7 of the World's Most Haunted Forests

Halloween is almost here and the hauntings of the world never disappoint. From the black forest in Germany to a spot in the woods of North Carolina called the devil’s tramping ground.

October 27, 2020

By: Lucy Sherriff

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Isla de las Munecas, Mexico

The “Island of the Dolls” in Xochimilco, just outside Mexico City, perhaps would’ve been like any other island had its trees not been adorned with numerous baby dolls — with rumors they move at night. As the local legend goes, the dolls are homage to the “lost soul” of a girl who drowned in mysterious circumstances, and the island’s caretaker, who found the girl, strung up her doll as sort of memorial to her. However the girl’s spirit haunted the caretaker, and so he kept hanging more and more dolls in an attempt to appease her ghost. After 50 years of doing so, he too was found drowned — in the exact same spot as the girl.

Wychwood Forest, England

Hands reaching out to grab shoulders, the thundering hooves of invisible horses, and spine-tingling sounds during the night make Wychwood Forest one of the scariest woods in the country, if not the world. The former royal hunting grounds have been at the center of a number of spooky sightings, including apparitions of crying children in a horse-drawn carriage, and the ghost of Amy Robsart, the wife of the Earl of Leicester, who died mysteriously, and haunted her husband.

Black Forest, Germany

Little sunlight breaks through the firs of the densely-packed Black Forest, which is the setting of so many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Headless horsemen mounted on white steeds, a king who kidnaps lone women to whisk them away to his underwater lair, and werewolves who come out on the full moon are just some of the myths surrounding the almost-impenetrable forest.

The Devil’s Tramping Ground, North Carolina

In the rolling hills of Chatham County lies one of the most famous haunted spots in North Carolina: The Devil’s Tramping Ground, a circle of about 40 feet in diameter where nothing, not even a weed, will grow. For years, locals have tried to plant seeds, but to no avail. Locals say that even any object placed inside this circle will have been flung out by dawn, and those who dare to spend the night inside the cursed space are driven mad.

Dow Hill Forest, India

Around 18 miles from Darjeeling lies reportedly the most haunted hill station in India, where there’s no shortage of paranormal activity. Known for its beautiful orchid gardens and vast tea plantations, the area is also plagued by the ghost of a headless young boy who wanders along a path that’s been nicknamed “death road”. Local woodcutters say they have experienced a red eye peering at them, while others tell stories of a woman dressed in gray haunting the woods.

Epping Forest, England

The gloomy atmosphere provided by the gnarled, whorled trees have made Epping a popular hideout for criminals for centuries. Infamous highwayman Dick Turpin used the place as a hideout in the early 1700s and dozens of murder victims have been found in the woods since the 1960s. The setting has a reputation for macabre sightings, including from Turpin himself, and legend goes if you drive your car to Hangman’s Hill and park in neutral, your vehicle will be pulled uphill all by itself.

Hoia Baciu, Romania

The creepiest forest in Transylvania got its reputation from a barren clearing, where, as one local guide says, 60 people tried to open a gate into another dimension. The forest is named after a shepherd who went missing there alongside 200 of his sheep. It first garnered a name for itself in 1968 when a military technician photographed what he claimed to be a UFO hovering over the clearing. Those who visit the area now report strange physical symptoms — nausea, anxiety and the feeling of being watched — and also say their electronic devices fail.