October brings pumpkins, costumes, and ghost stories. But it’s also the perfect time to explore some of Utah’s most fascinating places to volunteer: Sites where history lingers in the air, where old stories whisper through the trees, and where preserving the past sometimes feels a little spooky.
Volunteering is never something to be afraid of, but some opportunities come with just the right touch of mystery to make them perfect for the season. Here are a few ways Utahns have given back in places with a haunted, or hauntingly beautiful, feel.
Protecting the Past with SHPO
The Utah State Historic Preservation Office oversees the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, a volunteer network that helps protect archaeological sites, historic buildings, and cultural landscapes across the state. Many of these sites are tucked away in remote corners of Utah and are filled with unique human stories that are still connected to living peoples today..
Volunteers hike out to check for human or natural caused damages, document conditions, and report back so Utah’s heritage can be preserved for future generations. Utah Cultural Site Stewards also participate in projects and events that are focused on supporting public land management agencies in the protection of archaeological sites including site documentations, graffiti removal, trash clean up and educational workshops. It’s meaningful work, and sometimes it feels like you’re walking among shadows of the past.
If you want to get involved with the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, you can learn more here.
(Image courtesy of SHPO’s Facebook page Program Coordinator, Lexi Little, at Iron County graffiti removal with Cedar City BLM Field Office)
Serving in Historic Cemeteries
Utah is home to some of the West’s oldest cemeteries—places where history rests and old stories linger. Groups like the Friends of the Salt Lake City Cemetery rely on volunteers to help with clean-ups, mapping projects, and even lantern-lit tours.
What might sound eerie at first becomes something deeply grounding. Volunteers get to preserve the resting places of pioneers, veterans, and community leaders, while also keeping family stories alive. This work is a reminder of our shared history.
If you want to attend a cemetery preservation event, you can find upcoming dates here.
Bringing Old Buildings Back to Life
Utah’s historic buildings—from former military posts to frontier schoolhouses—are filled with stories, and sometimes, a few ghost tales. Camp Floyd State Park Museum, west of Utah Lake, has long welcomed volunteers to serve as tour guides, assist with historic reenactments, and support school programs.
Whether you’re helping children play pioneer games or guiding visitors through old army barracks, you’re keeping history alive. And if a drafty hallway makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck? Well, that’s just part of the fun.
Under the Darkest Skies
For those who prefer the beauty of a different kind of mystery, Utah’s “dark sky” parks are unmatched. Volunteers often support Star Parties with the Stellar Vista Observatory and astronomy events at places like Antelope Island or Dead Horse Point State Park. Standing under a blanket of stars, helping families peer through telescopes, can feel both uplifting and otherworldly.
(Image courtesy of National Park Service)
A Sweet Ending
Volunteering doesn’t have to be scary. Whether you’re monitoring ancient sites with SHPO, raking leaves in a cemetery, guiding a lantern tour, or pointing out Saturn’s rings through a telescope, you’re helping connect Utahns to the past and present in unforgettable ways.
This season, consider adding a touch of mystery to your service. You may just find that the most “haunted” places to volunteer are also the most inspiring.