Entry No. 9 — the Seattle file — filed under: haunted

Northern State Recreation Area (Northern State Hospital ruins)

Northern State Hospital opened in 1912 as a mental institution on grounds landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers, peaking near 2,700 patients in the 1950s before closing in 1976. The state-run buildings are off-limits, but the surrounding land is now a public recreation area with wide pastoral trails winding past the brick hospital structures. A cemetery plaque memorializes the 1,487 patients buried on the grounds, and the abandoned campus has drawn decades of ghost reports.

The move: Drive up for a daytime hike among the abandoned brick wards and pay quiet respects at the patient cemetery.

• 📍 Sedro-Woolley, Washington
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: Helmick Road, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24