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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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