For eleven months out of the year, we celebrate life and happiness, light and pleasing outdoor experiences. That all changes in October. Once the leaves turn orange and the daylight hours dwindle, the pull toward spooky and scary stories and adventures dominate our culture. In the quickly fleeting warmth of the sun, we find ourselves looking for the macabre and hoping to get a bit of a scare.
Halloween is quickly approaching, helping illuminate some of the darker chapters of life in and around Grays Harbor. Those searching for ghosts and goblins, spirits and the unexplained have a wealth of frightening adventure destinations all around the region. From Wynoochee to Quinault and Aberdeen to Lake Crescent, exploring the stranger things around the Olympic Peninsula is sure to get your arms tingling with goosebumps and the hairs on the back of your neck standing straight out. If you want to be spooked, try one of these five local destinations full of unexplained phenomena.
1. Aberdeen’s Billy the Ghoul
Photo credit: Douglas Scott.
In Aberdeen, tales of one the spookiest people to ever live here are still told with a hint of fear. Known as Billy the Ghoul, William “Billy” Gohl was a Grays Harbor transplant who moved to the area from Alaska in the early 1900s. Responsible for killing up to 41 individuals, Billy was said to have tossed the bodies of his victims, whom he executed in cold blood, into the chilly waters of Chehalis and Wishkah Rivers. Today, on crisp and foggy fall evenings while walking on the Chehalis Riverfront Walk, some still claim to see the shadows of his victims wandering along the waterfront. Others say they have seen and even heard Billy himself. If you seek a possible encounter with this infamous and rarely remembered killer, take a stroll along the three mile trail and keep a watchful look toward the water.
2. The Spooky Wynoochee
Further out of town, toward the wild forests of the Wynoochee, yet another supernatural occurrence continues to plague the remote region. While many will assume the spirit of John Tornow, the Wild Man of the Wynoochee, is roaming the woods searching for his long lost treasure, the true mystery of this secluded swath of land is something even more thrilling. Out around Wynoochee Lake, strange sounds and creatures have been spotted by numerous people, making this one of the most dependable areas in America for Sasquatch behavior. A walk along Wynoochee Lake on a foggy day or in the early evening hours will leave you a believer that something unknown is lurking deep in these isolated forests. Whether you hike the entire 12 mile round trip trek along the lake or just hike a mile or two to sit in silence, the presence of something unknown, watching you, will have your neck tingling.
3. Find Sasquatch on Fletcher Canyon Trail
Photo Credit: Douglas Scott.
The Quinault Rainforest’s Fletcher Canyon Trail is also known for its remote location and Sasquatch rumors. Tucked away in a wet and wild corner of the Olympic Peninsula, Fletcher Canyon is about as spooky as you can get on a semi-family-friendly wilderness trail. At just four miles round trip, this rainforest trek will lead you into a dense forest that, save from the trail, is untouched by humanity. The trail leads through dense stands of trees, past huge rocks and weaving roots, ending along Fletcher Creek, where stories of Sasquatch sightings are said to occur. With dense vegetation surrounding you in all directions, it is easy to see why this section of the Colonel Bob Wilderness is said to be frequented by the unseen giants of the Pacific Northwest.
4. Haunted Lake Quinault Lodge
For a ghost adventure in the Quinault rainforest, take a trip to the Lake Quinault Lodge and along the surrounding trails. During the early 1900s, when the Lake Quinault Lodge was brand new, a fire ripped through the building, trapping and killing a housekeeper who was caught in the attic by the flames. Rumored to throw glasses and silverware in the kitchen, her spirit is said to be roaming in the lodge to this very day. After spending some time in the lodge, escape the spirit by exploring the miles of incredible autumn views along the Quinault Loop Drive and the trails in the area.
5. “The Lady of the Lake” – Lake Crescent
Photo credit: Douglas Scott.
Finally, those hoping for yet another spooky ghost encounter should take the long drive up north to Lake Crescent. The serene spot is the scene of a grisly 1937 murder where a woman disappeared and her body wasn’t found until three years later. In 1937, Hallie Latham Illingworth, a Kentucky native and waitress at Lake Crescent Tavern, went missing. For three years, Hallie was considered a missing person.
That is, until July 6, 1940 when two fishermen on Lake Crescent spotted a something floating in the water. As their boat drew closer, they discovered that it was a woman’s body, nearly perfectly preserved. The body was identified as Hallie, who was then dubbed “The Lady of the Lake” by locals. Her body was preserved for three years, thanks to a soap-like condition created by the minerals in the lake interacting with the fats in the woman’s body and the lake’s near-freezing temperatures. Today, you can walk along the Spruce Railroad Trail and just might catch a glimpse of Hallie drifting over the foggy waters of Lake Crescent.
Did we miss your favorite haunted hiking trail? Let us know where you go to encounter the spooky and supernatural each fall.
