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| Wood Devils from Coos County |
The Shadows Between the Trees
The wind in the North Country carries strange sounds.
A rustle that isn’t leaves.
A breath that isn’t yours.
When the fog drifts low through the Great North Woods of New Hampshire—so dense it feels alive—locals know better than to wander off the trail. They’ve heard the stories. Of figures that stand perfectly still, blending into the birch and spruce. Of eyes that flash in the darkness, then vanish. Of something tall, gray, and impossibly thin that watches, waiting.
They call them the Wood Devils.
And if you ever see one, it’s probably already too late.
Part Twenty-Nine of Our Series
This is Part Twenty-Nine in our series: The Scariest Urban Legend from Every State.
Last time, we dove into the haunted waters of Nevada’s Pyramid Lake, where the cries of the Water Babies lure the living to their deaths.
Now we travel northeast—into New Hampshire’s cold wilderness, where legends whisper through the pines and the mountains hold their secrets tight. Deep in Coös County, something ancient and unseen is said to stalk the woods.
Welcome to the home of the Wood Devils.
The Legend
The legend of the Wood Devils dates back more than a century, long before paved roads reached New Hampshire’s northernmost forests. Lumberjacks, trappers, and hunters told stories around the campfire about creatures that moved between the trees—humanoid shapes covered in grayish hair, taller than any man, yet so thin they could vanish when pressed against bark.
They were said to be fast—so fast you’d only catch a glimpse before they were gone. Some called them a kind of Bigfoot cousin, others thought they were forest spirits or shapeshifters. Whatever they were, no one dared follow them.
In the logging camps of the 1800s, men swore they saw “devils of the wood” darting through the tree line, whispering in a language no one could understand. The creatures never attacked—but they never needed to. They simply watched, melting into the forest whenever a lantern turned their way.
One logger wrote in his journal that the forest felt “crowded” at night, as if dozens of unseen beings were breathing between the trunks. He left for Vermont the next week and never returned.
Locals say the Wood Devils still roam Coös County—from Dixville Notch to the Canadian border—keeping to the oldest and deepest parts of the forest where even GPS signals die.
If you hear footsteps in the leaves but see nothing, it might not be the wind.
The First Sightings
The earliest written references to the Wood Devils appeared in the early 1900s, when trappers in the White Mountains began reporting strange encounters. One of the most famous stories comes from a hunter named Henry Thurston, who vanished near the Androscoggin River in 1917. When searchers found his campsite days later, they discovered enormous footprints—nearly twice the size of a man’s—circling his fire pit.
There were no other signs of struggle. No blood. No drag marks. Just the footprints… and a rifle still loaded, as if he’d been too afraid to fire.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, reports continued. Hikers claimed to hear whispering voices echoing in the trees, though no one was there. Loggers described glimpsing “shadow men” sliding behind trunks in broad daylight. Dogs refused to enter certain areas, howling until their owners turned back.
By the 1960s, locals in the small towns near the Canadian border—places like Pittsburg, Colebrook, and Errol—had turned the legend into part of local folklore. Campfire stories warned travelers not to wander alone, and kids dared each other to stand in the woods after dark, waiting to see if the trees moved.
Some did. None stayed long.
Descriptions of the Creature
Every account paints the Wood Devils the same way: tall, gaunt, and gray.
They’re said to stand seven to nine feet tall but are so unnaturally thin that they can flatten themselves against a tree and nearly vanish from sight. Their fur is described as short and rough, almost bark-colored, with long limbs and humanlike faces—though some witnesses claim the faces are blank, like masks of pale wood.
Their movement is what frightens most who see them. Silent. Swift. They appear to glide from one tree to another without sound, often watching from the edge of vision. Some witnesses say they mimic voices—calling names in tones just slightly wrong, like an echo through broken glass.
Others describe the woods suddenly going still, all birds silent, followed by a glimpse of something impossibly tall stepping between trees, moving faster than a deer.
And then nothing.
The Woods of Coös County
To understand the legend, you have to understand where it comes from.
Coös County (pronounced CO-ahs) is New Hampshire’s northernmost and least populated region—dense forest, winding rivers, and rugged mountains stretching to the Canadian border. It’s a place where winter arrives early and leaves late, and where entire valleys can be swallowed by fog.
Even in the daylight, the Great North Woods feel timeless—like you’re walking through a world that hasn’t changed in centuries. At night, it’s another story entirely. The forest absorbs light. Every sound echoes. Every shadow feels alive.
The Wood Devils are said to inhabit the areas between Dixville Notch, Moose Alley, and the Kilkenny Range, slipping silently between tree lines. Hunters say their presence can be felt long before they’re seen—the forest goes deathly quiet, as though holding its breath.
And then comes the feeling:
that someone—or something—is standing just behind you.
Modern Sightings
Reports haven’t stopped. In fact, they’ve evolved.
1994 – The Fisherman’s Encounter:
A man fishing near the Androscoggin River claimed he saw what looked like “a man covered in ash-colored fur” crouching beside the water. When it noticed him, it stood to full height—at least eight feet—and stepped backward into the trees without making a sound. The man said it was like watching smoke vanish.
2001 – The Hunter’s Trail Camera:
In October 2001, a hunter near Pittsburg found his trail camera destroyed. The SD card was cracked but partially readable—one image showed what appeared to be a tall gray figure peering from behind a pine. The photo went viral on cryptid forums before skeptics dismissed it as doctored, though the hunter maintained it was genuine.
2013 – The Hikers’ Testimony:
Two hikers on the Cohos Trail reported seeing “something tall and stick-thin” pacing them in the trees for nearly half a mile. Every time they stopped, it stopped. When they shouted, it vanished. They cut their trip short and refused to hike that section again.
2020 – The Drone Footage:
A YouTuber exploring abandoned fire towers near the Canadian border captured drone footage showing a shadow moving between trees at unnatural speed. The clip was analyzed by viewers who claimed the movement was too fast for a person but too fluid for an animal. The uploader later deleted the video, saying they “didn’t want to draw it back.”
Theories and Explanations
The Wood Devils straddle the line between folklore, cryptid, and superstition. Over the decades, several theories have emerged trying to explain what they are—or what they might represent.
1. The Bigfoot Relative Theory
Some researchers believe the Wood Devils are an undiscovered primate, possibly related to Bigfoot. The differences—paler fur, slimmer build, northern habitat—might be evolutionary adaptations to colder climates and denser woods.
2. The Camouflage Hypothesis
Skeptics argue that most sightings could be optical illusions. The human brain, when tired or frightened, can interpret shadows and shifting light as humanoid shapes—especially in the tight vertical lines of pine forests. The “vanishing” might just be the eye losing track of movement.
3. The Spirit Guardian Theory
Native Abenaki and Mi’kmaq legends speak of forest protectors—tall spirits that defend the land from those who disrespect it. Some folklorists think the Wood Devils may have grown from these ancestral stories, blending myth and modern fear.
4. The Interdimensional Entity Theory
A favorite among paranormal enthusiasts, this theory suggests that, like the Dark Watchers from California, the Wood Devils are beings that slip between worlds—creatures that can phase in and out of our reality. Their ability to vanish instantly might not be stealth at all, but something stranger.
5. The Psychological Fear Theory
To others, the Wood Devils symbolize the human fear of wilderness itself—the feeling of insignificance, of being watched by something ancient and unknowable. The legend could be a cultural echo of that primal terror.
Similar Legends
The Wood Devils may be New Hampshire’s own monster, but they share eerie similarities with creatures from around the world:
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The Wendigo (Algonquin Legend) – A skeletal, frost-bitten spirit of hunger and greed that haunts winter forests. Both embody the fear of what isolation can do to the human soul.
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The Skadegamutc (Wabanaki) – A witch spirit that roams the woods at night, glowing faintly and feeding on life energy.
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The Hidebehind (North American Lumberjack Folklore) – A creature that hides behind trees and follows loggers. Like the Wood Devils, it’s almost never seen directly.
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The Slender Man (Digital Myth) – A modern echo of the same fear: tall, faceless figures that move just beyond perception.
The Night Marchers (Hawaiian Lore) – Silent processions of spirits whose gaze means death—another example of seeing but not surviving the supernatural.
Each reflects the same core truth: that the unknown doesn’t need fangs or fire to terrify us—just eyes in the dark.
How to Survive a Wood Devil Encounter
Folklore across Coös County offers a few simple—if chilling—rules:
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Stay in the open.
They prefer deep forest cover. Don’t give them the trees to hide behind. -
Avoid silence.
Whistle, sing, or talk. It’s said they come closer when the forest grows quiet. -
Don’t stare.
If you lock eyes with one, you may never see it move—but when you blink, it’ll be gone. -
Leave offerings.
Some hunters leave tobacco or bread at the base of trees, a nod to the old belief that these beings are ancient spirits, not beasts. -
If you feel watched—leave immediately.
Every old-timer says the same thing: the first feeling you get is your only warning.
Modern Legacy
Today, the legend of the Wood Devils lives on through podcasts, cryptid documentaries, and local storytellers. The quiet towns of northern New Hampshire even host informal “Wood Devil Hikes,” though locals warn tourists not to mock the legend.
Hunters still talk about seeing shapes where none should be. Hikers still post shaky videos of something gray and tall moving through the fog. And if you drive north on Route 3 at dusk, the forest seems to close in—tighter, darker, older.
Even skeptics admit that the Great North Woods has an atmosphere all its own. It’s not just dark—it’s heavy. The kind of darkness that feels aware of you.
Maybe that’s all the Wood Devils ever were: the forest looking back.
Honorable Mentions: Other New Hampshire Nightmares
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The Mount Washington Hotel (Bretton Woods): Home of the “Princess” ghost, Caroline Stickney, who still brushes her hair in Room 314.
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Madame Sherri’s Castle (Chesterfield): The ruins of a 1920s mansion where laughter and phantom music echo in the woods.
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Smuttynose Island (Isles of Shoals): Site of an infamous 1873 double murder—said to be haunted by the victims’ restless spirits.
Each haunting tells a story of tragedy and lingering sorrow—but none carry the raw, primal terror of something alive in the woods.
Final Thoughts
Some legends grow from history. Others from imagination.
But the Wood Devils? They grow from the trees themselves.
The Great North Woods are old—older than the towns that border them, older than the roads that cut through them. People vanish there every year, lost in fog and silence. Maybe it’s exposure. Maybe it’s nature’s indifference.
Or maybe it’s something else.
So if you ever find yourself hiking in Coös County, and the woods go still—no birds, no wind, just silence—remember the stories.
Keep moving. Don’t look back.
Because if you do… the trees might not be empty after all.
📌 Don’t miss an episode!
Check out our last edition, where we explored Nevada’s haunting Water Babies of Pyramid Lake.
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Urban Legends, Mystery, and Myth explores the creepiest corners of folklore — from haunted woods and forgotten towns to creatures that blur the line between myth and nightmare.
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