The Enchanting Halloween Hike Near Nashville Your Whole Family Will Love

Big Ridge State Park is a beautiful chunk of southern land that traverses valleys and gorgeous waterways, best known for the Norris Reservoir that’s located in the almost 4,000 acres of protected land. Little do folks know though, that this beautiful state park has a dark secret… a haunted trail, hidden and hiked best during the month of October. If you haven’t made your way to the remote Ghost House Trail, then you may just want to hear the story behind it…

Tim Lumley - Flickr

Big Ridge State Park isn't the most loved local state park. Instead, it tends to be one of the most commonly forgotten. It spans thousands of acres about three hours from Nashville, which means it's just the right distance away for a day trip.

Wikipedia

Ghost House Trail is hidden in the park, a part of the Appalachian Mountains that has become historically known as space once used for Native American scalping and witch hangings. Indian Rock Trail even has a plaque that commemorates the loss of women's lives in the wilderness... at only 1.2 miles long, this spooky adventure is perfect for folks of all ages.

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Wikipedia

The most common story that filters through these woods though regards the Hutchinson Family, and isolated family of people who lost their daughter, Mary, to tuberculosis in the 1800's. Many say that after her death ghosts took over the home — phantoms filtered through the halls and night, and to this day you can still hear the ghostly panting of a dog, close on your trail.

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Dieter Winelt - Flickr

It's been said that if you take a picture of the family graveyard, that you'll see the terrifying silhouettes of the dead standing behind you in the shot. Yikes!

Wikipedia

There's also a legend that a young woman was hung as a witch in the woods by her father. Her spirit is said to haunt the gristmill along the trail, terrifying passersby.

Wikipedia

While Ghost House Trail may not be decked out for Halloween by way of paper mache, it does have a much more terrifying past. It's haunted, has been haunted, and always will be haunted — have you been? Will you go?

If you’re looking for an experience that’s a bit less terrifying, make sure you check out these beautiful local sights. They’re incredible, and they can only be found in Tennessee.