This is one spooky hike.
A drear , snarl - same forest of non - native trees deliberately planted by the Union regime sound like something out ofStranger Things , but nuzzle amidst the rugged Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma , one such position is all too perplexingly real . The Parallel Forestis like an eerie mirage on a quiet , twisting stretch of Oklahoma State Route 115 . This unmarked patch of woods , only recognize by a midget parking lot that frequently sits empty , stand in austere contrast to the surrounding desert - alike terrain , with its soar canopy of red cedar tree trees so obtuse and tall that they block out the sun . Welcome to the creepiest wage increase of your life .
Wander through creepy perfection
The Parallel Forest is n’t huge . At just 16 acres , the whole matter could well be contained on one floor of the Mall of America , but it ’s a matter of quality over quantity here — or rather , a issue of labyrinthine mystery and machination . What it lacks in size of it , it more than makes up for with creepyStepford Wives - like perfection .
The forest is a ocean of more than 20,000 red cedars that were deliberately planted by the federal government as an experimentation to try out to foresee the effect of the Dust Bowl . As dust come sweeping down the Plains in the ‘ XXX , fundamentally cover much of the state in dirt for a good decade , the US politics plain thought it would be a good idea to plant non - native cedars precisely six - infantry asunder in every counseling over a swath of several estate , to act as a would - be wind block to fracture up the dusty maelstrom . The fact that there are n’t multiple Parallel Forests throughout the region suggests that the experimentation may have been … not successful . alternatively , the government succeeded with endue southwestern Oklahoma a woods that ’s as socially distance as it is creepy-crawly and plagued by murky , taken up lore .
Get lost in lore
For starters , the woods just looks foreboding as hell . From the minuscule cement patch of a parking muckle , it ’s an impose wall of cedars that calculate more like a fort than an invite woodland trek . If Harry Potter took place in Oklahoma , this would be the Forbidden Forest . Penetrating its walls , the gay skies are quickly put back by a dense canopy , and the further you traipse , the more the road fades away . Since the trees are all dead implant six - foot apart in every commission , this is n’t really a forest with designated trails ; rather , keep track of where you enter and taste not to meander around in circle , which is all too easy to do , considering this is like the wooded equivalent of a mirror labyrinth . That being said , the forest is only 16 acres , so you in all probability do n’t require to worry about bechance a hopelessBlair Witch - style fate . Your good stake is to download the AllTrails app and utilize it tofollow the 0.8 - mile cringle arse .
Still , something as affected and bewildering as this is bind to attractsome morbid mythos . Since its dusty ancestry , there have been reports of unexplained hatful — include globe in photos , membranophone phone , and headless ghosts — and witchcraft ceremonies , though whether or not theBlair Witchis involved is still to be determined . Oh , and there ’s also an unexplained man - made stone formation in the middle of the woods that ’s rumored to be an altar for satanic rituals , NBD . Whether any of these “ hauntings ” or ritual are legit remain to be see , or perhaps they ’re just subconscious brain - hocus-pocus bestow on by the ominous setting . After all , any place that ’s been abandoned by the governing and shrouded in near - constant darkness is guarantee to feel a shade unsettling disregardless . And if you hear a twig snap in the distance , just tell yourself it ’s an errant longhorn fall back in the forest . Just like you .
The Creepiest Urban Legend in Every State
Visit non-haunted stuff nearby
All that being say , there ’s a band to see and do in the area around the Parallel Forest that does n’t involve satanic ritual . The forest is on the eastern edge of theWichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge , a 60,000 - acre green that ’s far more straightforward to navigate . Here , you ’ll find guggle brooks , lakes , grassy prairies , rough canyons , and mountainous passel , along with numerous designated trails . One of the most scenic is theBison Trail , a six - mile iteration that amble by a surprisingly bass canon ( at least by Oklahoma standards ; maybe do n’t take an Arizonan here ) , across a river , through forests , and grassland , with the likely chance to spot godforsaken bison , longhorn , and other critter , like tarantulas , prairie dogs , and roadrunner .
To the due east of the Parallel Forest lies the bucolic , preserved - in - sentence town of ofMedicine Park , a happy little slice of Americana lined with sett streets , wooden bridges , swimming mess , ice pick shops , and twee cottages that look like hobbit hollow out . witching restaurants burst , includingRiverside Cafe , Santa ’s Snack Shop , Small Mountain Street Tacos , andThe Old Plantation , the latter of which scratches the southerly consolation scabies with fried greenish Lycopersicon esculentum , Gallus gallus - fried steak , fried siluriform fish sandwich , and deep-dish pie .
For more quintessentially Oklahoman culinary art , waiting line up atMeers Store and Restaurant , a ramshackle burger establishment that ’s been around since 1901 , when the tiny town of Meers was a bustling atomic number 79 mine mecca . Nowadays , this enduringly democratic shack of a restaurant command ineluctably long blood line for tried - and - true platter - sized cheeseburgers , thick wedge shape fries , and deoxyephedrine cream ice-cream sundae so large they ’re essentially served in baseball helmet .
Ann W
Oklahoma Tourism
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