STORIES AND PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI
Branches sway and clack together as a cool wind sweeps through the forest. Tree trunks cast long, dark shadows. A group of crows chatter back and forth. “Caw. Caw. Caw.”
Is this place haunted? Or is it just the Halloween movie I watched last night that’s infecting my surroundings?
Autumn is the perfect time to embrace all that’s creepy, especially in a place like Maine. The landscape is full of skeletal branches, wilting plants, fat spiders, and noisy corvids.
As nights grow longer and the weather cools, pumpkin patches overflow and corn mazes confound. Ghost stories are told over crackling campfires. Bats swoop through the sky. It’s time to go on some spooky — though not quite scary — adventures.
Compass Harbor Trail in Acadia National Park
Easy
Ruins of mansions are decidedly eerie, with their crumbling walls and doorways to nowhere. On the 0.4-mile Compass Harbor Trail, you can visit what’s left of the grand home of George B. Dorr, one of the men responsible for the creation of Acadia National Park. You can also walk down to the ocean to find the ruins of a saltwater pool that he used to enjoy.
Dorr died in 1944 at the age of 90. If you spot his ghost on the property, have no fear. It seems to me that Dorr would be happy to have hikers enjoying the place. Just tread with respect and pick up after yourself.
Pets must be kept on leash, and the leash cannot exceed 6 feet in length. The park entrance pass is $20-$35, depending on your mode of travel. For more information, visit nps.gov/acad.
Directions: From the intersection of Mount Desert Street and Main Street in downtown Bar Harbor (The Village Green), drive south on Main Street (Route 3) for 1 mile. The small parking lot for Compass Harbor Trail will be on your left, just before Old Farm Road.
Mackworth Island State Park in Falmouth
Easy
Cemeteries don’t have to work very hard to elicit goosebumps. Just add a little fog and some inexplicable sounds, and you’ve got yourself a hair-raising experience. But what’s even creepier than a regular old cemetery? A pet cemetery. Just ask Stephen King.
Mackworth Island State Park is home to a cemetery built for Percival Baxter’s pets, including 13 Irish setters (a spooky number…) and Baxter’s horse, Jerry Roan. For those who don’t know, Baxter is the man responsible for Maine’s famous Baxter State Park, home of the state’s tallest mountain. He also clearly loved his pets.
A 1.5-mile loop trail explores the park, with benches located at scenic locations and stairs leading to the shore in a few places.
The park is open 9 a.m. to sunset unless otherwise posted at the gate. Pets must be kept on leash. The entrance fee is $3 for adult Maine residents; $4 for nonresidents; $1 for senior nonresidents; $1 for children 5-11 years old; free for Maine residents 65 and older; and free for children under 5. For more information visit maine.gov/mackworthisland.
Directions: Though it’s on an island, you can drive to this state park via the Andrews Avenue causeway, which is off Route 1. From Martin’s Point in Portland, go north over the bridge to Andrews Avenue, then drive east along Andrews Avenue to the causeway.
Bucksport Waterfront Walkway in Bucksport
Easy
Who doesn’t like a good witch tale for Halloween? Stroll along the 0.8-mile Bucksport River Walk, enjoying a lovely tidal portion of the Penobscot River. Then, on the east end of the walk, continue up Main Street (headed east) about 200 feet to visit one of Maine’s most famous haunted objects: the Jonathan Buck Monument.
It’s a long story, but here’s the nutshell.: A founder of Bucksport, Jonathan Buck, died in 1795., and Hhis grandchildren erected a monument near his grave site. Afterward, it’s said that an image appeared on the stone in the shape of a woman’s foot. There are many versions of this tale, but one is that it’s the foot of a witch who cursed Buck as she burned at the stake.
Pets must be kept on leash. Admission is free. For more information, visit bucksportmaine.gov.
Directions: This paved path can be accessed from many points along Main Street in the downtown area. Head toward the river, and you’ll find it.
Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor
Easy
As the second oldest garden cemetery in America, Mount Hope has a lot of stories to tell. Each fall, the Bangor Historical Society conducts ghost tours on the property. One of the highlights? The grave of Al Brady, leader of the infamous Brady Gang, which was wanted for multiple murders and robberies in the 1930s. FBI agents gunned him down on Central Street in Bangor.
The cemetery sprawls out over 264 acres of hilly land. It’s so big that you can wander for miles on paved and gravel paths.
While this isn’t exactly a wilderness setting, there’s plenty of wildlife to enjoy. The cemetery ponds often feature ducks and wading birds. Barred owls nest in some of the trees, and squirrels and chipmunks scurry between headstones.
Dogs are not permitted. Admission is free. The gates are open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. May through mid-September. After that, the closing hour will be posted at the gate. For more information, visit mthopebgr.com.
Directions: The address is 1048 State St.reet in Bangor. That’s a little over half a mile from the traffic light at the intersection of Hogan Road and State Street, driving toward Veazie along the edge of the Penobscot River. Other entrances can be found along Mount Hope Avenue, about a quarter of a mile from where it intersects with State Street.
Owls Head State Park in Owls Head
Easy
A number of Maine’s lighthouses are said to be haunted, but this one is particularly accessible, being in a state park. About half a mile of easy walking paths surround this iconic structure, which was built in 1852 and stands on a granite promontory about 100 feet above Penobscot Bay.
The lighthouse topped Coastal Living magazine’s most haunted lighthouse list, published in 2006. Numerous stories have been told about paranormal encounters on the property, some by former lighthouse keepers themselves.
The park, which features picnic tables and a beach, is open 9 a.m. to sunset daily, unless posted otherwise. Pets must be kept on a leash. Admission is free. For more information, visit maine.gov/owlshead.
Directions: From the intersection of Route 1 and Route 73 in Rockland, head south on Route 73 for nearly 2 miles. Turn left onto North Shore drive and drive 2.6 miles, then veer left onto Main Street. Drive 0.2 mile, then turn left onto Lighthouse Road, which leads into the park.
AISLINN SARNACKI is a Registered Maine Guide and the author of three guidebooks: “Dog-Friendly Hikes in Maine,” “Maine Hikes Off the Beaten Path” and “Family Friendly Hikes in Maine. Follow her adventures at aislinnsarnacki.com.
