haunted-runs — From haunted trails to city parks built on burial grounds, there are plenty of haunted runs across the country. Photo by Mary Kunz.

Terrifying Runs That Will Make You Pick Up the Pace

By Marnie Kunz,
Certified run coach and trainer

America’s most haunted runs will help you learn about local history while possibly stepping up the pace to get through them. Whether you’re running through a mobster shootout scene, a haunted civil war battlefield, or a city park built on burial grounds, there is no shortage of options for spooky places to run. Here is a look at some of America’s most haunted places to run:

Spookiest Runs on the East Coast

Washington Square Park, NYC

New York City’s Washington Square Park has long served as a gathering place for trade, culture, and counter-culture, but did you know that before the famous Washington Square monument was installed, the park served as a burial ground for up to 20,000 corpses?

In 1797, the city of New York purchased an old farm in what is now the park to serve as a potter’s field, a burial ground for the indigent, poor, criminals, and victims of epidemics such as yellow fever. During yellow fever outbreaks from 1791 to 1821, the city used the land as a mass grave.

The city also erected a public gallows to hang people — right next to the present-day fountain in Washington Square Park. Archaeologists have uncovered more human remains below the park. Reports of ghosts in Washington Park include incidents of seeing shadows hanging from trees, people appearing in 19th-century clothing and then disappearing, and the ghost of famed horror writer Edgar Allen Poe, who lived near the park, is said to haunt the park. Enjoy your own run through Washington Square Park and decide for yourself whether it’s more important to watch out for humans or spirits in the park.

Check out our 25 Best Places to Run in NYC for more ideas on where to run in New York.

NYC Runs Haunted Island Races

If you want to do a Halloween themed event and run in NYC, check out the NYC Runs Haunted Island 5K and 10K. The fun and spooktacular running event includes a costume contest, a creepy setting on Governor's Island, and Halloween vibes. This is one of my favorite Halloween races - seeing all the costumes always gets me in the spirit of Halloween - it's an incredible experience.

Come to the start line with your best Halloween running costume to make the most of this fun Halloween race series. The race is over two days, with the 10K on Saturday and the 5K on Sunday. There are age group winners for the top three male, female, and non-binary runners in different age categories. You can indulge in some candy and sweet treats in the post-event party, complete with festive food in the form of Halloween candy.

Gallows Hill, Salem, Massachusetts

It is no secret that the town of Salem, Massachusetts harbors a violent past steeped in Puritanism gone wrong, with the Salem Witch Trials. The site where 20 accused “witches” of Salem, Massachusetts, were executed during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 is said to be Gallows Hill.

Beware if you go, however, as even professional ghost hunters and haunted tour guides say the area is “too intense” for them with the strength of supernatural energy at the execution site. Visit Gallows Hill Park and hit the trails for a run if you’re feeling fearless.

If you want company, you can register for the Devils Chase 6.66 and Creepy Clown 3.33-mile races, where you’ll be so scared on race day that you will run like hell. You can wear costumes and dress up like the devilish character of your choice for one of the best races for an exciting Halloween. Each runn er also gets a finisher's medal to remembor the terror of the nightmare run.

Batona Trail, New Jersey

The 50-mile-long Batona Trail runs through the Pine Barrens in rural New Jersey, home to the legendary Jersey Devil. Folklore dates back to the 1700s, when s woman named Mrs. Leeds, upon learning she was pregnant with her 13th child, cursed it by wishing it were the devil.

Since the 1700s, thousands of people have reported seeing a kangaroo-like creature with yellow eyes, wings, horns, and a forked tail. People who live in the area report late-night screams coming from the legendary Jersey Devil. Hop on the Batona Trail and run for your life - I mean, your pleasure.

Bloody Lane Trail, Maryland

This 1.5-mile trail at Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland, was the site of one of the deadliest Civil War battles in 1862. As a result, visitors report seeing ghostly soldiers during the day and night. You can run the trail and decide for yourself if it’s haunted.

Haunted Runs in the Midwest

Zombie Road, St. Louis, Missouri

Growing up in St. Louis, I heard about this trail from my dad, a walking encyclopedia of U.S. and local history. The trail, officially known as Al Foster Memorial Trail, is located in Wildwood, a western suburb of St. Louis. Zombie Road runs by old railroad tracks as well as the Meramec River, both of which claimed many lives and may be the source of some of the many spirits said to haunt the trail. Run the trails during daylight hours (the trails close at dark) and discover for yourself if there’s any supernatural activity.

Traverse City, Michigan

Outrun zombies at the annual Traverse City Zombie 5K Run, where runners of all levels can flee the zombie apocalpyse. The 5K themed zombie fun run includes zombie costume contests, shirts, beer for over-21 participants, medals, music, and more.

Lincoln Park, Chicago

Lincoln Park is home to beautiful running and biking trails but also plenty of spirits, including Al Capone-era gangsters, according to locals. The southern edge of Lincoln Park served as the city’s cemetery in the 1800s, and the park’s baseball diamond was formerly a Potters Field where indigent people were buried. Only one tomb survived the Great Fire of 1871, the Couch Memorial crypt, located at the south end of Lincoln Park, near the Chicago History Museum.

Also in Lincoln Park, at what was 2122 N. Clark Street, is the site of the famed mobster shootout of the Valentine’s Day Massacre. In the shootout between Al Capone’s gang and Irish mobster George “Bugs” Moran, Moran’s second in command and brother-in-law James Clark was gunned down with other members of his gang.

One of the slain mobster’s German Shepherds is said to still wander the park looking for his owner. The ghost of James Clark reportedly haunted Capone for the remainder of his days. While in prison after the incident, Capone repeatedly begged “Jimmy” (as James was called) to leave him alone. He even hired a medium, Alice Britt, to rid him of the specter, but the haunting continued til the end of his days. Run by Lincoln Park’s 2100 block of North Clark Street and decide for yourself if spirits are lurking.

Related Post: 15 Best Places to Run in Chicago

Creepiest Runs in the West

Transept Trail, Arizona

Heading west, there are plenty of haunted runs in more natural landscapes. The 3-mile Transept Trail in the Grand Canyon’s North Rim is one of the best-known haunted paths. Stories of the trail’s Wailing Woman are well documented by hikers. The Wailing Woman is reportedly the ghost of a bereaved wife and mother who mourns the loss of her husband and son at the Grand Canyon's North Rim. Both visitors and rangers report seeing the Wailing Woman, who appears dressed in a white dress with blue flowers and floats along the Transept Trail crying. She is often seen at night. Run at your own risk.

Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena, California

The beautiful Beaux Arts style Colorado Bridge in Pasadena, California, was completed in 1913. The bridge had a bad reputation before it was even built, as a construction worker fell to his death and landed in the wet cement under the bridge. Supposedly he is still there today.

Beginning in 1919, people began killing themselves by leaping from the bridge, which has tragically become a backdrop for untimely deaths, often dubbed the “Suicide Bridge.” Reports of ghosts at the bridge abound. Many have reported seeing a man going to leap off a rail, but when they go up to help, he disappears. Drivers also have seen a woman crossing the bridge, and swerved to avoid her, only for her to vanish.

Today there are 10-foot-tall chainlink fences on the bridge to prevent suicides, but people continue to make attempts. You can run over the bridge protected by the fence from falling but there’s no guarantee you won’t see otherworldly things.

Related Post: Running Venice Beach: A Travel Guide

Chilnualna Falls Trail, California

Yosemite National Park is home to some of the most beautiful running and hiking trails in the world and one of the most haunted runs. The Chilnualna Falls Trail includes three waterfalls as well as spirits, according to anecdotes. The difficult 8.4-mile loop passes Grouse Lake, where, according to Awahnechee tribal legend, the cries of a young boy who drowned in the lake can still be heard, and anyone who jumps into the lake looking for the boy will also drown.

Hoh River Trail, Olympic National Park, Washington

For a particularly eerie running experience, check out the Hoh River Trail in Olympic National Park. Many have reported seeing Big Foot or some elusive hairy creature traipsing through the woods along the trail. Others have reported seeing vampires on the 17-mile trail. Whatever your beliefs, a run on the remote, wooded mountain trail is sure to send chills down your spine.

Are there any haunted running trails in your city? Follow and tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your spookiest run spots. 👋👀

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, dog lover, Akita mom, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY.

Haunted Runs: America's Creepiest Places to Run