Five Spooky Halloween Adventures in Montana
Haunted trails, ghost towns, and mysteriously frozen caves - it's Halloween in the Big Sky State!
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make the most of the fall weather and explore Montana’s most mysterious places. From caves to ghost towns to haunted trails, there’s no shortage of hair-raising options, lots of which make perfect family Halloween adventures.
Location: Bozeman
Length: 3 – 8 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
This is a beautiful hike, frequented by hikers and mountain bikers. The trail begins by winding along Bear Creek, ultimately making its way toward the Bear Lakes. Don’t be fooled by the calming scenery though; this area has an eerie reputation for peculiar encounters. Popular local legend claims that the canyon is haunted by a spirit that appears in the form of a young girl dressed in white and attempts to convince travellers to follow her into the woods. What will you see?
Location: Granite
Length: variable
Difficulty: easy
In its late 1800s heyday, Granite was home to 3,000 miners and the world’s most profitable silver mine. While the mine has long since closed and the town abandoned, it remains a great place to explore the eerie remnants of the past, hike nearby trails, and witness the stories of Montana’s mining history. There’s no longer anyone (living, at least) that calls Granite home, but would you really be surprised to find ghosts of miners lurking among the ruins of the old Union Hall?
Learn more about Granite Ghost Town
Location: Pryor Mountains
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: easy
Leave the ordinary world behind and enter a mysteriously frozen hidden world underground in the remote Pryor Mountains. From the parking lot, follow the side trail down a set of wooden steps into the cave itself, where eerie ice features decorate the walls year round. Is it really the presence of spirits that keeps the cave so cold? No one knows for sure. Keep an eye out for marine fossils in the limestone of the cave and the surrounding rock face, reminders of the distant past.
Learn more about Big Ice Cave Trail
Location: Bannack
Length: variable
Difficulty: easy
A place steeped in legend, the town of Bannack was once a gold mining hub and the territorial capital of Montana. Now it’s a ghost town and state park that continues to attract visitors both human and supernatural and thrive as a piece of living history where you can enjoy the outdoors, tour old buildings, learn about the town’s past, see wildlife, hike, and go fishing. The park also hosts “Ghost Walks” the week before Halloween, featuring reenactments of historical events and a nighttime view of the old town. If you’re lucky, you might just see a real ghost! Come for the day, or stay at the campground, which offers 28 different campsites to choose from.
Learn more about Bannack Ghost Town
Graham Canyon/Crook Camp/Orman Camp Trails
Location: Thompson Park (south of Butte)
Length: 6 miles
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Walk among the ghosts of the past as you traverse the foothills of the Highland Mountains and old ruins of the Milwaukee railroad. After crossing Blacktail Creek, the trail takes you up the hill to the trail’s most unique feature: a 550-foot long abandoned rail tunnel cut into the hillside. There’s no proof that ghosts of the workers who cut this tunnel still patrol it, but then again, there isn’t evidence that they don’t.Pass through the stone arches of the tunnel and read about its history on the interpretive signs before you return along the same route, or continue along the Crook Camp Trail for a longer hike and more views of the surrounding mountains.
Learn more about Graham Canyon/Crook Camp/Orman Creek Trails
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