This Haunted Road Trip Will Lead You To The Scariest Places In Idaho

With fall in full swing and trees slowly transforming into creepy, long-fingered skeletons as they lose their colorful leaves, you might be looking for a scare to go along with the eerie emerging scenery. But rather than a traditional haunted house or corn maze, you want the real deal. You want to visit haunted places with tantalizing history, gory backstories, and eerie urban legends, am I right? While Idaho has never been known as one of the most haunted states in America, there are still a number of places full of restless spirits and wandering ghosts, perfect for thill-seekers. From haunted hotels and creepy cemeteries to dilapidated prisons, this border-to-border road trip takes you to just a few of the most haunted places in Idaho.

The total trip takes about 15 hours of drive time. We’ve included a link to the Google Map here.

Please remember to respect the places that you visit. We definitely don't encourage any law-breaking or trespassing, so be sure to follow any signs posted.

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Idaho's oldest mental institution - formerly the Idaho Insane Asylum - has seen some major changes in recent years. 130 years ago, this campus was filled to the brim with horror stories of tortured patients, hundreds of unmarked graves, and then left to decay. While the new gardenscape presents a serene exterior, the reports of hauntings within the walls of the main building are plentiful. Restless souls, angered by their former treatment and deceased sanitarium workers injured by their own dangerous patients are said to wander the grounds at night. Eerie orbs and noises are said to originate from the cemetery in particular.

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Built in 1911, the courthouse used to house prisoners on its top floor. When a new prison opened, all of the inmates were moved... but one presence still clearly haunts the building today. Multiple former inmates hanged themselves prior to the move, and with all the reports of eerie sensations, inexplicable chills, and strange apparitions, many believe it is one of these prisoners who still haunts the halls - perhaps seeking revenge for his untimely fate, or perhaps an undue sentence.

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This unique building-antique shop-Idaho staple was rumored to be haunted in its day, much to the delight of its owner, Larry Carter, who maintained an open invitation with the spiritual world. Today, floating lights have been spotted in the top floor of the shop, but no apparitions have been sighted. Maybe you'll be the first to come face to face with one... if you're brave enough.

micadew/Flickr

Boise's cemeteries are rife with ghost stories, and Morris Hill is no different. Built in 1882, some of Idaho's most brutally murdered and violently deceased residents are buried here, the victims of consumption, poison, rock slides, and more. Immense mausoleums dedicated to these individuals are a hotbed of apparition sightings, while the low hanging trees add an additional chill factor to this spooky graveyard.

While you're in town, be sure to visit the historic Egyptian Theater downtown. One of Idaho's most notorious ghosts is said to wreak havoc there as well.

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Weiser Museum/Facebook

Weiser's former high school campus was comprised of three buildings in its heyday, long before the current high school was built just across the street. Each building has its share of legends, but knowing that one in particular had an especially unique stint as a small mental institution up until a decade or so ago is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Dozens of rooms make up these old dormitories, and with each flight of stairs you climb, you'll want to keep your eyes peeled.

grandslamhomer/TripAdvisor

Once a thriving bordello, today this museum building still harbors an otherworldly presence, informally known as the Lady in Blue. She appears either as a blue ball of light, blue smoke, or a fully-formed person. Her spirit shows up so regularly that Gary invited a medium to investigate. After establishing contact, the medium learned that the Lady wasn’t a prostitute, as had been assumed, but a God-fearing woman who spent her life trying to shut the bordello down.

To explore this building along with Lewiston's other renowned paranormal hotspots, we recommend taking a ghost tour from Idaho History Tours.

johnjohn101/Flickr

Once the prison site for any number of prisoners of war and disobedient naval recruits, the brig at this former naval training center has seen its fair share of violence and war over the years. Rumor has it that a German prisoner was left chained in his cell and left to perish, and that his spirit haunts the now-museum. But other spooky sightings have been reported throughout the campground as well. You can read the full story about the campground here.

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Trish Thornton/Flickr

The forbidden love story that is associated with Spirit Lake seems romantic at first listen. A young couple, kept from one another, plunging together to their deaths from a cliff in the ultimate act of tragic love. But an adventure to the lake at night will show these two floating eerily in the moonlight on the water, haunting the lake for all eternity - and it's far more spooky in person than it sounds.

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This historic hotel and saloon - now closed - has been the site of numerous apparitions and strange activities over the years, but resident ghost Maggie is the most recognizable face of haunted lore. Maggie was a frequent guest at the hotel in the late 1800s, left behind by a lover who promised to return but never did. They say she waited for him up until her death, and the room in which she stayed is rife with unexplained phenomena: moving objects, lights turning on and off, and even doors locking and unlocking by themselves.

While not all of these places can be explored without permission, sometimes even a moonlit stroll nearby in the dead of night will give you a taste of the paranormal. Do you believe?