Ghosts & Coffins: The Most Physically Demanding U.S. Landmarks

The Manitou Incline, the most physically demanding landmark in the United States, isn’t haunted. But it is located in Manitou Springs, Colorado, which does have some groovy haunted history. It also hosts the Emma Crawford Coffin Races every year. (You’ll find it listed under the “Weird & Wacky Fun” section on the Paracons & Horror Fests list.)

Two U.S. lighthouses, both rumored to be haunted, also made PureGym’s list of the world’s 25 most physically demanding landmarks. Before we explore all three places, let’s briefly look at the list and how it arrived at its ranking results.

The World’s Most Physically Demanding Landmarks List

PureGym, a chain of gyms in the U.K. (similar to Planet Fitness in the U.S.), put the list together. Who better to analyze physically demanding places for those who want to test their limits outside of the gym or perhaps get in a workout while on vacation?

PureGym explained that they took a few factors into account, “including the number of steps required to experience the landmark to its fullest, the elevation change during the ascent of the landmark, and the average temperature of the location.” Combined, the factors created a final “exertion” index score, with 100 being the highest possible. Or, as they put it, “The higher the score, the more physical exertion required.”

According to their calculations, the Flørli Stairs in Norway ranked first with an Exertion Score of 76. The three places in the U.S. that made their list include the Manitou Incline (Rank: 2; Exertion Score: 63), the St. Augustine Lighthouse (Rank: 18; Exertion Score: 30), and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (Rank: 22; Exertion Score: 27).

The Manitou Incline and Coffin Races

To me, the Manitou Incline sounds pretty scary. For one, I’m from Denver. I grew up hiking in the mountains. The altitude bothered me some then, but not nearly as much as it does now. So there’s that—and that’s before factoring in the 613-meter (2,020 feet) change in elevation hikers can expect while traversing the remains of the former funicular railway.

Plus, it’s an “incline,” which means hills, and that’s something else I’m not a fan of anymore due to janky knees. The grade on this trail is particularly steep, which is why it’s rated an “extreme” difficulty level. The average grade is 41%, with the steepest being 68%. I don’t know about you, but my thighs are burning just thinking about it.

However, the view from the top and the satisfaction of reaching it sounds like it’s well worth the effort. You can see both Manitou Springs below and Colorado Springs beyond that.

You can also view the Incline from another popular (yet easier) hiking spot near Manitou Springs: the Red Mountain Trail. That mountain plays a factor in Manitou’s famous coffin races, which honors former citizen Emma Crawford.

The Emma Crawford Coffin Races

She arrived in Manitou Springs in 1891, hoping its mineral water would cure her tuberculosis. It didn’t. She died two years later. But in that short time, two things stole her heart: the town and a man named William Hildebrand, who worked for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Her dying wish included being buried atop Red Mountain. Hildebrand granted that wish.

But then, in 1929, Emma found herself rudely swept off the mountain when Mother Nature conspired to work her remains loose with heavy rains. Parts of her coffin, including the handles and her nameplate, and some of her bones were found in Ruxton Canyon.

Does her restless spirit still roam the area? Some say it does. Or maybe she comes back to watch and enjoy the coffin races that race up the hill in celebration of her life.

For More Info

To plan a visit to attend the coffin races, visit https://manitousprings.org/emma-crawford-coffin-races.

To learn about the Incline or to make reservations to hike it, visit https://manitousprings.org/where-to-play/manitou-incline.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse

The next most physically challenging U.S. landmark on PureGym’s list was the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida. It had the second-fewest number of steps (219) compared to the other landmarks on the list. (The Monolithos Castle in Greece had the fewest with 120.) At 42.3, its elevation change is minimal, too.

However, its temperature score of 26.3 degrees Celsius (79.24 degrees Fahrenheit) tied it for fourth place with the highest temperature of all the locations. And I’m pretty sure that’s an “on average” temperature that doesn’t factor in the humidity or the “feels like” effect.

So, yeah, you’ll work up a sweat hiking up the steps to admire the view from the St. Augustine Lighthouse. Unless its playful resident ghosts decide to spook you. That might also raise your heart rate.

The Haunting

But there’s nothing to fear. The ghosts are more Casper than demonic. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is open about the tragedy that many believe is responsible for ghost sightings and paranormal activity in the lighthouse.

In 1873, four girls died at the lighthouse, which was still under construction at the time. Three of the four little girls were sisters, Mary (15), Eliza (13), and Carrie (4). The fourth was an unidentified African-American girl aged 10.

The sisters’ father, Hezekiah Pittee, had moved his family from Maine to oversee the construction. A cart brought materials from the docks to the construction site. When the cart wasn’t in use, the girls played in it, using it “as a Victorian-era rollercoaster.” They’d ride it down to the water where a wooden board usually stopped it.

Sadly, on July 10, 1873, the board wasn’t there. The cart landed in the water with the girls trapped under it. Three drowned, but the youngest Pittee sister survived.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum says other tragedies have also happened there. However, they wonder if the deaths of the girls are responsible for the footsteps, giggling, apparitions, and other “unexplained incidents” that have been reported there over the years. It does make one stop and think, doesn’t it?

For More Info

To tour the St. Augustine Lighthouse or take its Dark of the Moon Ghost Tour, visit https://www.staugustinelighthouse.org.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse ranked 22 on PureGym’s list of the world’s most physically challenging landmarks. It was also the third and final U.S. location to make the list.

It has more steps (257) and a higher elevation change (60.4) than the St. Augustine Lighthouse, but its 22-degree Celsius temperature (71 degrees Fahrenheit) was lower. You’ll still get a great leg workout with the added benefit of a gorgeous view, though.

At least when the lighthouse is open. The National Park Service (NPS) reports the lighthouse is currently closed for renovations, which they expect will reopen in 2026.

The Haunting

And as far as haunted goes, well…here’s how the NPS captioned a photo of the lighthouse: “Built in 1870, the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stands watch over the Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

That sounds ominous, but when it comes to what haunts the lighthouse, it’s more cute than scary. According to many, including The Outer Banks of North Carolina, a ghost cat haunts the lighthouse.

Like the stripes on the lighthouse, the cat is said to be black and white too. The friendly Tuxedo cat has been reported to rub up against the legs of visitors and will even let some pet him. But try to pick him up, and he’ll vanish.

For More Info

To take a virtual tour of the lighthouse, visit https://www.nps.gov/caha/learn/historyculture/virtual-lighthouse-experiences.htm.

Check-In

Have you visited any of these physically demanding landmarks?