10 Scariest Haunted Attractions in Utah

As home to some of the most stunning unspoiled wilderness in the nation, Utah’s opportunities for tourism are unsurprisingly centered around its natural beauty.

Enthusiasts of camping, hiking, rafting, climbing and more will find so much to love in the Beehive State.

There’s a great deal of history in Utah, too, with fun to be had exploring the remains of the Old West settlements and the unique culture of the state.

Updated 2/11/2020 – Ghosts love all these things too, as readers of this site know.

The many manifestations of the White Lady and her lake, Indian spirits and their forests are just a few of the haunted attractions that love a natural setting.

And for every heartwarming tale of brave pioneers daring to conquer the land, there are four more stories of murder, or tragedy, or rage.

10 Scariest Haunted Attractions in Utah

Exploring Utah with an eye towards the paranormal can be very rewarding, and ghost hunters have had much success in the state.

Some of the EVPs in particular have been astonishing.

The haunted attractions of the state tend towards the historical rather than the modern-day.

Spirits of settlers and silver miners, gunfighters and gangsters, are more common in Utah than haunted hospitals and asylums.

And now, here are the 1o scariest haunted attractions in Utah…

10 – Fort Douglas Military Museum

Haunted attractions dealing with wartime are often populated by the spirits of soldiers.

Fort Douglas is no exception, and the 1860s fort is home to ghosts from a number of wars.

Most commonly seem is Clem, a Civil War soldier who is occasionally seen but most often heard in the form of phantom footsteps.

Aside from Clem, ghosts reported here include troops from WW1 and WW2, their families, and even Japanese and Italian prisoners of war.

The spookiest find here is a floating face that appears out of the corner of one’s eye now and again.

Nobody knows quite what this thing is, but all who have seen it have been deeply unsettled.

9 – Kiwanis Park

One of Utah’s more violent and haunted attractions is the Kiwanis Park in Pleasant Grove.

The area was the scene of a battle between American settlers and the native tribes.

Today, a memorial stands there in memory of the lives lost on both sides. It’s extremely haunted.

Visit the memorial at night and you’ll likely see far too many shadows skittering along the walls, and far too fast.

Most dramatically, a pair of trees forms an archway that some say is a gateway to the beyond.

Walk through it, and you’ll be subjected to the sounds and smells of that dark and violent day.

8 – Rio Grande Railroad Depot

This historic train station has been gorgeously restored as a celebration of Utah’s past.

The spirits seem to be particularly enthralled with the work done on the building, and its haunted attractions have drawn ghosts in ever greater numbers.

A visible manifestation of a beautiful woman with dark hair, who many believe was run down by a train over 100 years ago, is the most common sighting.

She’s been reported in the ladies’ room as well as in the café.

Security guards patrolling overnight have been intimidated by footsteps and the sounds of heavy breathing, seeming to come from nowhere.

7 – Union Station

Another former railway station, Union Station dates back to 1869 and is now a museum.

It’s one of Utah’s most haunted attractions, having been the site of the 1944 Bagley Train Disaster.

48 people were killed in the wreck, many of whom still walk the grounds.

Many of the ghosts take the form of poltergeists; small, weak spirits who have the ability to move small objects.

Keys and papers left on desks in unoccupied rooms have inexplicably been moved to the floor, or more disturbingly, into drawers.

A pack of ghostly children loves to run and play through Union Station, and their laughter can be heard late at night.

6 – Timpanogos Cave National Monument

This extensive and very beautiful cave system is one of Utah’s most stunning haunted attractions.

Many, many years ago, say descendants of the local Indian tribes, a chieftain’s daughter fell in love with a warrior from a rival tribe.

Denied her love by her father, the girl died of sorrow at the top of the mountain.

Today, her cries and wails can be heard echoing through the caves below.

The legend says she is waiting for her lover’s return, a day which may never come.

This Native American Romeo & Juliet story has touched the hearts of many who come to the caves to pay their respects.

5 – “This is the Place” Heritage Park

Named for Brigham Young’s words on finding the spot, this heritage park is well-known for its haunted attractions.

Chief amongst them was once the ghost of Brigham Young himself.

The Mormon historical figure is thought to haunt a number of spots around the state, but he was most commonly seen here until the historical displays were moved.

After that, his 19^th wife Ann Eliza Webb seemed to take over.

She has been seen in recent days hanging around the kitchen window, gazing out onto the landscape.

Aside from her, a group of ghostly children throw a party here on occasion, laughing and singing and visibly appearing, to the disturbance of the staff.

4 – Leslie’s Family Tree

Leslie’s Family Tree in Santaquin is a friendly family restaurant renowned for its enormous scones and the haunted attractions of its many ghosts.

It is thought that as many as 60 spirits reside here, many of them extraordinarily active.

The owners and staff love to tell stories of what they’ve seen at Leslie’s.

Most extraordinary is the night the chairs stacked themselves.

Most of the ghosts’ identities are unknown, but it is said they are unique and distinct in their personalities and behaviors.

One possible explanation for the haunting is the restaurant’s huge collection of old photographs.

Artifacts can be a major draw for the supernatural, and these photographs may be acting as haunted attractions for the spirits of those depicted.

3 – Cove Fort Historic Site

This 1800s US Army fort is now a museum as well as one of Utah’s haunted attractions.

The fort is a perfect example of historical relics and artifacts drawing the attention of the paranormal.

The museum here is home to pieces from military and settler history, and a large part of them are focal points for various ghosts.

The cold spots and EVPs at Cove Fort come from the ghosts of people who possessed the objects when they died, whether in battle or by disease or old age.

When the museum was established and collected these artifacts from around Utah, the spirits came along for the ride.

2 – Capitol Theater

One of Utah’s most well known haunted attractions.

This historic movie theater in Salt Lake City was the scene of a terrible fire in 1949.

A teenaged usher named Richard Duffin perished in the blaze, and he is thought to haunt the building to this day.

He’s a bit of a trickster, as are many kids his age.

He whispers in the ears of guards and visitors late at night, he interferes with electronics, and he has a fascination with the fire that led to his doom.

A key component of the haunted attractions of Capitol is the smell of smoke.

Whenever Richard gets up to mischief, a telltale odor comes from the basement.

Richard is harmless, but it seems that he doesn’t want anyone to forget who he is or where he came from.

1 – Memory Grove

A city park in Salt Lake City, Memory Grove is home to a very particular sort of spirit.

Before it became one of Utah’s most haunted attractions, this park was a popular spot for weddings and gatherings.

In the 1930s, a bride-to-be was on her way to the ceremony when she was killed in a sudden wreck.

Tragedy is a strong magnet for the supernatural, and she has haunted the park ever since.

Visitors, especially at night, have seen her slowly drifting down the garden paths.

Sometimes she is accompanied by wedding bells, other times eerily silent, but she is always wearing her beautiful white dress.

What will you do?