In some ways, the forest is like the ocean, a vast expanse where you can get lost while traversing. At some point, you will stumble upon something interesting (to say the least), like the images in these photos.
Some of these odd discoveries are byproducts of natural occurrences. Others, however, may make you wonder about the fascinating backstory of how these objects landed in this neck of the woods (in the most literal sense).
This series of photos continues the ones Bored Panda collected previously. Scroll away to see which ones intrigue you the most.
#1 Mirror Sculptures Reflect The Forest By Scottish Artist Rob Mulholland
Image credits: Rob Mulholland Artist
#2 Found A Sword While Hiking Near An Old Clearcut. BC, South Coast
Image credits: Monorail_Song
#3 These Bendy Trees I Saw On My Walk This Afternoon
Image credits: floydical
How much do we know about our forests? As it turns out, even scientists aren’t sure. Most have mere estimates of how much life exists in those tree canopies around the globe.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, here’s an approximate: “We don’t know how many tree species there are on Earth, but scientists estimate there are about 63,000 known species. There could be as many as 9,000 tree species still unknown to science.”
#4 Black Cat On A Leather Chair In The Woods
One time I was on a random back road. There was a little paved path going up to a leather armchair in the middle of a pretty thick little woods. On the arm of the chair was a black cat, bathing in the sun’s rays. It felt unreal, like straight out of a book. I didn’t dare get any closer, as I figured that a witch must live nearby.
Image credits: astrobleeem
#5 Went Geocaching And Found These Boots Nailed To A Tree
Image credits: Stado08
#6 Found A Stargate In The Middle Of Nowhere Near Linz, Austria
Image credits: zodd1981
These forest finds are just some of the many usually unearthed by hikers or experts. In 2023, a group of archeologists found the remains of a Yotvingian settlement. The Yotvingians were an ancient Baltic tribe that existed until the 1400s.
According to a report by the Miami Herald, archeologists from the University of Warsaw found traces of Yotvingian inhabitants through the style of bronze jewelry they found in a Polish forest. They eventually discovered jewelry dating back to the 10th and 12th centuries.
#7 My Dad Made A Solid Oak Secret Door For People To Discover On Their Walks
Image credits: Francoberry
#8 This Tree Ate This Trail Sign But Left The Perfect Window For Little Hiking Man
Image credits: royalecheez
#9 First Gold Find For The Year And The Weirdest Find Of All Time
I was in the woods detecting in an area with heavy iron today (1800s nails in the ground, scrap iron bits, and sheet metal bits), and to my amazement, found dentures made of gold. Not sure how old they are, but my guess is somewhere in the 1800s up to the 1940s, since the homes which were once nearby were gone by the mid-1940s.
Image credits: Bill20201
#10 I Found An Old Deer Antler On A Tree In The Forest
Image credits: Not-Sofun
#11 A Rabies Vaccine That Is Airdropped In The Woods For Raccoons To Eat
Image credits: Citii
If you think seeing these images randomly on a hike or random walk through the woods is already jolting enough, try spending a night in a creepy forest. That was what writer Sophie Buchan did in Transylvania’s Hoia-Baciu Forest. And she described her experience in an article in The Independent.
The Hoia-Baciu has a deep history, beginning with a UFO sighting in 1968. From then on, it became a tourist attraction. However, according to Buchan’s article, these visitors suddenly experienced strange occurrences.
#12 Stained Glass Window In A Forest
Image credits: cherrybaggle
#13 Giant Puffball Mushroom My Sister Found In The Woods
Image credits: kfranky
#14 Found A 19th-Century Dog’s Gravestone While Out Walking In The Woods
Image credits: spindaa
#15 Beaver’s Chew Marks On A Tree That I Found
Image credits: thunderchicken275
#16 Found In The Woods
Image credits: CardiacSchmardiac
#17 A Plane Crash I Hiked To In North Carolina
Image credits: L3N1B
According to Buchan, some of the “strange symptoms” that people supposedly go through include “nausea, anxiety, the feeling of being watched – and the failure of electronic devices.” Joggers also reportedly witness ongoing ectoplasms.
Buchan also shared a story from her guide, Alex, who, along with his colleague Marius, experienced something out of this world. “Well, there was a man who went crazy, thinking he’d met a demon. He’d just got a massive tattoo of a demon on his chest, to ward off demons.”
#18 Abandoned Pet Cemetery In The Woods Of Freetown, Massachusetts
Image credits: Whimsical_Ruins
#19 Found A Confession Booth In The Middle Of The Woods. Can’t Stain The Church’s Reputation, Put It Out In The Woods
Image credits: Efficient-Ad-3302
#20 Abandoned Jaguar E-Type Hidden In The Forest
Image credits: c_stone710
#21 I Took A Picture Of A Forest Troll
Image credits: Big_Cartographer1424
Buchan likewise wrote about what Alex described as “the scariest thing that happened.” It involved Marius during a night tour and an unusual conversation with a tourist.
“He once did an extended night tour, one-on-one, with a very morbid man who talked about his obsession with death, how he enjoyed being with people as they die, watching them die.”
#22 Found This About 5 Miles Deep In The Woods On A Hike…. The Next Day It Was All Gone
Image credits: El_cucuy24
#23 Came Across This Tree While Walking Through A Forest In Japan
Image credits: Jamminmb
#24 A Bowling Ball With Its Brain Exposed I Found In The Woods
Image credits: Imthasupa
#25 Old Train Track Almost Completely Reclaimed By Nature
Image credits: asmallercat
#26 Doll Head Found In Woods
Image credits: ZombiesAtKendall
#27 This Abandoned Outhouse In The North Woods Of Minnesota
Image credits: U235EU
According to Buchan, Alex isn’t a fan of sleeping in the forests because of his fair share of chilling experiences. During his very first camping trip, he abruptly woke up to the sound of “a very loud hoof noise,” which he thought came either from a horse or a “particularly large deer.”
“Every time they would stick their head out from the tent to investigate, the noise would stop,” she wrote, recalling Alex’s experiences. “The next time, he slept in a hammock to get closer to whatever was causing the sound. His visit was cut short when a bat smashed into his face.”
#28 Art Installation In My Local Forest While It’s Foggy Outside
Image credits: minzkonig
#29 Staircase To Nowhere In The Middle Of The Woods
Image credits: human-potato_hybrid
#30 A Few Years Back Me And My Friends Found This Peeking Behind A Tree In The Woods Deep Behind A Friend’s House
I was camping with some friends in the woods behind another friend’s house. Halfway through the night, I decided to get some more firewood for the campfire. On my way back, I felt like I was being watched. It was a half-moon, so there was enough light for me to barely see around me. As I looked around, my eyes fell on a person’s face poking from behind a tree.
The face was horrifying, pale with hollow eyes and a gaping mouth. I dropped everything and ran, and when I came back to my group, I was panicked and scared. After telling them what happened, my friends decided they wanted to see it for themselves, and brought me with them. I was hesitant, but going with a group seemed better than being alone. We brought flashlights this time, and when we came to the place I saw the face, it was still there. After shining the light on it, we saw it was just a styrofoam head on a stick someone out behind the tree. It looked like it had been there for a while, with some green moss growing on it, discoloration, etc.
The scariest part about this was my friend (whose house was in front of the woods we were in) swore up and down he didn’t put it there. He was pretty shaken. Especially because he and his mom had been stalked a few months before and he was sure it was left by the guy.
Image credits: ScaryisGood
#31 Not Sure What’s Going On With This… Found A Pumpkin Stuffed With Pennies In The Woods
Image credits: Dilloh1
#32 I Went Deeper Into The Woods. Someone Is Making Art
Image credits: Hamofthewest
#33 Found A Bathtub 2-Kilometers Deep In The Woods Hooked Up To A Natural Spring
Image credits: StrongIPA
#34 Found A Mysterious-Looking Door In The Middle Of A Forest Walk Today. Wonder Who I Will Draw?
Image credits: peacefrogus
The author wrote about her experience during her overnight stay at the Hoia-Baciu forest. While she didn’t have the same creepy encounters, she took more notice of the trees around.
“We point our flashlights at misshapen trees – many here grow in zig-zag patterns or in spirals, a phenomenon which has not been plausibly explained by any of the scientists who have come to investigate. What’s more, every single tree that spirals does so in a clockwise direction.”
#35 A Blue Mineral Stone Found In The Forest
Image credits: fancygoldfishfrog
#36 This Group We Came Across In A Forest Casually Hiking In Medieval Outfits
Image credits: ksanyee
#37 A Whole Other World I Found In A Beer Bottle Laying In The Woods
Image credits: Concheck_
#38 Does Anyone Know The Cause Of A Tree Growing In A Spiral Like This? I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It. Found In The Woods Of Georgia
Image credits: sloppyjo77
#39 I Found This In The Woods
What do you think? I found this in Maryland, and I’m interested in finding out more about this vehicle.
Image credits: Happen_Stance_Dance
#40 Found A Hard Drive In A Tree In The Woods
Image credits: critbuild
“Invasive alien species are increasingly a problem for European forests.” This is according to an article by the European Environment Agency on the eight facts about Europe’s forest ecosystems. But they weren’t referring to extraterrestrials.
“There are around 1,800 species in Europe’s forests which are invasive and alien to the natural environment. For example, European forests have been devastated by Dutch elm disease caused by fungi introduced from Asia, and gray squirrels are outcompeting red squirrels. Globally, invasive alien species are one of the largest causes of biodiversity loss.”
#41 I Found This Cool Walking Stick Out In The Woods As I Went Hiking
Image credits: GreenchiliStudioz
#42 Found A Homeless Person’s Stick House In The Woods
Image credits: TroubleImpossible226
#43 A Trail I Was Walking On Had Rock-Foot Sculptures. I Had To Add One As Well
Image credits: dakatzpajamas
#44 Randomly Found This Dilapidated Cabin In The Woods While Exploring
Image credits: indecentoctopus
#45 Just A Mannequin In The Forest
Image credits: Ahimedes
#46 Got Blair Witch Vibes From These Rock Cairns I Found Deep In The Woods In A Remote Area
Image credits: hyperxenophiliac
And if you want to see something you probably haven’t before, Moroccan tree goats are worth looking into. Yes, you read that right. Goats are standing in trees as if it were a daily forest sighting worldwide.
These “flying goats” have been a tourist attraction since the early 2000s. But while they have become a source of livelihood for locals, some believe they are being exploited and deprived of freedom.
#47 A Week Ago, I Was Walking In The Woods Again And I Saw This
So about a month ago, I discovered this path in the woods by my school. I really didn’t think anything of it, it just led to a cool pond area and a walking trail. But if you go into the woods a bit deeper, you find a bunch of chairs all sat around the remnants of a fire.
Some of the chairs were hanging upside down from trees, and it was just a really eerie thing to see but I didn’t think much of it, probably that it was just an abandoned site of some college party from a few years back or something.
Sadly, I was/am too much of a chicken to investigate further so I did what the sign said and left, but I’ve thought about it every day since. Any ideas as to what it might be?
Image credits: MiniStarPlanet
#48 In Atlanta There’s A Trail In The Woods Called “The Doll Head Trail.” It Features Creepy Dolls And Other Toys, Almost Like If Sid From Toy Story Made A Trail
Image credits: Don_Quixotel
#49 Came Across A Boar Sculpture In The Middle Of The Forest
Image credits: FossilisedShark
#50 Abandoned Rail Tunnel. Willamette National Forest, Oregon
Image credits: Draw_Rude
#51 Found These Structures And An Entire Stone Labyrinth In The Forest While Foraging
I think it’s either my fellow stoners who got a little too enthusiastic, neopagans, or a portal to the fairy land through Pan’s labyrinth.
Image credits: thuebanraqis
#52 While Driving Around The Rural Southern Mountains, We Came Across This Abandoned Home Tucked Away
Neighbors have said that they remember going over there to play as kids, but now it is abandoned and slowly tilting more and more every year.
Image credits: silent_hills_explorations
#53 A Solid Glass Rod With Rounded Ends Found In The Woods
Image credits: dill_and_vinegar
#54 I Finally Found My Very Own Chicken Tree
Spotted this fine specimen from the road. Had to have gotten 20 lbs of chicken without making a dent in it! Found in New Jersey.
Image credits: power_in_logic
#55 I Found It Tucked In A Tree Near The Top Of Mount Greylock In Massachusetts
The second card says: “How about a hike, maybe a walk, keep me in your pocket… Our adventure awaits.”
Image credits: louieneuy
#56 Tree Roots Are Growing Over A Stream
Image credits: momsmashinator
#57 On A Forest Walk, I Saw A Hole Off The Path. I Looked Inside And Found A Weird Statue With A Bell On It
Image credits: darbsllim
#58 Came Across This While Working In The Woods
Image credits: burnnh
#59 An Abandoned Ski Lift Above My Hiking Trail In Colorado
Image credits: Strange_Juice2778
#60 Hiking In A Forest Preserve Near A Cemetery And Saw This. Pentagrams Were Painted On Some Trees Creating A Huge Circle Around Them. I’ve Never Gone Back
Image credits: vjenkinsgo
#61 Weird Trees In The Woods. Don’t Know What Caused This
Image credits: RestInPeaceRat
#62 Weird Statue Out In The Woods
Image credits: Jowie87
#63 Found At A Local Walking Trail In The Woods
Image credits: PandaMan195
#64 A Mysterious Green Box Appears In The Middle Of A Forest. It’s Locked Shut And Chained To A Tree In Dardanelles Pass At The Bottom Of The Giant Stairway
Image credits: Ruppy2810
#65 I Found These In The Woods On My Property, What Does These Mean? They’re Made Of Something Like Clay And Plaster. Some Witchcraft?
Image credits: muddypol
#66 This Pile Of Deer Skulls I Found In The Woods
Image credits: YungAnthrew
#67 10-Pound Penny With 3 Skeleton Keys Found In The Woods
I found these while detecting in the woods near my house. It’s by far the most intriguing thing I’ve found since starting the hobby.
Image credits: KinCarver
#68 What Is This 25-Foot-Tall Concrete Structure In The Woods?
I found this structure in the woods behind the Apalachia Powerhouse in Reliance, TN. It’s at least 25 feet tall, has three holes in the ceiling, and is nowhere near water or a main road. No other structures are nearby.
Image credits: Xopex19
#69 This Weird Ice Forms On Rotten Wood Near Where I Live
There have been days in the past when there is loads of it in my local woods. It’s always gone by the next day. Luckily, I walk my dog there most days so I normally catch it on the rare occasions it appears.
Image credits: Upbeat_Map_348
#70 Saw This Tree Today While Hunting. Thought You Might Like It. Looked Magical To Me
Image credits: 5348455
#71 Can Anyone Explain This That I Saw In The Forest Today?
Image credits: placeau
#72 Metal Obelisk Found In The Middle Of The Woods
Image credits: Mad_duck4
#73 Stumbled Upon A Fallen Totem In The Forest In British Columbia, Canada
Image credits: smoothloam
#74 So I Found This In The Forest Near My House
Image credits: Black_Cat_Guardian
#75 Found These In The Middle Of The Forest
Image credits: Spartan9625
#76 Back In 2018. Two-Hour Hike Into The Wilderness Following Moose Tracks. Very Far Off Of Any Marked Trail, I Found This. Turned Around And Started Walking Back
Marked the coordinates on my Garmin, but never actually went back. Just felt weird and really creeped me out, given how far off-trail and how deep in the woods I was.
Image credits: Cjilgott
#77 This Lime Kiln In The Woods
Image credits: SLASR-Podcast
#78 Old Van Abandoned In The Forest In France
Image credits: Prob91
#79 My Girlfriend Found A Bottle In The Woods That Had A Terrarium Growing Naturally Inside
Image credits: ThumYorky
#80 What’s This Skull? Found This Near Joshua Tree In California, Looks Like It Got Stuck Between Two Boulders
Image credits: Big_Bluejay1355
#81 Some Prints I Saw In The Woods Of Upstate New York Are Around 2 Inches Across
Image credits: chansbabygirl
#82 I Found A Honda Engine In The Middle Of The Woods
Image credits: Sysion
#83 Found A Flybrary While Hiking. I Don’t Fish So I Had No Idea This Was A Thing
Image credits: jfrosty42
#84 This Oddly Shaped Tree I Found On A Hike A Couple Years Ago
Image credits: Lady-Nora
#85 A Creepy WW2 Truck In The Woods
Image credits: HeadHeedHaadHead
#86 Caught An Ignis Fatuus In A Photo… My Girlfriend Took Some Pictures In An Irish Forest, We Watched Them Now And Found These Weird Lights Hovering Around
Image credits: Unfair-Purpose-2100
#87 I Found This Cross With What Looks Like Some Sort Of Spine On It. Out In The Woods While Cleaning Where A Homeless Encampment Was
Image credits: Hollywizzle311
#88 My Dad Found This In The Woods Of Virginia. Any Idea What It Is?
Image credits: axlehess
#89 The Claw In The Forest
Image credits: macnerd93
#90 This Basket Stinkhorn I Found While Bushwalking
Image credits: Lizard__Spock
#91 Ominous Message Found Near Aokigahara In Japan
Image credits: Impossible-Head2121
#92 Found In The Forest. Did I Stumble Across Someone’s Place Of Practice?
Sorry if I say anything insensitive or uneducated. I was raised Mormon and only recently started educating myself on other practices and beliefs.
I found two “huts” in the forest. The first three pictures are from the one I found today. The last three were found a few months ago. Both were made by tying thin branches together. Both contained logs painted blue and purple. Both had what I would describe as charms hanging from the branches. Both had a pot left in them. The fifth picture has a symbol that may mean something. Is this pagan? Is it disrespectful for me to go inside them?
Image credits: TheEliteDM
#93 This 1932 Glass Clorox Bottle I Found In The Woods Behind My House With The Cork Still In It
Image credits: Meemeeybois
#94 Found This 1829 Silver Half-Dime In The Woods. Nickels Weren’t Invented Yet
Image credits: RedParrot94
#95 I Stumbled Upon This Abandoned Model T In The Woods
Image credits: PapaP123
#96 So I Was Walking Through My Woods And Found This. Why?
Image credits: StarShine616
#97 Bricked-Up Bunker In The Woods: It Says “Beware”. North Of Comrie, Scotland
Image credits: thrungoli
#98 Found In The Woods In France
Image credits: oznerolgrone
#99 Found Some Weird Structures On A Walk. Anyone Knows What They Are?
Image credits: Nyxoltleee
#100 I Found This Tower Deep In The Woods In Scotland
Image credits: reddit.com
#101 Found On An Old Hiking Path In The Woods. Any Guesses On Age? I Am Pretty Sure It’s A Jaw-Harp
Image credits: chadwick_90
#102 My Husband And I Went For A Walk In A Forest In Germany And Found Some Weird Stones
So today we went back to the site where we found the stones, contacted the local park ranger, and met him there. He brought a shovel, cause he was intrigued by the stones and wanted to see if he could find more, told us to step back because you really shouldn’t dig in a forest, since there could be some old World War munition and if he blew himself up that would be okay, but if it hit us he‘d have papers to fill out. Good old German humor. He found some big concrete stones and then he found a headstone! So, yes, it was a gravestone! Just someone who illegally dumped the headstone of „Hulda and Friedrich Teitge“ who died in 1957 and 1925 in the forest 30ish years ago, after the rent for their grave was up. We were told the stones would be picked up and a short research would be made to find out where they have been buried and if they can find relatives, but that’s it because they‘ve been here a while. He said there was no graveyard, if they had been illegally buried, the boars would have dug them out a long time ago. That’s all. Mystery solved.
Image credits: AeronwenEnid
#103 Pole With An Electrical Socket In The Forest
Image credits: BlackViperMWG
#104 Trail Running Through The Forest In Vermont, When Suddenly
Image credits: BrendanTFirefly
#105 Any Idea What That Is? Found While Exploring A “Satanist” Cave Next To My Local Forest
Image credits: TeryDaniels
#106 Found In A Finnish Forest With Jogging Paths. 4 Of Them On A Small Flat Bare Cliff And 2 Of Them Behind It. They Are Roughly One Meter Tall Or Shorter And All Rusty
Looked like cast iron. Some were missing parts. On the other side of the forest, there is a sports field.
Image credits: ThatNurms
#107 I Found It Off A Dead-End Dirt Path In A National Park
Since the leaves are off I went down a path that’s normally blocked looking for a new campsite. I’m pretty sure it will not be here.
Image credits: dogmanatemybaby
#108 These Cassette Tapes And A Big Pillow I Found At A Forest
Image credits: SuggestionTop4994
#109 Found This Random Sewing Box-Looking Thing Under A Tree Earlier Today While Walking Through The Woods. Was Wondering, What Does It Mean?
Image credits: Chrease