The Haunted Forest

Ready to find out if things really do go bump in the night? Looming over Altadena in the southern hollows of Angeles National Forest lie the decrepit ruins of Cobb Estate—its abandoned stairways and random lumps of concrete setting the stage for ghost tales galore. The 107-acre estate once owned by the Wright Brothers is today a popular hiking destination, and home to the infamous Haunted Woods, so named for the eerie (if non-specific) sensations and noises reported by hikers, ghost patrollers, and many a mischievous teenager. A hike here can be a thrilling way to celebrate Halloween. Between the park's alleged paranormal activity and the chaparral's drought-stricken, skeletal terrain, you can dip down into Las Flores Canyon and snake up the lower San Gabriel Mountains while scaring the pants off your friends and yourself. The moderate 5-mile out-and-back Sam Merrill Trail connects to Echo Mountain via Mount Lowe Railway Trail (and eventually Inspiration Point via Castle Canyon Trail, if you'd prefer a 10-mile round-trip hike) and has plenty of vista ops—on a clear day you can see over the expanse of the San Gabriel Valley all the way to downtown.

TIP: To explore Cobb Estate's former headquarters, keep left at the fork where the Sam Merrill Trail begins and follow the eroded asphalt road up to the driveway that circles around the estate's ruins. When you find a concrete staircase, a subject of much of the area's ghostly lore, you've made it.

The Cobb Estate and Sam Merrill Trail (map) is open sunrise to sunset. Parking is available on N. Lake Ave., just outside the trailhead.