The park’s first haunted trail blends local history and Halloween fun while spotlighting its lesser-known Sandhills access.
Did you know you can turn off Ramsey Street and, within minutes, trade Fayetteville traffic for miles of trails winding through a longleaf pine forest?
If your answer is no, you are not alone. I had no clue either.
Jonelle Kimbrough, a member of Friends of Carvers Creek State Park and one of the organizers behind Shadows in the Pines, said the group had been looking for creative ways to introduce more people to the park, particularly its Sandhills access in Fayetteville. Opened in 2019, the entrance remains less familiar to many residents than the park’s Long Valley Farm access near Spring Lake.
“A lot of us really like Halloween and hiking, so we decided to combine our love for Halloween and our love for hiking into a haunted trail at the park,” Kimbrough said.
To me, it sounds like the Friends group may have found the perfect way to bring the two together.
That idea became Shadows in the Pines, the group’s first haunted trail and fundraiser.
On Oct. 24, the trail will take visitors on a nighttime journey through the park’s longleaf pine forest.
For roughly 35 minutes, visitors will travel approximately one-eighth of a mile along a flat, sandy trail, where they may encounter ghostly early settlers and creatures drawn from Celtic mythology.
Once darkness falls, the pines will have some ghostly company.
Kimbrough said the trail will mix jump scares with atmospheric, psychological suspense, but the goal is not to leave visitors terrified. She recommends the trail for visitors ages 10 and older.
“It’s not like being inside of a slasher movie or anything like that,” she said.
The haunt also pulls from the history of the Cape Fear and Sandhills regions, where Highland Scots began settling during the 1700s. Rather than turning the evening into a full history lesson, the trail will use characters and storytelling to pay homage to the area’s early European settlement. Some of those settlers may even return as ghostly residents with stories to tell.
Many know Fayetteville is full of history. This Halloween, some of it may come back to haunt us.
Shadows in the Pines gives residents a reason to visit after dark, but the Friends group hopes the experience will encourage them to return during the day and explore more of what the park offers.
Each $5 admission donation will support environmental education and recreational programming organized by Friends of Carvers Creek State Park in partnership with North Carolina State Parks.
The local group is part of the larger Friends of North Carolina State Parks network.
That programming includes bug safaris and a monthly photography contest featuring images visitors take inside the park. The group is also developing a quiet book club where people can gather to read their own books and only discuss them if they want to.
Between you and me, a book club where talking is optional might be another hidden gem.
The Sandhills access is located at 995 McCloskey Road and can be reached from Ramsey Street.
“It’s miles and miles of trails through longleaf pine forests, so it’s a great place to take your kids, take your dogs and just spend a day enjoying the natural beauty of our area,” Kimbrough said.
The Friends group is still seeking actors and volunteers for Shadows in the Pines.
The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Admission is a $5 donation per person and will be collected on site. There are no advance or timed tickets; visitors will enter the trail in the order they arrive.
Guests should also bring a reusable bag for trick-or-treating — because even a haunted forest can keep Halloween environmentally friendly.
“We would love for them to have a better understanding and appreciation of the natural beauty here in the Sandhills and of the very rich history that we have here,” Kimbrough said.
The ghostly residents may disappear after Halloween, but organizers hope visitors will return to explore what remains waiting in the pines.

(Photos courtesy of Jonelle Kimbrough)