In 1968, Emil Barnea, a military technician, snapped a photo of a UFO hovering over this forest in Romania. Public interest was piqued.
There have been reports of people who ventured into the forest and left with a feeling of being watched. Some have claimed to have felt nauseous or dizzy after visiting the forest.
Many reports of UFO sightings have occurred here. Some claim to have seen ghostly figures and heard strange voices in the area.
To this day many locals refuse to enter the forest.
2. The Island of the Dolls
Answer: Mexico
Located in the Mexican town of Xochimilco, this World Heritage site is known in Spanish as "Isla de las Munecas". Dolls and doll parts can be found scattered throughout the forest, many hanging from trees.
As the story goes, resident Don Julián Santana Barrera found a girl's dead body in a canal. He began to collect dolls with the hope that displaying them would ward off bad spirits. After his death in 2001, his family opened the island to the public.
Since then, visitors have claimed to have heard the dolls whispering or have seen them moving. Others claim the dolls open their eyes.
3. Aokigahara Forest
Answer: Japan
This haunted forest is also known as "Suicide Forest". The number of suicides that occur here ranks second only to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
Located at the base of Mount Fuji, the forest contains a high density of trees. It's also eerily quiet with few or no animal sounds. That alone would spook me.
Many believe that yūrei, Japanese ghosts, haunt the forest. On a more scientific note, the iron-rich soil disrupts cell phone and GPS services which can pose significant problems for hikers. Some hikers use a rope to tie around trees to help them navigate. Signs warn visitors to stay on the path.
4. Cameron Park
Answer: Texas
Texas may not spring to mind for the location of a haunted forest since much of the state is flat. However, if you travel to the city of Waco, you'll come across a site called the "Witch's Castle". Located within Cameron Park, ruins are all that remain of the house owned by a woman who had been suspected of practicing witchcraft in the 1800s. The townsfolk took it to extremes by burning down the house with the woman still inside. Some park visitors claim to have seen the woman's figure wandering about in the woods.
Jacob's Ladder is a challenging hike located within the park. While most people return from the hike either invigorated or exhausted, there are those who believe Jacob's Ladder is haunted by a ghost who pulls on your legs as you climb the stairs.
5. Yosemite National Park
Answer: California
Yosemite is one of the most beautiful and most visited national parks in the U.S. However, some visitors believe it's haunted and claimed they have heard the sound of someone crying as they hike Chilnualna Falls Trailhead.
According to Native American folklore, the cries belong to a boy who drowned in nearby Grouse Lake. However, be forewarned. Don't venture into the lake because you might be pulled in forever.
Some of the waterfalls in the park are also believed to be haunted. Native Americans believe that an evil wind pulls visitors toward the edge of the waterfalls then blows them off.
Even the Ahwahnee Hotel, located near the base of Half Dome and Glacier Point, is reportedly haunted. Guests and employees have witnessed ghosts roaming the hallways.
6. Pine Barrens
Answer: New Jersey
The New Jersey Pine Barrens is the ecological term for a vast area of land, including forests and wetlands, covering 1.1 million acres in southern New Jersey. Although I grew up in northern New Jersey, I never went there.
The Jersey Devil is a legend dating back to 1735. Deborah Leeds, who lived in the area of what is now called Atlantic County, gave birth to her thirteenth child. She cursed the child, perhaps because it was child number 13, and proclaimed it was the devil. After the baby was born, it developed into a creature with a goat's head, bat wings, and hooves. Some claim the creature has the head of a horse or dog. It supposedly flew out of the Leeds' home through the chimney and vanished into the Pine Barrens.
Numerous sightings of the creature have been reported since the early 1800s. Joseph Bonaparte, older brother of Napoleon, claimed he saw the Jersey Devil while hunting near his estate in Bordentown.
7. Devil's Tramping Ground
Answer: North Carolina
If you're looking to find a barren circle of land, measuring 15 feet wide, where no plants or trees grow, look no further than "Devil's Tramping Ground". This wooded area is located about 50 miles south of the city of Greensboro.
According to a 120-year-old legend, no living thing can survive in this circle because it's where the devil dances every night. Visitors claim to have seen red eyes glowing in the middle of the circle. If you leave anything inside the circle, even heavy items, the Devil will remove them.
According to another legend, an Indian Chief is buried on that spot and the spirits continue to mourn. That is why nothing can grow there.
Interestingly, the soil appears to be a different shade than the soil surrounding it. Soil tests have not given scientists any clues as to why the circle is so barren. I find that very odd.
8. Dering Wood
Answer: England
Dering Wood is also known as "Screaming Woods". If that doesn't frighten you, the fact that blood-curdling screams can be heard in the middle of the night should. Dering Wood is located in Pluckley, Kent, England.
One theory for the hauntings involves an 18th century highwayman who was killed by villagers. Perhaps his screams are a lasting reminder of what he went through.
A second theory involves a 1948 massacre that left over twenty people dead. The bodies were found in the forest but autopsies of the bodies could not determine cause of death. Amazingly, there were no signs of struggle either.
9. Black Forest
Answer: Germany
Known in German as "Schwarzwald," this dense forest is also known as the "Black Forest". The fir trees are so dense that little sunlight passes through. This forest is very dark. According to legend, werewolves, witches and even the Devil himself haunt this forest.
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, used the Black Forest as the location for many of their fairy tales, most notably "Hansel and Gretel".
Legend has it that a tall, disfigured man with many arms forces children to enter the forest and never lets them go.
10. Dow Hill Forest
Answer: India
This creepy forest is located near Darjeeling in northern India. Many paranormal happenings have been reported there. Dow Hill is a hill station with beautiful vistas, tea gardens and forested areas.
"Death Road" is located between Dow Hill Road and the Forest office. Reports of visitors being watched or followed, red eyes peering out from the dark, or the sight of a woman's ghost should make anyone steer clear. Supposedly murders have taken place there.
The haunted forest has even affected the nearby Dow Hill Victoria Boys' School. Locals have heard footsteps and loud whispering when the school is closed for winter.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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