The Creepiest Hike In Wisconsin Takes You Through The Ruins Of An Abandoned Quarry

Have you ever looked around and wondered about everyone who experienced the world we live in before us? Almost everywhere we go has a history worth learning about. Sometimes, that history is downright terrifying. But that doesn’t negate the beauty that exists, especially in nature. For example, Harrington Beach State Park is home to a gorgeous waterfall and other astounding natural beauty. But it's also home to old, abandoned Harrington Quarry. If you are looking for a way to enjoy a bone-chilling history lesson that coincides with the beauty of the natural world, you’ll want to check out the quarry at Harrington Beach State Park in Belgium, Wisconsin.

This park on Lake Michigan contains a multitude of ruins.

It is among these ruins that you can walk among the ghosts of the past.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the park was the site of a limestone quarry, which shut down in 1925 and has stood derelict and abandoned ever since - even after the quarry filled with water and became a lake, and the lake became part of the park.

Harrington Beach State Park Quarry Lake Trail will take you through what remains of the quarry. But be prepared for some chills.

Telltale signs of the quarry’s former operations are evident along the trail.

Like this wooden frame which you can see lurking just below the surface of Harrington Quarry Lake.

When it was operational more than a century ago, the quarry shipped out limestone from a pier on Lake Michigan.

More than just a point for loading limestone, however, the pier was also the site of a shipwreck that sent many poor souls to their watery graves.

The Niagara was a wooden steamship that caught on fire and sank below the surface of Lake Michigan in 1856.

All told, 60 people perished, making it one of Wisconsin’s deadliest transportation disasters. The cause of the fire was investigated, but the source of the conflagration was never determined.

The bodies of those who died washed ashore near what is now Harrington Beach Park.

The Niagara’s anchor lies at rest on the shore near this spot.

If you are looking to delve deeper into the history of the incident – and into Lake Michigan – you can scuba dive to the ships charred remains, which still rest beneath the waves.

Let us know what – or who – you see in the dark depths!You can explore the park and the abandoned quarry from the comfort of your own home by watching this YouTube video from The Wisconsin Files:

Have you been on this creepy hike at Harrington Beach State Park or dived the shipwreck of the steamship Niagara? If so, tell us about what you saw in the comments! If you're interested in learning more about Lake Michigan shipwrecks, check out this book by Michael Passwater. If you are looking for more spooky escapades to get up to in Wisconsin, take a look at our guide to all things creepy in Wisconsin.