The Ghosts and Ghost Towns of Idaho

The rugged mountain and vast wilderness of Idaho echo with stories from the past. Tales of lingering ancient spirits and gold mines turned ghost towns whisper throughout the state. Whether you’re a ghost hunter or a history buff, the Gem State has a haunted history waiting to be explored. 

Here are our top ghost towns and haunted places in Idaho.

Custer, Idaho

Originally founded in 1879 by gold prospectors, Custer flourished for only a couple of decades before it was abandoned in 1910. Left alone for several decades more, the Challis National Forest took ownership of the area in 1966, before being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. 

Today, visitors can take guided tours of the restored town and the nearby Yankee Fork Gold Dredge.



Bonus Town: Located close to Custer is another ghost town, Bonanza. Unlike Custer, Bonanza has not been restored, leaving the town riddled with rundown cabins and an overgrown cemetery. Bonanza is privately owned, but it is open to the public.

Bayhorse, Idaho



Another ghostly gem located in Salmon-Challis National Forest, Bayhorse was a gold mine, turned silver mine, that was founded (and abandoned) around the same time as Custer. Now, Bayhorse is one of the best-preserved boomtown mill sites in the Western US! 

Today, visitors can explore the Bayhorse Ghost Town and Trails System, where stone buildings, charcoal kilns, and mining relics tell the story of a rugged frontier life.

Silver City, Idaho

The most famous and largest ghost town in Idaho is Silver City. Once famed for its riches, Silver City boasted over 300 homes and 75 businesses at its height. Many of those buildings remain standing today.

When the silver veins dried up, so did the town. But some of the buildings may not have emptied. One of the original buildings, the Idaho Hotel, is rumored to host more than a few lingering spirits.

Mackay’s Mine Hill



Between the small town of MacKay and the White Knob Mountains lay a collection of abandoned places waiting to be explored. Mackay’s “Mine Hill” includes two ghost towns, a sawmill, a handful of miners’ cabins, the ruins of old transportation systems, and several mining sites. 

Once, these mines produced millions of pounds of copper, lead, and zinc, in addition to substantial amounts of silver and gold. Now the sites lie silent, waiting for guests to tour.

Spirit Lake



The crystal-clear waters of Spirit Lake hold both beauty and sorrow. Unlike most lakes, its bottom is sealed, meaning no water escapes — a perfect place for spirits to be trapped. The Kootenai tribe tells the story of two young lovers who were forbidden to be together. Rather than live apart, they paddled into the misty lake, vowed eternal love, and drowned themselves. 

After this tragedy, the tribe renamed the waters Tesemini, or “Lake of Spirits,” to honor them. To this day, visitors claim that on moonlit nights a phantom canoe glides across the surface, carrying the silhouettes of the lovers who chose each other in death.

Owyhee Mountains

Hidden in the shadows of the Owyhee Mountains are creatures straight from campfire horror stories. According to Shonshone and Bannock stories, the mountains are home to cannibal dwarves with a taste for human flesh. Two-feet-tall, with long tails they wrap around themselves to disguise their forms, the dwarves are cunning hunters who lure children to their deaths.

When pioneers and prospectors flooded into the mountains, warnings from Native tribes went unheeded until stories of children disappearing into the mountains spread. Some say the missing children were simply lost in the rough terrain. But others whispered that the dwarves still prowled the mountains– hiding and hunting in the rocks.

Shoshone Ice Caves

The Shoshone Ice Caves are a chilling experience, literally and figuratively. Formed from a collapsed lava tube, the caves are an underground world of perpetual cold, with near-freezing temperatures year-round.

Native legends spoke of spirits wandering the icy corridors, and even today, visitors report strange occurrences. Heavy footsteps echo in empty tunnels, whispers float in the dark, and sudden cold drafts brush against the skin. Some believe the ice itself holds the energy of those who perished in the caves or nearby lands, forever preserving their presence in the dark.

The Bates Motel (Inspiration for Psycho): No spooky tour of Idaho is complete without a stop at The Bates Motel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This eerie Idaho motel reportedly inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, which adds a chilling note to the state’s haunted lore.

Old Idaho Penitentiary:  With more than 100 years of history, the former prison in Boise is shrouded in history. Over the years, the prison saw many scandals, deaths, and accidents. Many visitors report unexplained voices, cold spots, and ghostly figures in the cell blocks.

Gravesite of Lady Bluebeard: Lyda Southard, Idaho’s infamous “Lady Bluebeard,” was convicted of poisoning multiple husbands for insurance money. She is buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Twin Falls, where visitors sometimes report a dark, uneasy feeling around her final resting place.

Stricker Ranch Stage stop: Also known as Rock Creek Station, this historic spot in Hansen, Idaho, was once a stop along the Oregon Trail. Many travelers didn’t make it to their final destination and were buried here. Unlike many of the locations on this list, Stricker Ranch is said to be haunted by friendly ghosts, including the helpful spirit of Mrs. Sticker. 



Idaho State Tuberculosis Hospital:  Now operating as the Gooding University Inn and Resort, the former TB hospital is notorious for ghostly encounters, from shadowy apparitions to phantom voices. Paranormal enthusiasts can even book overnight ghost hunts here.

Boot Hill Pioneer Cemetery



In its heyday, Idaho City was a rambunctious place. Of the first 200 recorded deaths in the area, only 28 were of natural causes.  Since the town’s founding, thousands of pioneers, miners, and outlaws have been laid to rest in the area now known as “Pioneer Cemetery”. Since the 1860s, Much of the cemetery was lost ot fire, leaving an estimated 3000 graves without a marker. 

Perhaps it was their rough passing, or the loss of their grave markers, that has caused so many restless souls to wander around the pinetrees and sagebrush of the cemetery.

The Sluice Box

From the outside, you can tell that this unique building has a story to tell. This Antique Shop originally opened in the 1970s and quickly gained a reputation as a paranormal hotspot. 

The original owners, Larry and Ruthie Carter, added maze-like rooms and a rooftop tower, which Larry hoped would attract lost and weary souls. It appears that this plan worked. Floating lights have been spotted on the top floor, and some say they’ve seen ghostly figures in the windows. 

The Caters have since passed away, but it appears that Larry may not have passed on. The building was sold in 2014 and has since reopened to customers and ghost enthusiasts alike.