Staircases In The Woods Explained- Are There Really Stairs To Nowhere?

Between the absurd, albeit sometimes creepy monoliths that appear and disappear worldwide and abandoned stairways to heaven, the world is a scary place. Anyone who has seen one of the bizarre hidden treasures knows it is a one-of-a-kind experience. Many question whether they exist at all or are just a Reddit hoax by a terrific storyteller. Here are all your questions answered about the staircases in the woods.

What are the staircases in the woods?

The stairs are an internet phenomenon that grew from the discovery of these weird structures. The stairs spawned an entire story from searchandrescuewoods on Reddit and later an entire season of Channel Zero. Like the best viral stories, it branches off into different directions from different people. A National Park Rescuer started the story and spoke of a Wendigo-like creature near the stairs.

From there, the story catches like wildfire, and stairs haunt entire towns, Boy Scouts Troops go missing, and wandering babies stalk the night. It is nightmare fuel for sure, and if you don’t want to sleep and have hours to kill, it is an ideal rabbit hole to fall down. While the stories of mysterious sounds, pristine carpets, bright lights, and dead vegetation that some report are likely not true, the stairs’ ominous presence are enough to lend at least a little credence. I wouldn’t camp next to one, just to be on the safe side.

Do the staircases in the woods actually exist?

Surprisingly they are very real. The mysterious stairways have appeared in at least seven countries, including the US and Belgium, where the country’s highest peak features a staircase to the sky. They can be made of stone, brick, iron, or wood and are in all different decomposition states. Some are intricate, and others modest. Spiral or straightforward, they come in all shapes and sizes. The most famous have all been named. Some of the scarier names are the Staircase of Missing Time on the Philippines and the Vanishing Staircase in the US.

Most of them are found in National Parks. Typically they rise from the ground to the sky with very little additional structure attached as if they are an anomaly dropped from another dimension. The majority have very normal explanations for their existence. Someone at some point had built a structure and abandoned it. Staircases are typically the most robust part of any design, so they are the last to be reclaimed by nature. Their various stages of disrepair can be troubling but rest assured, it is perfectly normal.

Are there any true stories?

The Reddit story is a work of fiction, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t real accounts that are out of this world. As far back as the 1940s, there were stories of stairs that appeared and disappeared or moved all over Roswell, New Mexico. A doctor working in the area for the government reported stairs moving and leaving burn marks underneath. In the Philippines, a forest ranger was fired for being absent from the job. He climbed some stairs to avoid a dangerous dog and thought he was gone only a few minutes. In reality, it was days. There have even been claims that the derelict stairs are used for devil worship.

Whether you believe the stairs are placed there by an entity from another place or time, or you think they are a fascinating artifact from a bygone era, no one can dispute they are intriguing. What may have started as a great campfire story turned into a free-flowing conversation from users claiming to have seen the stairs. Most claim to be scared silly. Very few images exist of the horrifying stairs, so there isn’t much proof that they exist. I’m not willing to take any chances, though. Next time you are in the woods watch your step, and just to be on the safe side, don’t climb any stairs or ladder rungs. You never know where they might take you or how long you may be gone.