The forest is a magical place. As you wander through the sun dappled paths, you’re greeted by the sights of deer nibbling on grass, and a general feeling of peacefulness. In Germany, that feeling of being alone in the woods is called ‘waldeinsamkeit.’ Nobody wants to feel scared, or slightly uneasy when they do their forest bathing. It’s also important to get that perfect ‘selfie’ shot to be uploaded to your social media accounts.
Sometimes though, as you wander through the woods you come across some pretty strange sights. It could be something innocuous like an abandoned car, that the forest is slowly reclaiming or something even stranger. Have you ever seen a robot in the woods? Or a dinner party that looks like it was interrupted, and then abandoned?
These are just some of the strange things that people have stumbled across. After doing some thorough research, we have discovered some of the oddest things that people have seen. Luckily for us, they remembered to document these strange happenings with a camera for everyone to examine. Keep reading to see some pretty strange sights, and try and imagine the story behind them. Who truly knows what is happening here.
An Abandoned House
When you go for a walk through the woods, you don’t expect to find an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. This very spooky home was found by hikers in Russia and it looks like the start of every horror movie. First, there will be a back story about a happy family who unknowingly moved into the haunted house.
Then, the film will fast forward and we will see what the house really looks like. You can only imagine what kind of ghosts, and terrifying things are just waiting to be discovered by anyone brave enough to enter. Trust your gut, and stay away from this place.
After Seeing This, I Would Probably Run
The person who took this photograph had recently moved from the suburbs into the country and decided to roam the woods in his backyard when he came across this.
By the side of a trail, on the dirt itself, someone spray painted the word “run” in capital letters. This sent us chills down our spines. Why would anyone write that?
Out Of Place Octopus
This image left us with a lot of questions. There is a dead octopus on a wood branch in the woods. The person who uploaded this picture told us that the area was marked off.
Why would anyone leave an octopus in the forest? Did something happen there that people are not allowed to walk by? Stranger things have happened.
It: Chapter 1
Hi Georgie, don’t you want a balloon? This balloon stuck in the weeds reminds us of Pennywise from “It” and we find it very scary. But if it’s any consolation, this probably wasn’t left there by a killer clown.
Balloons are inflated with helium which makes them float away quickly if you don’t hold them down. Time to float!
Stick Doll
These volunteers were on about their day when they stumbled upon this creepy doll head impaled on a branch. It was planted there on the ground next to a pine tree.
Someone with a sick sense of humor wanted to scare these young people and they probably were successful in doing so. Poor the one who had to clean it up.
A Bronze Mask
A man went fossil hunting and he stumbled upon a strange thing. Out of the mud peaked what seemed to be a bronze mask.
Perhaps it was an old art project someone disposed of or maybe a stolen piece of a statue. It remains a mystery to this day where this mask came from and how it ended up there.
Halloween Or Ritual?
Some of the creepier things found in the forest can either be associated with Halloween, or something slightly more nefarious like a ritual. This scarecrow demon looking sheet seems like it is a remnant of Halloween, or at least that’s what we want to think.
The next time you go walking in the woods, consider bringing a friend with you. You never know when you might need some back-up. Strange things can happen in the woods.
Beware The Tunnel
Spelunking is a pastime a lot of people enjoy. You get to suit up in a hard hat, head lamp, and some sturdy shoes and go wandering around caves. There is a certain subset of spelunking, in which people check out abandoned tunnels that they have heard about.
If you’ve ever watched a movie like Cloverfield, then you know that going into abandoned tunnels doesn’t tend to end well. Once you decide you’re going to start exploring tunnels, always make sure to let someone know. Just in case something were to go wrong, you want to make sure someone can find you.
Pooh Bear’s Home
Most kids grow up reading about the adventures of Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and their gang of misfit animals. Even if you never read one of these books, you undoubtedly know who the characters are. Someone decided to get creative in the woods, and install a home for Winne the Pooh.
It looks just like the images in the storybook, which makes this one of the cuter forest finds. The best part about this little hidey hole, is that nobody has vandalized it and just let it become a part of the forest. Maybe Winnie the Pooh is actually in there, who knows!
Fancy A Carrot?
Beagles are notorious for their sense of smell, and love to follow their noses to all sorts of odd things. This enterprising little Beagle caught a whiff of a certain orange vegetable, and decided to lead his owners to it. We have a couple of questions regarding this assortment of carrots.
Why are they here and how did they get here? Some people on Imgur guessed that the carrots were there to lure wildlife like deer to the area. Then, a hunter could pick off the ones that they want. This is a good theory, but why would that require so many carrots?
Watch Out For The Forest Demon
One of the coolest things about the woods, is that it gives artists and other creatives a lot of inspiration. Some artists head home, and paint what they see. Others head back into the woods and actively create what they envisioned from the natural surroundings.
One artist saw a fallen down tree, and realized it could easily be shaped into that of a forest demon. They got to work and created this demon that looks like it belongs in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Need To Make A Call?
If there is one thing that all hikers know, it’s that cellphones rarely have service out in the middle of the forest. However, if you need to make a call, this handy English telephone booth is right where you need it to be.
It kind of looks like it belongs on the set of Doctor Who, and the good doctor is about to make an appearance. This hiker didn’t see a doctor though, but they did manage to snap a quick picture
.
A Very Special Find
When a person makes the decision to join the military, they do so knowing their life may be forfeit one day. This is a very noble sacrifice, and for one woman she had never received the dog tags of her fallen husband.
The wife of this fallen soldier had always wanted her husband’s dog tags, as they were a way to remember him and his service. After years of not finding them, a hiker finally came across them in the woods and returned them to her. This was a special moment, and we’re glad she got that closure.
Excalibur, Is That You?
There is one particular sword that has been written about for centuries, and that is Excalibur. According to the Arthurian legend, Excalibur was placed in a stone by the wizard Merlin and only the one true king would be able to remove it.
That king was Arthur, who would found the Knights of the Roundtable. Someone who was a fan of this tale, decided to craft their very own Excalibur and leave it in the forest for hikers to stumble upon.
A Treasure Trove Of Plates
Typically when you drop a plate and it smashes, you sweep it into the garbage bin. Those shards of porcelain are very sharp, and you can cut yourself. After trekking through the woods one day, this hiker found all of the plates that had ever been smashed in the world.
Someone had meticulously collected every smashed plate they could find, and stored them in this pile. If this was The Hobbit, we’d think there might be a plate hoarding dragon responsible for all of these.
The Mossy T-Rex
This is a case of pareidolia, where you see an object but instead your brain sees something else. Whenever you look at the clouds, and begin to see different shapes it’s called pareidolia. An enterprising hiker saw this moss covered stone, and decided they saw a T-Rex sleeping.
It’s pretty brilliant, as the addition of some well-placed rocks do look just like teeth. We wouldn’t mind stumbling across this during one of our hikes, and snapping a quick selfie.
Always Check The Pockets
Wandering through the forest around your home can be a pretty strange experience. People will forget a shoe randomly, or in this case their pants. We’re not sure how someone managed to forget their pants, but they did.
The person who found these pants decided to go through the pockets, which was smart but also gross. Who knows where those pants have been? Luckily for this person, they scrounged up $43, just enough to buy some nice hand soap.
Nature’s Own Terrarium
Time and again, Mother Nature has shown us how resilient she is. Abandoned cities, like Chernobyl are already being reclaimed by the woods, and foliage is growing once more. This person came across a broken bottle, that some moss had begun to grow in.
Mother Nature saw an opportunity to create a terrarium, and she took it. The bottle forms a natural greenhouse, which creates optimal moss growing conditions. We’re glad whoever stumbled on this captured a snap of it.
Never Forget
Pets are our loyal companions. Dogs love going for walks in the wood, and they always have that one favorite tree that requires a lot of sniffing. One pet owner decided to dedicate their dog’s favorite tree to them after they crossed the rainbow bridge.
Other pet owners saw this, and began to add their own mementos from lost pets. This is a beautiful way for a community to remember all of their faithful companions.
Tree Symbols
Strange symbols on trees have been uncovered in the woods near Earlsdon, Coventry, U.K.. Red symbols and branches placed to look like something out of an occult movie have been found next to the site of the now demolished Wisteria Lodge care home.
People have been commenting on social media about it: maybe it’s Morse code, maybe it’s devil worshipping!
The Latest In Footwear
Moss is one of the neatest plants on earth. It has the ability to spread, and grow on top of almost anything. One hiker was out in the woods, when they looked down and spotted this boot.
Of course, only one boot was left on the ground, because why would there be two? Moss had sprouted on top of the boot, and slowly begun to take over it. The thickness of the moss tells us that this boot has been resting here for awhile.
Aliens?
Most of the stuff you stumble across in the woods, are just remnants of bygone eras. However, this stylized wooden cube is out of this world. The concentric squares make this cube, with a side door look like something that can take you to the future or to an alien ship.
This was found in Wisconsin by an unsuspecting hiker, who did not know what they were looking at. Either someone is playing a weird trick, or this was never supposed to be seen by human eyes.
Remnants Of The Space Race
During the Cold War, the United States and the U.S.S.R engaged in the Space Race. This race was to see who could get to the Moon first, and invent the best space technology.
While both sides experienced setbacks, the Buran Space Program in the U.S.S.R actually had a space shuttle fail to launch completely. That meant that this old space shuttle ended up landing in a European forest, for unsuspecting hikers to find.
Deer Need Food Too
At first glance, this looks like it could be a contraption used to make moonshine. After a bit of detective work, we’ve found out that it’s not for moonshine but it is for deer. In the winter, it can be hard for deer to get all of the food they need to stay strong and healthy.
A thoughtful hunter decided to install a makeshift deer feeder. This is pretty kind of the hunter, although it will probably make it easier to track where the deer are for hunting season.
Smurfs Anonymous
With over 6 billion people on the planet it’s pretty easy to find a group of people that share some common interests. In this instance, that group has a love for smurfs, the cute little blue gnome-like creatures.
Apparently there was a secret woodland gathering of people who enjoy dressing up as smurfs, and this observer managed to capture it. This is a pretty wholesome hobby, and one we can totally get behind.
Stairway To Heaven
Over the years, multiple people have stumbled across abandoned homes and crumbling staircases that lead to nowhere. One search and rescue worker was sent to find a lost hiker, but she ended up finding this stairway instead.
This stairway most likely belongs to a house that has since crumbled, but it still looks pretty eerie. Maybe some witches decided to host a gathering here, and built the stairs for a ritual. Apparently random staircases are not that uncommon in the United States.
Unknow stone
Besides communing with nature, and finding some peace, hiking in the forest gives you the chance to find weird things. As a hiker wandered along a trail, they noticed this smooth stone placed off to the side.
Upon further inspection, they noticed that an inscription had been carved into the face of it. There were no dates on the stone, and an unknown language was used. Whoever can decipher this code, should win a prize.
Seeing The World
Most of us aren’t traveling very much at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t travel vicariously through film and maps. One intrepid traveler must have decided to hop on their bike, and start making their way across the globe.
They even brought a globe with them. After pedaling for a few miles, they probably realized that the ocean would be a bit hard to navigate.
Forgotten Pennies
Besides the United States, most countries have discontinued the penny. That makes them something of a collector’s item. In an ode to the penny, hikers began leaving one behind in this fallen log.
It’s pretty neat to see how many hikers have passed this way, simply by counting the pennies. Always remember to bring a penny or small item with you when you hike, you never know when you’ll need to leave something behind.
Timmy
A man says he stumbled across a creepy doll in the woods near San Diego, California. And then things got weird. he recorded himself with this huge and scary-looking doll, which he ended up naming “Timmy.”
The innocent sight of a young boy sitting on a rock with his dog turned out to be a nightmare. This incident is as mysterious as it can get.
Hidden Treasure
Wales is not a country you hear about that often. However, it should be because it’s full of beautiful coastline and some excellent hiking.
Apparently, there are also hidden treasure boxes just waiting to be found. Whoever found this one was unable to open it, but we like to imagine there is some pirate treasure waiting to be unearthed.
Doomsday Tiny Homes
A lot of people live in the woods, although how many and in each country remains unclear. Some people just prefer to live off the grid, and eat what the land provides. One hiker stumbled across these metal structures, which showed signs of habitation.
There were dead animals strung up in the area, which looked like they were for eating. Sometimes it’s better not to investigate, even if you’re feeling curious.
Welcome To Jurassic Park
Anyone who has seen Jurassic Park knows that bringing dinosaurs to life is never a good idea. That doesn’t make us stop wondering what dinosaurs looked like though, and trying to imagine the sheer size of them.
A random stranger decided to create a fiberglass T-Rex, and install it on a popular hiking path one day. Imagine strolling past this, and thinking it’s real for a split second?
A Lost Cow
The reality is that we are never going to know how a lot of these items ended up in the woods, but we really want to. Another strange find is this giant stuffed cow that someone decided to hang in the woods.
Not only would this have been difficult to carry on a hike, but getting it up high enough would have been a struggle to. This poor cow needs to be taken home, and tucked into a child’s bed where it belongs.
The Shoe Tree
Sometimes spots we know and love can change in an instant. A couple who regularly walked the path by this tree had never really noticed it before.
Then, on one of their weekly strolls they noticed the tree had undergone a makeover. Someone had turned it into a monument to lost shoes. We would love to know the meaning behind this.
The Real Life Toy Story
Okay, this is one of the creepiest items on this list. The Toy Story franchise from Disney, always features a doll’s head, attached to a robotic body. This doll’s head looks like it has come right out of the film, and then been forgotten in the woods.
Stumbling across this creepy old doll’s head is not something a hiker wants to do. However, we are yet again left with the question, “How did it get here?”
The Family Plot
Back in the day, when families still had a lot of land, they would build their own family plots. These would be each family member’s final resting spot, so that they could be together for eternity.
Now, we’re not a hundred percent sure that’s what these four concrete mounds are, but they definitely could be. This could be some kind of hidden infrastructure system, but we think it might be a tad more morbid than that.
Elmo’s World
If you grew up in the 90s, you might hold Elmo’s World very near and dear to your heart. This amazing TV show was fun and educational and made a great impact on many people’s lives.
Hopefully the person who found this Elmo world in the middle of the woods took it as a fun discovery instead of a nightmare!
Forest Fortress
Without context, this strange structure might look like a big animal cage made out of thin tree trunks. But, we know it’s part of an outdoor exercise area. This intricate climbing system must surely be sight to behold in real life.
Imagine not knowing about this outdoors gym and bumping into this bizarre structure in the middle of your hike.
Coffin
This poor hiker must have had the biggest scare of their entire life. Finding an old empty coffin in the middle of the woods is not something that happens very often to anybody.
Nevertheless, they were brave enough to take a couple of pictures to document such creepy discovery and maybe let the proper authorities know where it was located.
To Open Or Not Open
Something as mundane as a freezer can become a fuel for nightmares if you happen to find one in the middle of the woods. This particular freezer was tightly shut and a black plastic bag was peeking out of it.
It’s very difficult not to let our imagination run wild in such circumstances. Do you dare look inside of it?
Staircase to Nowhere
Led Zeppelin sang about a “Stairway to Heaven” but we aren’t exactly sure where these sets of steps are supposed to lead…
Those who have encountered these fully-formed structures have reported an eerie and foreboding sensation. Upon reaching the top, one person claims to have spotted a disembodied face staring at them amidst the trees. Hidden in forests and overgrown jungles, the staircases range from odd to downright eerie. Some have even questioned whether they lead to a portal of something otherworldly.
A Letter
Imagine asking the universe for a message and it sends you an entire letter but written upside down and in Farsi! It would take effort and patience to sit down and decipher it with the help of the internet.
The letter ended up being pretty innocent, wishing certain people good health and wealth in this life and the next ones.
Zesty
This curious hiker came across a huge pile of zested lemons in the middle of the woods. No indications were found as to why the lemons were discarded of where the peels went.
Our guess is that the strong citrus lemon drove the hiker to make this strange discovery. Think of it as some nice citrus freshener for the woods!
Holding The Torch High
Going for a morning jog before work truly deserves to be celebrated. It’s in the small victories that we feel a sense of empowerment and confidence when it comes to health and fitness.
This dedicated jogger was congratulated by Nature itself when this incredibly accurate wooden torch appeared in their way. It’s as if the woods were rooting for them!
Spooky Surprise
Stumbling upon a scene like this one in the middle of the woods must be very scary but intriguing at the same time. This brave hiker thought so as well and ventured to take their smartphone out and snap a picture of it.
Who knows what this might mean, but for the sake of respect it’s better to leave it alone.
Snake Skin
We know and understand the various biological processes that go on in the woods even when we are not looking. But imagine the chills down the spine of this person when they found this incredibly long shed of snakeskin in their local woods.
It gives us the heebie-jeebies to know such a creature is lurking around while we are asleep.
Skulls
There are some weird people running around in the forest. According to this picture, someone must have taken the time to go around the woods collecting all the animal skulls and bones they could find.
They hung them on this tree and made this strange art exhibition for anyone that would walk by to see. It’s very unsettling and odd.
One Odd Find
Hikers have gotten quite creative with the stuff they find on their walks and have started to build a statue collectively.
As you can see in the picture, it started out with the trunk of a tree that looked like legs. People started adding eyes, a nose, a red hat, hands and yes – a toilet. It’s a real art project!
Heavy Lifting
Large chain grips are often used by loggers and forestry workers to rig heavy loads deep in the forest, therefore it’s understandable to find such things in the woods.
However, the tree that is being rigged in this picture is quite small, a person could have carried it. The job was abandoned and the tree started to engulf the chains.
Teepee For The Taking
This family on vacation decided to explore a nearby wood, but they never imagined they would find a teepee made out of sticks deep in the forest.
Maybe a group of kids wanted to build a fort to play in or maybe someone went camping without a tent. Either way, this discovery made a great place to do a photoshoot.
A Slide From Our Childhood
Remember when we were little, we would go to the park and hop on the slides? It was a lot of fun, unless it was a hot summer day and the metal would be scorching hot.
Nowadays these old slides have been discontinued due to safety reasons. A hiker stumbled upon this old rusting slide and reminisced about their childhood.
Runaway Gnome
There seems to be a trend of finding scary looking dolls in the forest. This hiker found a garden gnome inside a tree opening.
It doesn’t look that scary, but it makes you wonder who put it there and why. Maybe it’s magical and it ran away from its garden into the forest. Maybe it’s best to leave it there.
Hanging Doll
People need to stop polluting the woodlands with plastic. It might be a funny joke to scare hikers with a dismembered doll hanging from a tree but we have to think about the environmental impact of these practical jokes.
We just hope someone dares to clean up that haunted doll so that the forest can be kept trash free.
Hanging Bone
Experienced hunters do leave skulls and certain bones outside so Nature can clean them thoroughly. They will later hang them as hunting trophies on the wall.
But this random bone hanging by a piece of white thread on a pine tree does not exactly look like the type hunters like to hang. This leaves us with more questions than answers.
Fake Skulls
The reason why this old church is not marked off with police tape right now is because these skulls are not real. They are made out of plaster or cement, however they do look quite realistic.
Someone planted a bunch of these fake skulls around an abandoned church. We suspect the police were called at some point to investigate it.
Creepy Art
This artist chose a young tree inside the wood to carve this incredible drawing of a man with a tiger body. Although the detail of this work is quite impressive, the stripping of the bark around this tree will most likely kill it.
Maybe next time, the artist could make use of dead trees and fallen branches to make art.
Bone Exhibition
We have been told that this was a livestock dumping sight, but it seems very much unlikely that the farmers arranged the animal bones into these strange ritualistic patterns.
They drew a rectangle with the shorter bones and carefully arranged the rib cages in the center. Hopefully, this is just the work of some bored kids trying to be edgy.
Joker Artist
Artists neve cease to amaze with their ingenuity and creativity. The person who took this picture found this cement sculpture of a person doing number two in the middle of the snowy forest.
They had a laugh and uploaded the photograph to social media to try to find who the author was. Hopefully they did and congratulated this joker artist.
Scarehuman
This looks more of a scarehuman than a scarecrow! This horrible thing will scare any trespassers away for good. It looks like it’s an old dirty bathrobe and a blond wig hanging from some broken branches.
It resembles a human form from afar. Maybe the goal of this person was to scare curious children away from their property.
I’d knock
This ensemble is kind of cute. It looks like the house of a wood gnome and it even has a little blue door and an entrance. There are many folktales of small magical human-like creatures that live in the forest.
People have left small trinkets and colorful beads as decorations for this gnome’s home. Would you knock on that door?
Forgotten Things
It’s hard to know why these pieces of underwear are hanging on a branch in the middle of the forest. We think it probably belongs to someone who went camping, washed their underwear, hung it and forgot to pick it up.
Hopefully they can come and get them back before they get ruined or taken by the animals of the forest.
Waiting Room
The person who uploaded this picture to social media told us that this was near an old railway line and had a sign saying “Waiting Room” posted near it.
This detailed scenario is a sarcastic jab at the British railway system, we must admit that it is quite funny and clever. We wonder how many people were involved in this.
It: Chapter 2
This cursed doll was found by a hiker on a sunny morning in the middle of the woods. The doll had only one arm left and had clown makeup on.
We are not sure if the makeup is original or if someone painted it like that. Either way, clowns are very scary, they remind us of “It” from Stephen King.
Frog Umbrella
This scarecrow might be carrying a friendly frog umbrella, but it would still be very unsettling to come across. Are they trying to scare animals from the wood or perhaps it’s there to scare people away?
Either way it will work. Animals will not get near it and humans will not trust it either. It just looks too uncanny.
Odd Skull
It’s not uncommon to find skulls in the forest. People usually stumble upon deer, birds and small rodent skulls, but this skull is quite different.
Can you guess to which animal it belongs to? It belongs to a loggerhead turtle which can be found near beaches. The odd thing is that the rest of the bones are nowhere to be found.
Scary Puppet
This person told us that their girlfriend’s mother found this weird scarecrow in a field while she was out for a walk in the Czech Republic. She was brave enough to take a couple of pictures.
This eerie puppet is dressed in women’s clothing and has a red wig. It also appears to be holding a bottle of liquor.