mile stretch toward Barneveld. The town embraces its supernatural reputation, even featuring a ghost painted on its water tower.
