Post by impintraining on Aug 1, 2006 12:45:53 GMT -5
From USA Today...
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
Maryland
The Gold Mine Trail begins at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center near Potomac, Md., outside Washington, D.C., and passes by the site of an explosion that killed a miner in 1906. After the accident, spirits known as "Tommy Knockers" were said to haunt the dark recesses of the mine. The mine closed two years later, after a night watchman encountered "a ghostie-looking man with eyes of fire and a tail 10 feet long" crawling out of the shaft. 301-739-4200; nps.gov/choh
Yosemite National Park
California
A wind with a weird name is the spooky thing here. The Miwok Indians believed Yosemite's spectacular waterfalls were haunted by an evil wind called Po-ho-no. The wind, they said, entices the unwary to the roaring brink of the falls and then pushes them off the edge. "Which explains why the National Park Service has fortified the falls overlooks with so many safety railings. The topside views have been as deadly as they are sublime," Lankford says. 209-372-0200; nps.gov/yose
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve/Wharton State Forest
New Jersey
"Since 1735, hundreds have seen or heard a yellow-eyed creature with a bat's wings, a dragon's breath and a kangaroo's tail that, according to legend, makes the Pine Barrens its home," Lankford says. To improve your chances of spotting this UBE (unidentified biological entity), she suggests hiking a section of the Batona Trail, a 49-mile route connecting Batsto Village and Ong's Hat. "This path ventures deep into prime New Jersey Devil habitat." 609-894-7300; nps.gov/pine. Or609-561-0024; www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html
Virgin Islands National Park
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
The idyllic Jumby Beach and many park trails are haunted by mischievous spirits the locals call "jumbies." Men, they say, have the most to fear while on the self-guided nature trail to Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins. "This historic plantation site is stalked by a female jumby who is looking for love in all the wrong places," Lankford warns. 340-776-6201; nps.gov/viis
Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
With more than 150 documented paranormal events, Mammoth Cave is one of the spookiest natural wonders of the world. "On the Violet City Lantern Tour, park rangers guide you into the cave using old-fashioned kerosene lamps," Lankford says. "And during such trips, rangers have reported seeing apparitions resembling the slave guides who led visitors into the cave before the Civil War." 270-758-2180; nps.gov/maca
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Colorado
"Nature's giant sandbox is also a flying saucer hotspot," Lankford says. Since the 1950s, visitors claim to have seen black triangles, cigar-shaped red orbs and multicolored lights hovering over the park. "For the best UFO-watching, climb to the top of 750-foot Star Dune on a moonlit summer night," Lankford says. 719-378-6399; nps.gov/grsa
Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon
Kids will especially enjoy the fright factor at this gem of a park. "Tour the cave to see 'moonmilk,' which is made by space aliens or cave gnomes, depending on whom you ask," Lankford says. "Hike the Big Tree Trail where, in July 2000, a psychologist witnessed Bigfoot spying on his family. And spend the night at the cozy yet creepy Oregon Caves Chateau where Elizabeth, the ghost of a jilted bride, startles guests." 541-592-2100, ext. 262; nps.gov/orca
Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona
Park employees have long told stories of the North Rim's "Wailing Woman," Lankford says. "Wearing a white dress printed with blue flowers, she floats along the Transept Trail between the lodge and the campground on stormy nights ... crying and moaning over the son and husband she lost to the canyon." 928-638-7888; nps.gov/grca
Blue Ridge Parkway
Virginia
In November 1891, 4-year-old Ottie Powell vanished while collecting firewood in the forest. Five months later, a hunter found his body near Bluff Mountain, where a memorial for Ottie can still be found. "Backpackers say the toddler's ghost haunts the Appalachian Trail leading to Bluff Mountain and that his youthful spirit annoys those brave enough to spend a night inside the Punchbowl Shelter," Lankford says. 828-298-0398; nps.gov/blri
Big Bend National Park
Texas
"If you hear peculiar noises while camping in the Chisos Mountains, you're not alone," Lankford says. Chisos means "ghosts," and park rangers say hikers often report hearing "things" in the nightly winds. "Among the ghouls wandering this desert range are a betrayed Indian chief, a troop of long-dead Spanish warriors and a ghost steer seeking revenge against the cowboys who branded him with the word 'murder.' " 432-477-2251; nps.gov/bibe
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
Maryland
The Gold Mine Trail begins at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center near Potomac, Md., outside Washington, D.C., and passes by the site of an explosion that killed a miner in 1906. After the accident, spirits known as "Tommy Knockers" were said to haunt the dark recesses of the mine. The mine closed two years later, after a night watchman encountered "a ghostie-looking man with eyes of fire and a tail 10 feet long" crawling out of the shaft. 301-739-4200; nps.gov/choh
Yosemite National Park
California
A wind with a weird name is the spooky thing here. The Miwok Indians believed Yosemite's spectacular waterfalls were haunted by an evil wind called Po-ho-no. The wind, they said, entices the unwary to the roaring brink of the falls and then pushes them off the edge. "Which explains why the National Park Service has fortified the falls overlooks with so many safety railings. The topside views have been as deadly as they are sublime," Lankford says. 209-372-0200; nps.gov/yose
New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve/Wharton State Forest
New Jersey
"Since 1735, hundreds have seen or heard a yellow-eyed creature with a bat's wings, a dragon's breath and a kangaroo's tail that, according to legend, makes the Pine Barrens its home," Lankford says. To improve your chances of spotting this UBE (unidentified biological entity), she suggests hiking a section of the Batona Trail, a 49-mile route connecting Batsto Village and Ong's Hat. "This path ventures deep into prime New Jersey Devil habitat." 609-894-7300; nps.gov/pine. Or609-561-0024; www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html
Virgin Islands National Park
St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
The idyllic Jumby Beach and many park trails are haunted by mischievous spirits the locals call "jumbies." Men, they say, have the most to fear while on the self-guided nature trail to Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins. "This historic plantation site is stalked by a female jumby who is looking for love in all the wrong places," Lankford warns. 340-776-6201; nps.gov/viis
Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
With more than 150 documented paranormal events, Mammoth Cave is one of the spookiest natural wonders of the world. "On the Violet City Lantern Tour, park rangers guide you into the cave using old-fashioned kerosene lamps," Lankford says. "And during such trips, rangers have reported seeing apparitions resembling the slave guides who led visitors into the cave before the Civil War." 270-758-2180; nps.gov/maca
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Colorado
"Nature's giant sandbox is also a flying saucer hotspot," Lankford says. Since the 1950s, visitors claim to have seen black triangles, cigar-shaped red orbs and multicolored lights hovering over the park. "For the best UFO-watching, climb to the top of 750-foot Star Dune on a moonlit summer night," Lankford says. 719-378-6399; nps.gov/grsa
Oregon Caves National Monument
Oregon
Kids will especially enjoy the fright factor at this gem of a park. "Tour the cave to see 'moonmilk,' which is made by space aliens or cave gnomes, depending on whom you ask," Lankford says. "Hike the Big Tree Trail where, in July 2000, a psychologist witnessed Bigfoot spying on his family. And spend the night at the cozy yet creepy Oregon Caves Chateau where Elizabeth, the ghost of a jilted bride, startles guests." 541-592-2100, ext. 262; nps.gov/orca
Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona
Park employees have long told stories of the North Rim's "Wailing Woman," Lankford says. "Wearing a white dress printed with blue flowers, she floats along the Transept Trail between the lodge and the campground on stormy nights ... crying and moaning over the son and husband she lost to the canyon." 928-638-7888; nps.gov/grca
Blue Ridge Parkway
Virginia
In November 1891, 4-year-old Ottie Powell vanished while collecting firewood in the forest. Five months later, a hunter found his body near Bluff Mountain, where a memorial for Ottie can still be found. "Backpackers say the toddler's ghost haunts the Appalachian Trail leading to Bluff Mountain and that his youthful spirit annoys those brave enough to spend a night inside the Punchbowl Shelter," Lankford says. 828-298-0398; nps.gov/blri
Big Bend National Park
Texas
"If you hear peculiar noises while camping in the Chisos Mountains, you're not alone," Lankford says. Chisos means "ghosts," and park rangers say hikers often report hearing "things" in the nightly winds. "Among the ghouls wandering this desert range are a betrayed Indian chief, a troop of long-dead Spanish warriors and a ghost steer seeking revenge against the cowboys who branded him with the word 'murder.' " 432-477-2251; nps.gov/bibe
Read the rest of the article HERE.