The Gem State is home to many strange and unexplained phenomena. From haunted hotels and hospitals to gory jails and terrifying theatres, there are loads of places to go ghost-hunting and investigate paranormal activities. Ready to get the fright of your life? Grab your proton pack, as here are some of the most haunted places in Idaho.
7 Most Haunted Places in Idaho
1. The Old Idaho Penitentiary, Boise
Many people consider the Old Idaho Penitentiary one of the most haunted destinations in Idaho. It is so spooky that it has appeared on television shows such as Ghost Adventures, The Lowe Files, Haunted Towns, and Destination Fear. Located in Boise, this prison housed some of the most notorious criminals in the West from 1872 to 1973. Visitors report strange encounters while at this historic jail. You can check it out for yourself, as it is one of only four territorial prisons open to the public today.
2. Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital, Gooding
This prominent paranormal hot spot in Gooding is famous because the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures featured it on the show. The building began life as part of the Gooding College campus that ceased operations in the late 1930s. The Methodist Church owned the property and gave it to the state in 1941 for tuberculosis patients. The hospital shut in 1976, and today it is the Gooding University Inn. Throughout its years as a hotel, guests have reported hauntings by the ghosts of patients past and by children who died on the property. Paranormal activity encounter includes hearing disembodied footsteps, full-figure apparitions and scary sounds throughout the halls.
3. The Egyptian Theatre, Boise
The Egyptian Theatre first opened its doors in 1927 and is one of Boise’s most cherished historical landmarks. It is also one of its most haunted too. Residing in the theatre is the spirit of a former projectionist called Joe. Joe started working in the theatre in the 1920s and continued working there until the 1950s. This is when he had a heart attack whilst climbing the stairs to the projection booth. Spooky goings-on include doors opening and closing by themselves, lights turning on and off, and odd noises coming from the rooms.
4. Spirit Lake, Kootenai County
Spirit Lake in northern Idaho takes its name from the spirit of a heartbroken Native American woman who drowned herself in the lake. Legend has it that a pair of star-crossed lovers from the Kootenai tribe, who were forbidden to see each other, willingly drowned themselves in the lake. They wanted to enter eternity together rather than live without each other. Spirit Lake is one of only two lakes in the world with a “sealed bottom.” This means that little to no water ever escapes Spirit Lake, and neither do the souls of those who die there. Legend has it that on moonlit nights, you can see the ghosts of the drowned lovers rowing a canoe across the misty water.
5. The Brig at Farragut State Park, Athol
The Brig at Farragut State Park in Athol was once a former naval training centre and was also an old military jail. Situated on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, it was once the second-largest naval training centre in the world. Today, it is a museum that captures the history of the Farragut Naval Training Station – The Brig is one of only a few structures left of the 776 buildings that were once on the base. The museum is filled with memorabilia dedicated to the 293,381 naval recruits who received their basic training at the site. Guests at the Brig have reported seeing orbs, objects moving by themselves, the ghostly clanging of cell doors, and the apparitions of a bald man in a prison uniform and a man wearing a navy uniform wandering along the shore.
6. Idanha Hotel, Boise
The Idanha Hotel is a historic building in downtown Boise on the corner of 10th and Main Street. Constructed in 1901, the building’s original purpose was a hotel, but builders converted it into apartments in the 1970s. In 1874, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hauntings and paranormal activity date right back to the construction of the building, with workers reporting strange activity. Then the hotel’s bellman was gunned down, and his ghost haunts the elevator. The elevator moves up and down at night all by itself. A woman who was murdered and buried in the basement also haunts the building. With so many ghosts, this is one of the most haunted places in Idaho.
7. The Bates Motel, Coeur d’Alene
The Bates Motel in Idaho existed long before Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller movie, came out. However, it is just as creepy, and rumour has it that the author of Psycho, Robert Bloch, stayed in the hotel in the 1950s. Before it was a hotel, it was a barracks for soldiers before and after World War II. Rooms 1 and 3 are haunted, with guests reporting feelings of being watched, suddenly feeling cold, things moving by themselves, and lights flicking on and off without anyone touching them. It is one of the most haunted hotels in Idaho. Are you brave enough to stay the night?
