When guests check out of the 102-year-old National Park Inn in Longmire, manager Mike Bradford says they occasionally complain about the noise.

“They say they had a great time, but the footsteps from the guests upstairs were pretty loud,” Bradford says.

Each time Bradford goes upstairs to investigate, he finds the same thing – nothing.

See, there aren’t any rooms upstairs. Just an attic that remains locked at all times.

“We joke that it’s the ghost of James Longmire,” Bradford says, referring to the Mount Rainier icon who died in 1897. “But we don’t tell that to guests because we don’t know how they’ll react,” he says. “We don’t want to be known as the haunted inn.”

In her 2006 book “Haunted Hikes,” Andrea Lankford writes about the rumors of Longmire’s ghost lurking around Soda Springs, where he filed a mineral claim in 1883. The springs are on the one-mile Trail of the Shadows across the street from the 25-room inn.

“It can be a little creepy over there where there is still a foundation from an old building and a (120-year-old) cabin,” Bradford says, who has been one of the inn’s managers for seven years. “But I’ve never heard of anybody coming back and saying ‘Guess what I just saw!’ And I’ve never heard any stories of anything bad happening.”

Bradford says he’s never seen the ghost, even when he’s investigated noises in the attic. “Not even footprints in the dust.”

However, if the ghost exists, it would explain a spooky incident Bradford had a few years back on a dark and lonely night. He was making his rounds when he came across an open door.

He locked the door and then closed it. What happened next sent shivers down Bradford’s spine.

As soon as the door locked shut, he heard the sound of the door being unlatched from the other side.

Suddenly, the door was unlocked. Bradford opened the door, and nothing was there. He locked the door again and went on about his night.

“As far as I know, it stayed locked the second time,” Bradford says. “It’s an old building. There are a lot of creaking doors and interesting noises. And this is a pretty isolated place. It’s a fun place to be on a dark, windy October or November night.”

The same can be said for the Trail of the Shadows, he says. Whether or not the trail and the hotel are really haunted, the truth might be out there, but it’s up to hikers to find it on their own.

The Trail of the Shadows isn’t the only creepy trail worth hiking this Halloween. Here are details on the Longmire hike and four others.

Bradford describes this hike as “a walk into the dark woods … and perfect for kids.”

The hike is a flat loop that takes hikers through a ghost town of sorts. The trail runs past Longmire’s original homestead cabin.

The trail is easily hiked in 30 minutes – even with kids – but the hike can extend to 4.6 miles for people looking for a bigger challenge. Just check weather conditions before going up Rampart Ridge Trail and plan accordingly so you don’t become a ghost story too.

Miles: 0.7

Map: Available at Longmire.

Directions: Follow Highway 706 into Mount Rainier National. Park at Longmire behind the National Park Inn. The trailhead is across the street.

More info: nps.gov/mora.

This trail serves as the approach to Mount Olympus for climbers, but it’s also a popular day hike. The trail takes you deep into the rain forest where there have been several claims of Bigfoot sightings.

In “Haunted Hikes,” Lankford writes about four men who claimed to see an 8-foot-tall creature run into the forest leaving behind only a nasty stench. Lankford also cites an article in the Weekly World News, a tabloid that frequently publishes Bigfoot stories. In March 2001, the tabloid scooped Washington newspapers by breaking the news that a female Bigfoot groped and kissed a camper in the Olympic Mountains.

Miles: Up to 35 miles.

Map: Green River 133 and 134.

Directions: From Highway 101, south of Forks, go to milepost 179, turn east and follow the road 18 miles to the trailhead.

More info: nps.gov/olym.

Nothing makes a hike scarier than the dark. And no hike in Washington is darker than the Ape Cave on the south side of Mount St. Helens. This 21/4-mile lava tube, formed by an eruption 2,000 years ago, is the longest cave in Washington.

You won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face in the tunnel unless you bring a headlamp. Park rangers say the full hike can take 21/2 hours and recommend taking three light sources. The lower cave is an easy walk, but the upper cave requires scrambling over piles of rocks.

Some people believe the cave, or one of the many like it around Mount St. Helens, is home to Big Foot.

Miles: Up to four.

Map: Green Trails 364 – Mount St. Helens.

Directions: Follow Highway 503 through Cougar, and continue on Forest Service Road 90. Seven miles past Cougar, turn left on FS Road 83. After two more miles, turn left on FS Road 8303 and continue the trailhead.

More info: 360-247-3900.

Boulder Cave east of Chinook Pass is another easy hike perfect for giving the kids a scare.

The short cave gets pretty dark in the middle, so you’ll need a flashlight. While there are several nooks and crannies inside the cave, national forest rangers urge visitors to stay on the path.

The cave is a haven for bats. The crowds of hikers keep the bats away in the summer, but they return in the winter when traffic slows down. In fact the trail closes Saturday for five months to protect the bats.

Miles: 1.5.

Map: Green Trails 272 – Old Scab Mountain.

Directions: Follow Highway 410 over Chinook Pass. Turn south at the Boulder Cave sign between mileposts 95 and 96, and continue to the trailhead at Boulder Cave Campground.

More info: Naches Ranger District, 1-509-653-1400.

How scary can a flat hike along the beach really be? Well, depends on what you are thinking about.

It’s not so scary if you’re thinking about the sweeping views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Mount Baker. But if you are thinking about the 2002 horror film “The Ring,” it might get a little creepy. Steve Shively of Fort Worden State Park says the beaches around Point Wilson were among several locations at the park used for the film.

In the movie, anyone who watches a haunted videotape dies within seven days. One of the scenes on the video is a horse carcass washed ashore along the route of this hike.

Miles: 2.5.

Map: Available at the park.

Directions: From Highway 104, head north on Highway 19. Continue north on Highway 20 to Port Townsend, and follow signs to Fort Worden State Park. The hike is on North Beach between Point Wilson and Kuhn Street.

More info: Parks.wa.gov.

Craig Hill: 253-597-8497