The Parallel Forest Lawton’s Favorite Haunting and Urban Legend

It's one of Lawton's favorite urban legends and haunted places, the dreaded Parallel Forrest. If you've lived in Lawton, Fort Sill for any amount of time you've probably heard of this spooky forest and more than likely you've heard a few ghost stories about it as well. There's certainly no shortage of paranormal experiences and crazy tales that people have reported and told throughout the years. They just keep getting scarier!

The Parallel Forest is located about 20-25 minutes away from Lawton, Fort Sill in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. To get there from Lawton take I-44 to the Medicine  Park exit, that's the one where Loves is at. After the exit you'll be on Highway 43 all the way into the refuge. When you get to the intersection of Meers Road/Highway 115 make a right turn and follow the road until you get to the Parallel Forest. It's super easy to get there, click here if you'd like to see the Google Map directions. It's worth checking out yourself!

Just outside the Parallel Forest in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

The Parallel Forest pictured above was originally created back in the early nineteen hundreds around 1912 or so. It features a little over sixteen acres of 20,000 red cedar trees all planted six feet apart. It's rumored that the forest was built or planted that way to help with the dust bowl, serving as a barrier for wind and dust. It's been a Lawton, Comanche County landmark ever since. It's Beautiful and truly terrifying!

So what are some of the famed stories of the Parallel Forest? There's everything from ghosts, strange noises, beastly creatures, witches, satanists and just about every other kind of paranormal or horrifying experience pulled directly from your nightmares. Supposedly during the prohibition era outlaws and lawmen used the forest to dispose of enemies and bury evidence. Everything from bodies to bootleg treasures.

Along with that there are stories of those who became lost and died in the forest unable to find there way out and now haunt the area. Several people have reported seeing ghosts of men, women and children walking through the trees at night. It gets worse, some people have said they saw a large wolf like creature who hunts the woods for prey. There have been reports of howls, growls, red eyes, sharp teeth and other terrifying descriptions of this creature in the woods. Most only get a glimpse before running to safety.

The video above from YouTube Channel Big Banks shows just how scary this place can be, especially at night. Not only are there all these crazy stories of ghosts and everything else, there's also all kinds of wildlife roaming about. As if all the paranormal activity that's been reported through the years wasn't enough there's even more stories about witches and a satanic cult who use the forest at night for ceremonies and sacrifices.

That's right there's more than just ghosts in the woods and beastly creatures. For years people have told stories of a coven of witches that use an alter in the middle of the forest to perform all kinds of strange magic and ceremonies. Not only witches are using the alter a satanic cult has been rumored to frequent the woods as well. Some have seen dark cloaked figures at the alter and heard chants. Some say animal and even human sacrifices have taken place there. The Parallel Forest has no end to it's scary tales.

The alter in the middle of the Parallel Forest that witches and satanist use.

The picture above shows the alter that's located in the middle of the forest. It'll take you awhile to get there, make sure you know how to find your way back. Most of the trails in the forest are pretty clear, but if you get off the beaten path you could easily find yourself lost. It happens more often than you'd think.

Some people have claimed to have found evidence of both witchcraft and devil worship at this alter. There's pictures and video of animal bones, dried blood, burnt papers and wood along with candle wax and other materials left behind by someone. The remains of chickens and other dead animals have been found near or on the alter so a lot of people are convinced a cult or coven is using it for evil purposes.

So when did this alter show up and who built it? According the video below from YouTube Channel Radix Monkey Studios it could have been built prior to the Parallel Forest being planted way back in the seventeen hundreds. He suggests that it's not an alter that it's an ore grinding or crushing mill that was abandoned from the old mining days when prospectors mined for gold and silver out at the Wichita Mountains.

Personally I've never seen or heard anything paranormal or experienced anything out of the ordinary in all the times I've visited the Parallel Forest. I've gone probably a dozen or more times throughout the years taking friends and family who wanted to see it. I will say that it's a really creepy place and the way all the trees are parallel in any direction you look is eerie as hell. You do get a certain feeling while you're there that's for sure.

It's one of those places you just have to visit for yourself and everybody seems to have a different experience. If you're into creepy and scary places click here to check out the Skirvin Hotel in OKC. It's the most haunted hotel in Oklahoma. How about a haunted cemetery? Click here to check out the old Tucker Cemetery it's just a short 45 minutes from Lawton between Duncan and Comanche, OK. Both are pretty spooky and offer some first class ghost stories and creepy experiences.