Burke Mountain Resort – Haunted Ski Resort in East Burke, Vermont

Nestled in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Burke Mountain Resort towers over the surrounding landscape with an eerie presence. The ski resort has welcomed winter enthusiasts since 1960, but something darker lurks beneath its snowy slopes. Visitors and employees alike report unsettling encounters that have nothing to do with challenging terrain. The mountain holds secrets that predate the resort by centuries, and those secrets refuse to stay buried.

Local indigenous tribes once avoided this particular peak, calling it a place where spirits walked. When European settlers arrived in the 1700s, they too noticed something off about the mountain. The resort’s modern facilities can’t shake the feeling that something ancient watches from the shadows. Staff members whisper about inexplicable events that happen when the lifts stop running and darkness claims the slopes.

Burke Mountain Resort operates as a fully functional ski destination, attracting families and serious skiers alike. But after hours, when the last skier descends and silence falls, the mountain reveals its haunted nature. Equipment operators refuse to work alone in certain areas after multiple unexplained incidents. The resort’s management downplays these stories, but longtime employees know better than to dismiss them completely.

Historical Background

Burke Mountain Resort officially opened its slopes to the public in January 1960. The Sherburne Corporation developed the property with grand ambitions for Vermont’s ski industry. Before construction began, the mountain was largely untouched wilderness with a dark reputation among locals. Logging crews in the 1800s reported strange disappearances and unexplained accidents on these slopes.

The Abenaki people who originally inhabited this region considered Burke Mountain spiritually significant but dangerous. Their oral histories speak of a malevolent presence that claimed travelers who ventured too high. Early settlers documented several mysterious deaths on the mountain between 1785 and 1820. These incidents included hunters who vanished without trace and trappers found frozen in impossible locations.

During the resort’s construction in 1959, workers uncovered human remains near what is now the mid-mountain lodge. The bones were never properly identified or dated, and construction continued despite worker protests. Three construction workers died in separate accidents during the building phase, an unusually high fatality rate. One worker, James Donnelly, fell from the lift tower under circumstances that witnesses called “impossible.”

The winter of 1978 brought tragedy when ski instructor Margaret Chen disappeared during an evening lesson. Search parties combed the mountain for three weeks without finding any trace of the 28-year-old instructor. Her body was discovered that spring in an area that had been thoroughly searched multiple times. The coroner’s report raised more questions than answers, noting inconsistencies that suggested she hadn’t been there all winter.

In 1992, a severe ice storm trapped twelve guests overnight in the summit warming hut. All twelve survived physically unharmed, but each reported identical nightmares and sensory experiences during the night. Several guests required psychological counseling afterward, and none would discuss the details of what they experienced. The resort quietly compensated the guests and sealed the incident records under confidentiality agreements.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The most commonly reported phenomena at Burke Mountain involve sudden temperature drops that defy explanation. Skiers describe hitting pockets of frigid air that penetrate even the warmest gear. These cold spots appear in different locations and vanish as quickly as they arrive. Witnesses consistently report feeling watched or followed when entering these areas of extreme cold.

Equipment malfunctions plague specific chairlifts with disturbing regularity, particularly Lift 3 and the Bear Den Quad. Maintenance crews find nothing mechanically wrong, yet the lifts stop without cause on calm days. Riders trapped during these stoppages report hearing whispered voices carried on impossible winds. Some describe seeing shadowy figures standing impossibly on the steep slopes below the stalled chairs.

The Mid-Mountain Lodge experiences the most concentrated paranormal activity throughout the year. Objects move overnight despite locked doors and security systems showing no human entry. Coffee mugs arrange themselves in circular patterns, and chairs stack themselves in geometrically precise formations. Cleaning staff refuse to work alone after multiple employees reported being touched by invisible hands.

Disembodied screams echo across the mountain during calm winter nights when no guests are present. Night security guards document these incidents in their logs with unsettling frequency. The screams always come from the upper slopes near the summit, where Margaret Chen was last seen. Audio recordings capture these sounds, but analysis reveals no identifiable source or explanation.

Apparitions appear most frequently near the base lodge and along the intermediate trail called Willoughby. Witnesses describe seeing a woman in outdated ski attire from the 1970s standing motionless beside the trail. When approached, she vanishes instantly, leaving no tracks in the fresh snow. This figure matches descriptions of Margaret Chen from photographs taken before her disappearance.

Ghost Stories & Reports

Margaret Chen’s spirit is the most frequently encountered presence at Burke Mountain Resort. Staff members report seeing her reflection in windows when no one stands behind them. She appears wearing the red and white ski patrol jacket she wore on her final day. Her face shows no distress, but witnesses describe an overwhelming sadness emanating from her presence.

Night manager David Kowalski encountered Margaret’s ghost in February 2015 while closing the base lodge. He was conducting his final walkthrough when he saw her standing near the rental equipment area. She pointed toward the mountain summit before fading from view, leaving David shaken but unharmed. He submitted an incident report that joined dozens of similar accounts in the resort’s unofficial files.

The ghost of James Donnelly, the construction worker who fell in 1959, haunts the area around Lift 3. Lift operators report seeing a man in 1950s work clothes standing near the tower footings. He appears solid and real until someone calls out to him or approaches closely. Witnesses say his expression shows confusion, as if he doesn’t understand what happened to him.

Maintenance worker Tom Bradford had a terrifying encounter with Donnelly’s spirit during a night shift in 2008. Tom was inspecting the lift machinery when he felt someone tap his shoulder from behind. Turning around, he came face to face with a man in vintage work clothes standing impossibly on the tower’s exterior framework. The figure stared at Tom for several seconds before stepping backward off the tower and vanishing mid-fall.

An unidentified male entity stalks the expert trails on the mountain’s north face. Experienced skiers report being paced by someone just out of clear sight among the trees. This presence feels threatening and hostile, unlike the sad spirits of Margaret and James. Several skiers have abandoned their runs mid-descent after feeling overwhelming panic in this area.

Local folklore tells of a hermit named Silas Blackwood who lived on Burke Mountain in the 1840s. Silas allegedly murdered three travelers who sought shelter at his cabin during a blizzard. The townspeople hanged him in 1847 after discovering the bodies buried near his property. Some believe Silas’s vengeful spirit is the dark presence that haunts the north face trails.

The warming hut at the summit hosts residual haunting activity that replays traumatic events from the past. Visitors report hearing arguments in French, though no French-speaking guests are present. Researchers theorize these sounds echo from French-Canadian trappers who met tragic ends on the mountain. The phantom conversations always end with a scream that seems to come from all directions simultaneously.

Children’s laughter occasionally rings out from empty ski school areas near the bunny slope. The sound is innocent and playful, but it occurs when no children are present. Staff members find small handprints in condensation on windows that are too high for children to reach. These prints appear in rooms that have been empty and locked overnight.

Most Haunted Spot

The Mid-Mountain Lodge stands as the epicenter of paranormal activity at Burke Mountain Resort. Built in 1985 directly over the location where human remains were discovered during original construction, the lodge experiences daily unexplained events. Room 7 in the employee dormitory section is particularly active, with seven different employees requesting transfers after staying there. Maintenance logs document locked doors found standing open, water faucets running despite being turned off, and personal belongings moved to different locations.

The lodge’s storage basement is so disturbing that employees draw straws to determine who must retrieve supplies. Workers report feeling physically pushed while descending the stairs into the underground space. Shadow figures dart between storage shelves, and the temperature remains unnaturally cold even during summer months. Security cameras in the basement malfunction constantly, capturing only static or completely black footage despite working perfectly when tested.

Lift 3’s tower seven sits at an elevation of 2,400 feet and marks another hotspot for supernatural encounters. This specific tower is where James Donnelly fell to his death in 1959. Riders passing through this section report sudden mechanical groaning sounds that don’t match normal lift operations. Some see Donnelly’s ghost standing on the tower framework, eternally frozen in the moment before his fatal fall.

Can You Visit?

Burke Mountain Resort is open to the public during ski season, typically from December through March. The resort operates seven days a week during peak season with varying hours. General admission requires lift ticket purchase, with adult day passes starting around seventy dollars. The Mid-Mountain Lodge is accessible to all ticket holders and includes dining facilities and restroom areas.

The resort does not offer official ghost tours or acknowledge the paranormal activity in marketing materials. However, staff members occasionally share stories with curious visitors who ask directly. Photography is permitted throughout the resort for personal use during regular operating hours. Nighttime access is restricted to guests with reservations at the resort’s limited lodging facilities.

The employee dormitory section of the Mid-Mountain Lodge is off-limits to general public access. Trespassing in restricted areas can result in immediate ejection from the property and potential legal consequences. Security patrols increase after operating hours end, making paranormal investigation difficult for non-employees. Some former employees offer unofficial ghost hunting experiences, though these are not endorsed by resort management.

Best Time to Visit

Paranormal activity at Burke Mountain intensifies during the winter months, particularly January through March. The anniversary of Margaret Chen’s disappearance falls on February 12th, when sightings of her spirit increase dramatically. Staff members report the most intense activity occurs between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM when the resort is closed. However, daytime visitors still experience unexplained phenomena, especially on overcast days with heavy snowfall.

The hours just after the lifts stop running at 4:00 PM provide the best opportunity for encounters. Twilight on the mountain brings a palpable shift in atmosphere that sensitive individuals notice immediately. Late season skiing in March offers fewer crowds and increased chances of witnessing unexplained events. Full moon nights generate the highest number of incident reports from security staff and overnight guests.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Ski patrol member Rachel Morrison documented a chilling encounter in her incident report from January 2019. Rachel was conducting a final sweep of the Willoughby trail when she spotted someone standing motionless ahead. As she approached to inform them the mountain was closing, she recognized the vintage ski jacket from training photos of Margaret Chen. Rachel called out, and the figure turned to face her before vanishing completely, leaving no tracks in the surrounding snow.

Former employee Christine Yang worked the night shift at the Mid-Mountain Lodge from 2012 to 2014. She documented dozens of unexplained incidents in her personal journal, which she later shared with paranormal researchers. Christine described hearing footsteps in empty hallways, finding equipment moved overnight, and experiencing overwhelming feelings of sadness in specific locations. Her most frightening experience involved waking at 3:00 AM to find her dormitory room door wide open despite locking it before bed.

Paranormal investigator team New England Ghost Project spent three nights at the resort in October 2016. They captured EVP recordings of a woman’s voice saying “help me find my way down” near the summit. Temperature readings showed unexplained drops of thirty degrees in localized areas with no weather-related cause. Team leader Marcus Webb reported feeling physically ill in the Mid-Mountain Lodge basement, experiencing nausea and disorientation that vanished upon returning upstairs.

Guest testimonials on travel review websites occasionally mention unusual experiences, though many are dismissed as overactive imaginations. One detailed account from 2018 describes a family’s stay in the base lodge area. The family reported their young daughter speaking to an invisible friend wearing “old-fashioned ski clothes” who told her she was lost. The daughter provided details about this friend that matched Margaret Chen’s description, despite having no prior knowledge of the story.

Local Legends & Myths

The legend of Silas Blackwood has become intertwined with Burke Mountain’s haunted reputation over the decades. Local historians debate the accuracy of the murder story, but records confirm a hermit’s cabin existed near the current north face trails. Some versions of the tale claim Silas still guards his mountain territory from unwanted visitors. The most extreme tellings suggest he lures skiers into dangerous terrain, causing the accidents that occur on the north face.

Abenaki traditions speak of Burke Mountain as a dwelling place for Chenoo, a malevolent ice giant from their mythology. Tribal elders warned that Chenoo consumed the hearts of those who showed disrespect to the mountain. Modern interpretations suggest this legend explains the concentration of negative energy and tragic deaths throughout the area’s history. Some paranormal researchers theorize that indigenous spiritual beliefs created a psychic imprint that contributes to ongoing supernatural activity.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

Trespassing on Burke Mountain Resort property outside operating hours is illegal and prosecuted. Security patrols monitor the facility overnight, and motion sensors alert staff to unauthorized access. Attempting to access the Mid-Mountain Lodge or other facilities after hours can result in arrest and criminal charges. The mountain terrain becomes extremely dangerous in darkness, with cliffs and obstacles that have caused serious injuries.

The resort specifically prohibits paranormal investigation activities without explicit written permission from management. This policy protects both the business operations and prevents liability issues from injuries. Permission is rarely granted, and requests should be submitted months in advance through official channels. Violators caught conducting ghost hunting activities face immediate ejection and potential legal consequences including trespassing charges.

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