The most haunted forests in the world for brave outdoor addicts

Stef Zisovska
Haunted forest
Haunted forest

Roaming the woods at night can be terrifying, but even scarier if someone tells you the forest is haunted or possessed by evil spirits.

There are quite a few forests around the world with a dark and creepy history that involve buried treasure, battlefields, crimes, murders, suicides, hangings, cult sacrifices, and cemeteries.

With all these going on around, no wonder something weird is happening in the following forests that not everybody dares to visit.

Check our list of world’s most haunted forests, and think of one that you want to explore.

Screaming Woods, Pluckley, Kent, UK

St Nicholas Church and churchyard, Pluckley, viewed from the South East – Author: Stephen Nunney – CC BY-SA 2.0
St Nicholas Church and churchyard, Pluckley, viewed from the South East – Author: Stephen Nunney – CC BY-SA 2.0

Screaming Woods is a forest near the haunted British village of Pluckley. The place is often a part of supernatural event TV programmes and is frequently visited by ghost hunters.

The local people have told of hearing unbearable screams during the night that supposedly come from a number of different spirits.

The most famous of the supposed ghosts is the Red Lady, or Red Dering, who died in the 12th century and has been spotted in St. Nicolas church’s yard.

There’s also the ghostly monk, a highwayman that the villagers killed in the forest, and a gypsy woman thought to be among some of the other spirits that have appeared in the Screaming Woods.

Freetown State Forest, Massachusetts

Sign at Freetown-Fall River State Park – Author: Kenneth C. Zirkel – CC BY-SA 4.0
Sign at Freetown-Fall River State Park – Author: Kenneth C. Zirkel – CC BY-SA 4.0

UFO sightings, Bigfoot encounters, ghosts, strange military activities, animal mutilations, and tales of troll-like creatures, are some of the paranormal activities reported in Freetown State Forest.

The area once belonged to the Wampanoag Tribe, but it was taken from the natives and made a town in 1683. Paranormal investigators named it the Bridgewater Triangle because of a series of extraordinary happenings.

The forest was cursed when the land was taken from the Indian tribe because it was a sacred place to them, as well as a burial ground. The forest is a well-known location for murders, crimes, and satanic rituals.

Aokigahara Forest, Mount Fiji, Japan

Aokigahara in Yamanashi – Author: ajari – CC-BY 2.0
Aokigahara in Yamanashi – Author: ajari – CC-BY 2.0

The Aokigahara Forest is also known as the Death Forest or the Sea of Trees. The place has a bad reputation because of the huge number of suicides that people commit there.

There are around 50 people who take their lives in Aokigahara every year and around 500 since the 1950’s.

A few Japanese books describe Aokigahara Forest as “The perfect place to die” which doesn’t help in reducing the suicide rate.

Why there are more than 200 suicide attempts per year in Aokigahara Forest no one can tell with certainty, but there’s something weird going on there for sure.

Hoia Forest, Transylvania, Romania

Autumn in Hoia Forest – Author: Miclaus George – CC BY 3.0
Autumn in Hoia Forest – Author: Miclaus George – CC BY 3.0

Hoia Forest is famous for paranormal phenomena, and most of it involves UFO sightings.

It became famous in 1968 when a military technician named Emil Barnea captured a famous photograph of a UFO over the forest. Local people have known about the evil forces of Hoia Forest since before 1968.

It’s said that if you enter the forest, there is no way back. Some researchers say that the forest is a portal to a different dimension and that’s why people disappear.

Like something out of a Grimm Brothers fairytale, Hoia Forest is a mysterious spot, attracting ghost hunters from all over the world to peak into its secrets.

Epping Forest, Essex, UK

Epping Forest Centenary Walk – Author: Diliff – CC BY-SA 3.0
Epping Forest Centenary Walk – Author: Diliff – CC BY-SA 3.0

Epping Forest is another haunted place famous for being the scene of numerous notorious crimes. These involved the highwayman Dick Turpin who spent time in hiding within the forest and spent his last years in a cave at a place called High Beach.

The legend says his ghost is still roaming the forest, and robs everybody who passes by. Also, Epping Forest is a burial ground for many murder victims from the relatively close capital city of London. Walking around there is meant only for the bravest!

Would you dare to go to any of these haunted forests? Stay safe and good luck!

stef-zisovska

stef-zisovska is one of the authors writing for Outdoor Revival