Want to know the most haunted hiking in trails Washington?
Want to hike with ghouls and ghosts?
Are you brave enough to try surviving a local night hike on a haunted trail?
If so, you’re in luck.
Read on…
Walking to a dark hole
Updated 2/11/2020 – Washington has a history rich with ghosts, goblins, witches, and all manners of the supernatural.
This is especially true of the forests, mines, ghost towns, and hiking trails in Washington
Pretty much any forest hike you take on cold, rainy day…with the fog rolling in…
Puts you at risk of running into something you thought you’d never see (and hope to never again!).
Aside from the supernatural and occult, which hiking trails in Washington are rife with, there are also the everyday features that make a trail even scarier.
Thick dark forests, lonely lakes, abandoned roads and campgrounds, ghost towns, caves.
All places with dark pasts and filled with the spirits of the dead.
Not only are they the perfect breeding ground for vengeful apparitions, there is also the possibility of coming face to face with Bigfoot.
Numerous sightings have been reported in the Olympics and Gifford Pinchot areas alone.
And now, for your enjoyment and terror, here are the best haunted hikes in Washington.
Washington Hikes: The 10 Most Haunted Trails
Table of Contents
- 1 1) Iron Goat Trail, Stevens Pass
- 2 2) Silver Star Mountain, South Cascades
- 3 3) Fort Worden, Port Townsend
- 4 4) Camp Muir, Mount Rainier National Park
- 5 5) Hoh River Trail, Olympic National Park
- 6 6) Lime Kiln Trail, Mountain Loop Highway
- 7 7) Bodie, Okanogan County
- 8 8) Wynoochee
- 9 9) Ape Caves, Mount St. Helen’s National Monument
- 10 10) Spruce Railroad Trail, Olympic National Park
- 11 Your Next Step
1) Iron Goat Trail, Stevens Pass
Almost 100 lives were cut short here due to a railroad disaster in 1910.
It was the worst disaster of its kind in United States history.
You’ll travel alone a loop for 5.7 miles.
The loop itself is easy enough, but it’s the tunnels you’ll need to worry about.
The avalanche that caused the disaster – a derailing of two passenger trains – is said to have sealed the spirits of the unlucky passengers in the tunnels, who are still trying to escape their tomb.
The tracks were moved after the tragedy, but the tunnels remain.
Delve into these lightless corridors, but know you’re not the only thing in there trying to find a way out.
Photo credit: flickr.com/mantisofdestiny
2) Silver Star Mountain, South Cascades
Silver Star Mountain is notorious for two things:
- Access to the scenic views is tough. The road up there is not easy.
- Sasquatch. There are constant sightings at Silver Star. Some hikers report brief sightings of a large creature in the woods. Other report being stalked, almost as if they are being hunted.
In November of 2005, a picture was taken of a Sasquatch by a terrified hiker.
This happened here, on Silver Star.
Photo credit: flickr/zebandrews
3) Fort Worden, Port Townsend
One of the most haunted places in Washington.
Fort Worden also lays claim to one of the most famous ghost images.
Hikers report that on cloudy days moans can sometimes be heard from within the confines of the dark hallways.
At dusk there have been reports of “vibrating” lights emanating from the windowless frames.
Without running electricity, the source of these lights is unknown.
Photo credit: flickr/fluxn
4) Camp Muir, Mount Rainier National Park
Almost every year there is a death here, attributed to a fall by a climber.
Many of the bodies are never recovered.
There is a longstanding legend that goes back to the Nisqually Indians, that the mountain is inhabited by a spirit similar to that of a scorned wife.
Disgruntled and vengeful, the mountain is said to suck the unfortunate into her cave-like stomach and devour them.
Some believe it is this spirit that causes so many climbers to fall to their death, with their bodies never to be found.
Photo credit: flickr/phillipschip
5) Hoh River Trail, Olympic National Park
Travel this trail for all 35 miles, or just a part of it.
Either way, keep your eyes open.
As recent as the 1970’s there have been reports of “goat-looking men, wearing dark robes, with hooves for feet”.
These reports peak in the weeks before, and after, Halloween.
According to some of the top psychics online, the group in the forest is a cult of satanic worshippers dressed like the mythological Satan.
Others believe it’s Lucifer’s minions here on Earth, trying to bring their master into the physical realm.
Whatever you choose to believe, if you decide to visit, be safe and be smart.
Photo credit: flickr/mwwile
6) Lime Kiln Trail, Mountain Loop Highway
You’ll see saw blades, bricks and more strewn about, and the old stone lime kiln.
But it’s the tales that predate the kiln that will send shivers down your spine.
Cultists and animal sacrifice taint the history of this area.
As you hike this trail, if you feel the hairs on your neck stand up, think about leaving quickly.
You may be sensing the spirits of the sacrificed.
Photo credit: flickr/fadetoblacklp
7) Bodie, Okanogan County
With the discovery of gold in 1896, along came prospectors, the Bodie mines…
…and tales of woe.
The mine was operated until around 1917 and unfortunate stories of workers gone missing abound.
Some say it was due to harsh working conditions, and the miners simply abandoned their work.
Others believe a little-seen witch, known as Writher, took hold of them.
Writher is reported to seduce young men, only to drain their blood, and enslave them.
Photo credit: flickr/jecate
8) Wynoochee
Another area with numerous Sasquatch sightings.
In fact, it’s believed to be the most active Sasquatch area.
Not only on the hiking trails in Washington, but in the entire United States.
Come here around dusk and you may catch a sighting yourself.
You’ll also hear a lot of unexplained noises, strange knocks, and chilling howls.
Some wonder if it’s legit or a scam to get more tourists in the area.
If you question it yourself, and have the resolve, try taking a hike around Spider Lake at night…
…alone.
Photo credit: flickr/donbriggs
9) Ape Caves, Mount St. Helen’s National Monument
A place of mystery and intrigue for some…
…but a panic inducing nightmare for others.
In total darkness you’ll become acutely aware of how vulnerable you are.
You’ll practically feel the subterranean spirits tear at your bones as the unnerving chill seeps in.
When you sense something watching you in the dark is it just your imagination…
…or is it something far more sinister?
Photo credit: flickr/damonedwards
10) Spruce Railroad Trail, Olympic National Park
The black depths of Lake Crescent, and the nearby Spruce Railroad, are haunted by the Lady of the Lake.
In life, she was Hallie Latham Illingworth, savagely murdered by her husband and dumped into the lake.
In death, she wanders the 8-mile trail loop crying out for help.
Should you encounter her, do not give her aid.
She is known for dragging good-samaritans beneath the waters of the lake, to their watery grave.
Be careful, or this might the last trip you take on any of the hiking trails in Washington.
Your Next Step
Get an everyday carry flashlight, grab a map, and get your friends together.
Test your luck by exploring as many of the haunted hiking trails in Washington as you can.
But are you brave enough to do it alone?
