You’ll find the Faery Cave at the end of Shades of Death Road, just a short walk from Ghost Lake. It’s as fun a little walk as the name implies. Plus, it’s the perfect time of year to go—on the name alone, it’s good for Halloween, but the changing of the leaves makes for a colorful autumnal experience.
Park at the lot in front of Ghost Lake (off the aforementioned Shades of Death Road) and find the trail on the right side of the lake. It’s a tight trail, with plenty of twists and turns, tree roots, rocks, mud and more, and with the leaves falling on the ground, you’ll want to remember: when in doubt, stay close to the lake; the trail hugs the sides.
Keep your eyes open for wild mushrooms and wilder chipmunks. One gets the eery feeling, too, that a bear must be around the corner or in a treetop high above, but that’s just the all-encompassing isolation you feel minutes into the hike. Sounds are amplified—rustling of leaves, raindrops on the lake, chipmunks skipping across the trail, even leaves falling softly to the ground.
At about a half-mile, the trail will snake sharply upward and around some boulders, and there you’ll see a small clearing that leads to a shallow cave. Feel free to explore in there, though it narrows dramatically about 15 feet in. The best option, of course, is to sit in there and watch the leaves fall over the lake and take in a variety of unique bird sounds that echo across the terrain. This place is peace.
