This Haunted Hike In Washington Will Send You Running For The Hills

With Halloween on the horizon, it’s fun to listen to the ghost stories and urban legends that are a part of our state history… that is, until you’re enjoying a hiking trail and see or hear something a little eerie. Washington has several haunted hikes, and the Spruce Railroad Trail at Olympic National Park might be the scariest one.

The Spruce Railroad Trail is located near Port Angeles. The hike itself is considered easy, but it’s almost 20 miles in length at its entirety.

Rather than attempting it all, many people choose a starting point and walk as much as they can in a single day.

You’ll walk peacefully along the beautiful Lake Crescent.

But as tranquil as this place looks, it has a dark history.

In 1937, a woman named Hallie Latham Illingworth was brutally murdered by her husband, who dumped her body in the lake before running off to California with another woman. When Hallie’s body was found in 1940, her husband was arrested and eventually found guilty. He was paroled after spending 9 years in prison.

When Hallie’s body was discovered, it was remarkably preserved.

The process is called saponification, which converts fatty acids into soap. This is what helped the authorities identify Hallie.

Some claim that Hallie’s spirit haunts the area. She’s known as the Lady of the Lake.

She has been spotted roaming the trail, crying out for help.

If you see the Lady of the Lake, don’t try to help her.

That’s a good way to get dragged in.

The Lady of the Lake isn’t the only mystery surrounding the Lake Crescent area.

In 1929, Russell Warren and his wife Blanche disappeared along with their car. They simply vanished without a trace after picking up a new washing machine. In 2001 the lid to the washing machine turned up in the water, and a year later the car was found… but no bodies.

The Spruce Railroad Trail is definitely spooky. Once you've attempted it, perhaps you can try the most haunted hike in Washington.