Researchers have identified a sweet spot between fear and fun that explains our obsession with creepy night hikes and haunted campfires. We compiled a month of terrifying tales in our It’s Dark Outside series to celebrate that exact feeling.
(Photo: CharlieChesvick / Getty)
Published October 1, 2026 03:01AM
When I was a teenager, my friends and I piled into my 1989 Toyota Camry to visit what some call the most haunted place in Minnesota. As the sun set, we drove to Gray Cloud Island Township, about 20 minutes south of Saint Paul and a 15-minute trip from my childhood home, blasting, I’m sure, some mix of Modest Mouse, Postal Service, and Dr. Dre. As we neared the cemetery, crossing a narrow road over Mooers Lake, I felt butterflies in my stomach. Gray Cloud Island was, supposedly, built on an ancient burial ground, and visitors had reported paranormal activity, including phantom drumbeats and an aggressive white pickup truck that vanished after trying to run visitors off the road.
We parked near the outside of the cemetery and squeezed around the gate. We spent about an hour slowly hiking the dirt trails through trees and gravestones, sneaking up on one another, and letting our imaginations fly. Did we hear drumbeats? Some of my friends said they did. Did we get chased by a white truck? No—although someone did flash their high beams at us from a distance and yell at us to get lost, our last scare before we sprinted back to the car.
More than 20 years later, I vividly recall details from that trip because for many outdoors enthusiasts, there’s nothing as exhilarating as being scared outside. We love a night hike on a spooky path, leaves and gravel crunching underfoot, temperatures dropping, and a light fog from the lake rising into the dark air. We tell scary stories around the campfire, while logs crackle and marshmallows roast. We listen carefully when twigs snap outside of our tents, wondering if it’s a bear, a serial killer, or Bigfoot himself.
That’s because for many of us, spookiness in nature hits what researchers call the “sweet spot” between fear and fun. One study from Aarhus University’s Recreational Fear Lab, for example, found what researchers identified as an “inverted-U-shaped relationship between self-reported fear and enjoyment.” In other words, we experience the perfect thrill when we feel spooked on a scary hike, for example, but know that we’re just a quick sprint away from the safety of our car.
But you don’t have to go for a haunted hike or, say, trespass through a graveyard, to experience that sweet spot of fear. A scary story can make your heart race in the best possible way, too, just like an eerie trek under a full moon. Here at Outside, we have no shortage of scary, mysterious stories, and a legacy of telling tales of human extremes and mysterious happenings.
We’re leaning into that legacy for the month of October, when we’ll celebrate spooky season with our “It’s Dark Outside” collection. Each day, we’ll highlight a new story: some from our vault of classic, creepy long reads, others highlighting our best service on adventuring through haunted trails or abandoned ghost towns, and some brand new scary stories, too. There will be tales of murder in national parks, supposed ghosts on river trips, and haunted campgrounds.
Check back here for a new one daily.
See you out there,
Abigail Wise
Brand Director, Outside
