From the Flying Witch to Spooky Gulch, Utah’s public lands have the perfect eerie destination for your next outdoor adventure.
Christina Judd with the Bureau of Land Management Utah said Utah’s landscapes have many unique formations. One such formation is known as the Flying Witch.
“It is out in our Green River District," Judd said. "The BLM doesn't recognize that specific formation as 'The Flying Witch,' however, it does look like a flying witch."
“Flying Witch,” “Screaming Man” and “Alien Head” are just a few of the names given to rock formations in Fantasy Canyon, a small area about 25 miles south of Vernal.
At the other end of the state, near Cedar City, Judd said you can find advanced mountain biking trails with names like Boneyard and Tombstone.
“I think sometimes these places get named this because they're very difficult. People breaking bones, and they're crashing, and they're having accidents in these areas,” Judd said.
In Southern Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, there is a popular hiking destination called Spooky Gulch. Judd said the slot canyon lives up to its name.
“It's very narrow, very, very dark at night," Judd said. "There has been flash flooding in the area, sometimes, so you have to be careful."
In addition to creepy formations and dangerous terrain, parts of Utah may seem eerie to some because they are remote and undeveloped.
“There are no services, there’s no cell service at all," Judd said. "And so it becomes this destination for people who want to get away.".
Judd said there is beauty in the isolation.
“Not a lot of people who live in urban areas get to see the Milky Way. ... Plus, then there's cow bones out there and howling coyotes and stuff that gets to be a little spooky,” Judd said.
