Built upon the backs of prisoners, the lush MacKenzie State Park on the Big Island is haunted by the souls that have perished there. Faint campfires in the distant and horrid screams in the night have made more than one camper stay away from the park after night.
Found in Opihikao on Hawaii’s Big Island, MacKenzie State Park is a place where the line between the living and the dead seems impossibly thin. The trail follows the scenic Red Road along the Puna Coastline. Though the park is small, open only during daylight hours, it has a sinister reputation that far outweighs its modest size.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from the USA
The park offers picnic facilities, restrooms, and a tranquil grove of ironwood trees planted in the 1930s by a young park ranger, Albert J. MacKenzie, who died at 21 and who the park is named after. Yet beneath its seemingly peaceful facade, MacKenzie State Park hides a chilling history that has made it one of the most haunted spots in Hawaii.
A Park Built on Dark History
The park sits along an ancient Hawaiian coastal path known as the “King’s Highway,” a trail that winds past the mouths of yawning lava tubes and follows a shoreline marked by treacherous cliffs and strong currents. In the 1850s, long before it was designated as a park, the area served a far more sinister purpose. Convicts from Honolulu were shipped to the Big Island, forced to toil under harsh conditions, clearing land for sugar plantations and maintaining the King’s Highway. These prisoners, many of whom died from disease, exhaustion, or mistreatment, were buried in unmarked graves scattered throughout the area.
Locals already believed this land to be haunted by the restless spirits called the ‘Uhane—ghostly figures who wander the earth, unable to find peace. Legends also spoke of the Night Marchers, the ghostly apparitions of ancient Hawaiian warriors doomed to march eternally along sacred pathways. As the convicts’ bodies were buried, the park became a site of overlapping spiritual unrest—a confluence of the old spirits of the ‘Uhane and the new souls of the prisoners, trapped in an unending search for release.
Eerie Phenomena: The Ghostly Presence
Hikers who brave the old coastal trail often recount eerie, inexplicable experiences and think that it must be the ghosts of the prison laborers haunting the park. Footsteps echo behind them when no one is there, and shadowy figures appear to watch from the dense grove of ironwood trees. According to some visitors they have even seen unshaven men carrying pick axes and other tools around sunset.
Read also: The Haunted Banyan Trees on Manoa Falls Trail
Campers have more terrifying tales to tell. Those who dared to camp overnight speak of hearing footsteps circling their tents, accompanied by low murmurs and whispers or even anguished screams. People have also reported of something disturbing their tents in the night and unseen forces unzipping their sleeping bags. When they summon the courage to look outside, there is nothing there. Some even claim to have seen the flickering lights of ghostly campfires off in the distance, complete with figures moving around the flames. But when they approach, the campfires vanish as if they were never there.
The Spirits in the Night in MacKenzie State Park
But not all spirits in MacKenzie State Park are content to remain hidden. Many have reported hearing screams and groans emerging from the darkness, chilling the blood of even the most seasoned campers. Tents are sometimes violently shaken in the dead of night, and those inside can feel the presence of something—or someone—outside, watching, waiting. Some claim the spirits are not content to remain outside; they will invade the tents, pressing cold hands against the living or even attempting to choke them. And just as suddenly as they arrive, these spirits vanish, leaving their victims in a cold sweat and desperate to escape the haunted park.
Murders in the Park
In 1980, two young campers were dragged from their tent and severely beaten, leaving one camper dead and the other disabled. This crime remains unsolved. In 1993, three men kidnapped, raped, and murdered a sixteen year old girl. These men were prosecuted for this crime, and confessed that they threw her over the cliffs into the ocean while she was still alive.
More recently in 2008, film crews shooting a Helen Mirren film called “The Tempest” discovered the bullet-riddled body of a local surfer. The killer was his own father.
The notoriously unsafe sea cliffs have killed several fishermen and ‘opihi pickers whose bodies are usually never found in the harsh Puna surf. All of these violent deaths have attributed to the parks haunted reputation.
The Unseen Campfires
Locals will tell you that MacKenzie State Park is not just haunted, but alive with spirit activity. Some say that the ghosts make their own encampments, complete with campfires and tents that appear out of nowhere. As hikers draw near, the campfires flicker out, and the tents vanish, leaving behind only the sound of the wind rustling through the ironwood trees. It’s said that these spirits are recreating scenes from their past lives, reliving moments they cannot leave behind.
For those who dare to visit, a warning: do not stray from the path, do not camp overnight, and always keep an eye on the shadows. The ghosts of MacKenzie State Park may be watching, waiting, and they are not always content to remain unseen.
So, if you ever find yourself at MacKenzie State Park, remember that you are not alone. The past lingers here, in the groves, in the lava tubes, and in the night. And sometimes, just sometimes, the spirits reach out, reminding us of their presence, their stories, and their restless search for peace in a land where life and death intertwine.
Newest Posts
- The Cursed Forest and Poltergeist of Finnskogen at VälgunahoBordering Norway and Sweden, the mysterious Finnskogen forest, with its deep rooted trees holds ghosts, curses and lingering spirits. Like the poltergeist like ghost at Välgunaho farm, who drove its residents away and left it abandoned for over a century.
- Alukah: The Vampire of Ancient Text and FolkloreIn Jewish mysticism, the vampiric Alukah from ancient text is still debated and feared today. But where does the demonic spirit really come from?
- The Haunted National Museum of Ireland: Ghosts of Collins BarracksNow, the former barracks has turned into the National Museum of Ireland. If we are to believe the rumours, the ghosts of war from the former Collins Barracks are said to still linger.
- The Ghosts of Løp Gård North of the VeilIn the old farm for the rich and the powerful in the northern parts of Norway, Løp Gård is said to hold many of their former inhabitants, even in their death.
- Darkey Kelly: The Green Lady of the LibertiesWas she a Witch or Serial Killer with connection to the Hellfire Club that her legends paint her to be? What was the true story behind Darkey Kelley, said to haunt Dublin as the Green Lady of the Liberties.
- The Limping Ghost of FossesholmAfter tragedy struck Birthe Svendsdatter, she threw herself from the window and ended up with a limp and a brain injury. Called Halte-Birthe because of her limp, she is said to haunt Fossesholm Manor to this day.
- The Aufhocker: The Heavy Vampiric Spirit of GermanyFeeling like a sudden and invisible burden, the life force of wary travellers were long subjected to the terror of the Aufhocker. A creature between the vampire, werewolf and goblin spirits, the legend of the empty road were long haunted by something heavy.
- Davy Byrne’s Pub: The Ghost of James Joyce Still Raising a GlassSaid to appear in the mirror of his favorite place for a pint in Dublin, the ghost of James Joyce is rumored to still linger in Davy Byrne’s Pub.
- The Tragic Ghost of the Maid Haunting Visnes HotelA maid who once worked at the hotel allegedly took her own life at the old Visnes Hotel, deep in the Norwegian fjords. Now it is said she is lingering in the afterlife in the old rooms she once worked in.
- The Black Church: Where the Devil Waits in DublinA church with the sinister name The Black Church in Dublin has a legend that claims if you follow the ritual, you will be able to summon the devil.
- The Nordic Grave Dwelling Haugbúi Draugr (ᛏᚱᛅᚢᚴᛦ)An ancient ghost coming from the depths of graves across the nordic countries, the Haugbúi Draugr could be both dangerous and even deadly. Not merely a specter, but the rotten flesh of the dead, the ghosts are remembered as The Walking Dead of the North.
- The Haunting of Hendrick Street: Dublin’s Most Cursed CornerIn the dark Hendrick Street in Dublin, there once were two houses said to be some of the most haunted ones in town. Occupied by at least six ghosts, some say they still linger in their old street.
References:
MacKenzie State Park in Hawaii: Murder Stories and Haunted Legends – WanderWisdom
https://www.riseupparanormal.com/hawaii.htm
Mackenzie State Park: The Spooky, Grave-laden Haunted Park
