6 Campfire Stories that Will Give You Goosebumps

What’s a camping trip without a few scary stories around the campfire? We’ve read TONS of campfire stories and have selected the best ones, just for you. So your little ones don’t get too scared, we have rated them so you can gauge how appropriate they are for your children.

Of course, the art of telling campfire stories is to build up the suspense and thrill so chills run down their spines when you get to the end. Before you get the campfire roaring, you might want to read through them and rehearse once or twice for maximum impact!

Golden Hand

Premise: A man meets his new neighbor, a charming young woman who wears black gloves. One day, he notices a speck of gold peeking out of her black gloves. When he asks her about it, she says she lost a hand and had it replaced with a gold hand. The man became infatuated with her solid gold hand and plotted to take it. But, once he had it, he learned it wasn’t worth the price he paid for it. Read the full story here.

Rating: We think this one is okay for the little ones! It’s spooky but has a good lesson – NEVER STEAL!

Doggy Lick

Premise: A young girl is left alone for the first time when her parents go out for dinner. As she gets ready for bed, she is a little scared to be sleeping alone. For comfort, she lowers her hand under her bed and her dog licks it, as he always does. Throughout the night, she can hear the dog whimpering and, each time, she lowers her hand for a lick. In the morning, she wakes to find the dog had been outside all night! Read the full story here.

Rating: This is a CLASSIC! Spooky for sure, but not too scary for your young ones. If you want to kick it up a notch, there is a more gruesome version of this tale.

The Hitchhiking Woman

Premise: Tom, headed home from a party, sees a woman walking along the side of the road. He stops to offer her a ride and drives her home. Notices she’s shivering, he offers her his jacket. Once he arrives, he turns to speak to her, but she has disappeared. He returns the next day to the woman’s house to retrieve his jacket, realizing she hasn’t given it back and learns a spooky truth about the woman. Read the full story here.

Rating: Another classic story, this is spooky but with no murder or gory details. Just a bonechilling punchline that will have your little ones gasping!

The Hook

Premise: A young girl is getting ready for a date with her boyfriend as she hears on the radio a man with a hook for a hand has escaped from the state asylum. The radio warns people to keep a lookout and be careful. Later that night, as the young girl is kissing her beau in the car, the girl remembers the radio warning. She says she wants to go home, the car shakes, and they take off. The kicker is what happens after returning home…Get the full story here.

Rating: The context of the story may give it a PG-13 rating, but the punchline is just enough to have your kids looking over their shoulder.

Who’s That Hiding in the Backseat?

Rating: Goosebump Worthy! This story may be too scary for little ones and is sure to give you goosebumps.

The Missing Boyfriend

Premise: One night a girl and her boyfriend are driving home from a night out when their car breaks down. The boyfriend gets out to look for help while the girl locks the car doors and waits for him to return. Suddenly, a crazed man appears beside her door, holding something gruesome in his hand…Read the full story here, Example #2 is the better version.

Rating: This is definitely the scariest story on the list, and may be too scary for young children. If you’re looking for something to scare your pre-teens, this is perfect!