20+ Eerie Experiences People Had in the Great Outdoors

Curiosities
4 hours ago
Jack Tramill / Bright Side

From eerie experiences in the woods to coming across something that simply does not fit in with the forest, these Redditors and Bright Side readers have had some memorable experiences in the wild, sure to send shudders down your spine. Here are some of the creepiest finds in the woods.

1. “An old 8-ball found deep in a forest.”

2. “Found a random door in the woods in a fairly desolate area. The door also faces almost perfectly east / west.”

  • If there’s anything I’ve learned from channel zero and my days on Reddit. Don’t go through it. © TinyRick989 / Reddit

3. “What are these? Found while splitting wood on a rotten/water-logged portion of tree that was about 20ft high.”

  • Rat tailed maggots, though I sometimes say “rat-tailed grub,” due to colloquialism. They’ll grow up into hoverflies. Hoverflies are one of the cutest bugs ever, in my opinion. © ChequeRoot / Reddit
  • What a terrible day... To have eyes... © FreeMasonKnight / Reddit

4. “There is an abandoned car deep into a road-less forest by my house.”

5. “I found a staircase in the woods.”

6. “Found a hollow log while hiking, turned out not-so-hollow. Do dead trees turn into Sarlaccs, or is there a better answer to what these stalagmite-like things are?”

  • Branches. The bases of which were enveloped as the trunk grew. The closer to the center they go, the younger the tree was when the branch began forming. They are also the source of knots in boards. © RiMiBe / Reddit

7. “Creepy forest creature lurking behind me on the trail.”

8. “Found a hard drive in a tree in the woods.”

9. “Took a walk in the woods yesterday, didn’t see a soul. Look in the tree hollow...”

  • This is what is known as “dollheading” and is commonly practiced in rural areas in England and the American southeast. Prospective parents take a doll head that resembles the child they wish to have, and place it in the hollow of a tree.
    If they return in 90 days and the doll head is missing, the woman will get pregnant with that child before the next month is over. I’m lying. That pic is creepy. © FireWaterAirDirt / Reddit

10. “A square hole in a rock in the middle of the woods.”

  • We get those. Pyrite is included in sandstone for some reason, and it rusts or wiggles out. © Nellasofdoriath / Reddit
  • I’m not 100% certain, but I’m not sure if that’s a regular rock, but rather a part of an original benchmark for the 1890-91 geological survey. I’ve seen a marker before, usually there’s a pile of rocks and a post with burnt benchmark numbers. That whole looks like it would fit a post, and finding it randomly in the middle of nowhere makes sense. © NathanTPS / Reddit

11. “This tree looks like a ghost warning people to stay away.”

12. “This abandoned shoe I found deep in the forest.”

  • It looks like it was new when it was left there...and where’s the shoelace? That shoe has a lot of secrets. © Unknown author / Reddit

13. “This tree in my woods has two right angles.”

14. “Looks like my time has come.”

15. “Found on a log in the woods in northwest Washington state today. Jiggly.”

16. “A creepy little Christmas tree fully decorated in the middle of the woods. Powered by what looked like mini solar panels.”

17. “Strange spirals on piece of log I split. What is it?”

  • The only time I’ve seen anything like this is when lightning strikes a tree, it destroys the softer parts of the trunk and leaves the harder parts behind. Did you cut the tree yourself? You would be able to see evidence on the bark if this is the case. © Cheap_Goat9512 / Reddit

18. “Found this in the woods—any ideas?”

  • It’s a little garden statue that somebody has wedged firmly between those rocks, so the stream can wash over it when it rises and gradually erode it. Looks like they return to it regularly to leave little “offerings” of pretty pebbles. Likely some kind of faerie-related ritual magic. © ZimaGotchi / Reddit

19. “Stone maze in the woods.”

20. “Barbie Shrine in woods behind park.”

21. “Frostbite? Zombie foot? Fungi Xylaria Polymorpha aka dead man’s toes.”

22.

  • When I was a teen, my friends and I liked to explore uninhabited islands near our hometown. One day, we paddled over to a rather isolated one, and the moment we stepped onto land, it felt wrong, and eerie. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
    Still, we bravely decided to explore, only to stumble upon a giant pile of old, bleached animal bones. Like it was 2-to-3 feet high, and we could see whole skeletons of small animals like raccoons, possums, and I think even small deer.
    We backtracked out of there so fast, and never stepped foot there again. I still get the heebie-jeebies when I think about it. © Kenji Sato / Bright Side

23. “A sign I found in the woods that depicts a man jumping over some scary looking hands.”

24.

  • My wife and I went hiking in the woods. She set up camp and I looked for firewood. Suddenly,
    all sound died. It was eerie, I got goosebumps. I just leaned against a tree, alert, and tried to make myself as small as possible, thinking, maybe, there was a predator around.
    After 10 minutes, things became normal, and I could hear normal jungle sounds. I sprinted back, and found my wife ashen faced. She said I had been gone for over 3 hours, and that she had called and tried to find me, but it was like I wasn’t around at all.
    Till today, I don’t know what happened in that forest, and how I lost time. Since then, we just vacation in tourist spots, and avoid the woods. © Jack Tramill / Bright Side

The woods hold plenty of mysteries, and it’s only the brave who can dare to explore them. If these finds weren’t creepy enough, here are some wild camping stories that might just make you want to stay home and leave the exploring to another day.

Preview photo credit Jack Tramill / Bright Side

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