20 Of The Creepiest Places In California

Between the shadowy figures watching from the cliffs of Big Sur to floating ghost ship hotels, California has no shortage of terrifying paranormal hotspots. Here are 20 of the most haunted places in California.

November 04, 2021

By: Maggie Miller

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Creepy California

California, home to beautiful, sunny beaches and historic metropolises. With so much to see and do, it’s an ideal vacation spot for outdoor enthusiasts and urbanites alike. VBut visitors take warning, the Golden State is also home to some of the most mysterious and eerie locations in the United States. With over 164,000 square miles of diverse terrains, and long histories tied to its various regions, America’s 31st state has more than its fair share of ghost stories. Here are 20 of the most haunted places in California.

The Dark Watchers, Big Sur

Tales of mysterious figures standing sentinel on the inaccessible peaks and bluffs of the Santa Lucia Mountains go back centuries. According to the Santa Maria Times, the watchers were first documented in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo as he sailed past the mountains. Concurrent Spanish settlers dubbed them “Los Vigilantes Oscuros”. Author John Steinback reportedly saw the Watchers himself, including a reference to them in his short story “Flight”. Often spotted at sundown, the towering shadow forms resemble human figures that stand nearly 10 feet tall. Contemporary hikers have reported being overcome with a feeling of scrutiny, only to turn around and catch a glimpse of one of the watchers, staring out at the sea, waiting.

Preston Castle, Ione

Preston Castle’s 230-acre campus was created to function as an alternative to juvenile prisons, a place to send troubled boys to learn a new trade and avoid incarceration. The self-sufficient property opened in June of 1894, but soon became notorious for the violence carried out on residents and staff. At least 16 young men perish inside its walls. Housekeeper Anna Corbin also met her end in the basement after a brutal attack. Closing in 1960, the site has become a popular destination for paranormal investigators. Visitors have reported disembodied voices, slamming doors, and ghostly assaults.

The Cecil Hotel, Los Angeles

The Cecil has become infamous in recent years after missing college student Elisa Lam’s body was discovered in a closed water tank on the hotel’s roof. Viral security footage of Ms. Lam behaving strangely in the Cecil’s elevators just before her disappearance intensified the mystery surrounding her death. Even before Ms. Lam’s tragic story, the Cecil had a reputation for tragedy. Multiple violent deaths took place on the premises after the hotel opened its doors in 1942, and at least two known serial killers were documented in the room logs. The Cecil now has a reputation as one of LA's most haunted hotels, and has attracted the attention of true-crime enthusiasts and paranormal investigators. In 2020, the Ghost Adventures team was the first crew allowed to bring cameras in to investigate the negative energies of the Cecil.

Brookdale Lodge, Santa Cruz

The Brookdale Lodge is considered one of the most haunted locations in Santa Cruz County. Built in 1890, the lodge boasted a series of celebrity guests, including Marilyn Monroe and President Hoover. Several tragedies resulted in the Lodge’s closure in 2011 the death of a guest, a damaging fire, and various code violations. Prior to its closure, multiple staff and guests reported seeing a small girl in a dated off-white dress running through the halls. Witnesses suspected she was Sarah Logan, a child who had drowned in a nearby creek in 1892. Sightings of the little girl became so frequent that staff designated a small area for her where they would leave toys and books, often returning to find the objects had moved. Paranormal investigators have captured multiple Electronic Voice Phenomenon that they believe to be Sarah.

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

The former mining town rests at 8,500 above sea level in the Inyo Mountains. Developed in 1867, the outpost fostered saloons, hotels, and brothels until the late 1870’s when the price of silver began to plummet and the town was abandoned. The Cerro Gordo mines claimed the lives of at least 30 men. Today, current owner Brent Underwood lives in the abandoned ghost town and has encountered a myriad of strange and unsettling events, from lights turning on in the abandoned buildings to books tumbling from shelves of their own accord. Visitors to Cerro Gordo’s American Hotel, which burned down on June 15, 2020, often reported strange sightings and spectral energies. Underwood suggested in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the blaze that destroyed the American Hotel could have been paranormal in nature, “The caretaker here told me that he and another person saw a shadowy apparition moving in the hotel kitchen at 4 p.m. the previous day.”

Point Sur Lighthouse, Monterey County

One of the oldest and most isolated lighthouses in the state of California, the Point Sur lighthouse was built in 1889 on an isolated spur. Early keepers had to travel for miles just to reach the nearest road. Despite the Point Sur’s bright beacon, the stretch of coast surrounding the lighthouse claimed multiple lives between shipwrecks and the crash of the USS Macon in 1935. Nowadays, the tower is said to be haunted by the victims of these tragedies. Several volunteers and guests have reported specters of past keepers, including a tall man in dark blue garb, walking the grounds. During one paranormal investigation, an eerie voice was captured on tape whispering “Now she wants you to go home.”

Padre Hotel, Bakersfield

Opening its doors in 1928 as a luxury hotel and restaurant, the Padre Hotel soon amassed multiple tragedies. During the 1950s a fire claimed several lives, followed shortly by an earthquake that trapped and killed children. Adding to the death toll, multiple people died from jumping off the roof, and, according to local archives, from tangled love triangles. Undergoing a renovation in 2010, the staff and guests of the hotel have reported a child’s handprint that cannot be cleaned or painted over, multiple ghostly apparitions, and several instances of poltergeist activity.

La Purisima, Lompoc

A Franciscan Mission founded in 1787, La Purisima was part of a colonization movement that nearly destroyed local Chumash Indians. Spanish missionaries introduced deadly diseases to the region to which local indigenous populations had no immunity, resulting in thousands of deaths within a very short period. Others were subjected to harsh penalties imposed by the newly arrived Europeans. The bloody history of La Purisima came to an end in the 1840s, when it was abandoned, but tourists have reported spotting eerie shapes and whispers on the grounds of the newly erected museum.

Evergreen Cemetery, Santa Cruz County

One of the oldest protestant cemeteries in the county, the Evergreen Cemetery is also considered to be one of the most active. The cemetery was established in 1858 and is the final resting place for an incredibly diverse group of people that includes Chinese immigrants, artists, travelers, and gold prospectors. Locals have witnessed numerous spirits wandering the grounds, with encounters documented as far back as 1902. From disembodied childish laughter to an elderly woman maintaining her disappearing cabin, the woods of the cemetery are haunted by the area’s rich history.

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

In the span of a year, heiress Sarah Winchester lost her mother, father-in-law, and husband to tuberculosis. Following their deaths, she purchased and began renovations on a small two-story house that would eventually become the famed Winchester Mystery House in San Jose. For 38 years, Sarah added on bizarre architectural elements, culminating in a behemoth mansion that boasts 160, 10,000 windows, and 47 stairways. All, allegedly, built to confuse the spirits of people who were murdered with Winchester rifles. Since her death in 1922, visitors have reported multiple paranormal encounters within the house, from icy chills to a mysterious groundskeeper. Multiple paranormal experts have visited the site, including Harry Houdini, noted psychic Sylvia Brown, and Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures.

The Queen Mary, Long Beach

This luxury liner claims a long and checkered history. Built during the 1930s, the RMS Queen Mary hosted such celebrity patrons as Winston Churchill and Clark Gable, serving guests in style and comfort as they crossed the Atlantic. With the advent of World War II, she was rechristened as the “Grey Ghost” and converted into a utilitarian vessel that delivered soldiers to the frontlines. During her time on the seas, 49 deaths were recorded aboard the ship. Now serving as a one-of-a-kind hotel, guests and employees of the RMS Queen Mary have reported sighting spectral former residents drift through the ship’s corridors, as well as drastic changes in temperature, disembodied sounds, and the echoing cries of children.

Chilnualna Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park

An 8.4-mile loop takes hikers past three gorgeous waterfalls and a serene lake. However, the placid water of Grouse Lake are deceptively calm. According to Ahwahneechee legend, a young boy once drowned in the waters. Hikers along the trail claim to have heard the child’s spirit calling out for help. However, folklore indicates that it’s best to stay away, as anyone who ventures into the waters to help is also drowned in its depths.

Court of Mysteries, Santa Cruz

Known by locals as the “Court of Mysteries”, the bizarre structure at 519 Fair Ave is an enigma. Constructed by Kenneth Kitchen in the 1930s the building’s architecture draws heavy inspiration from Hindi temples and is covered in arcane patterns and astrological motifs. Adding to the site’s secrecy, Kitchen reportedly refused to build during daylight hours. There are reports that following its completion, he constructed radio towers and an anti-submarine device on the property, which functioned well enough to incur intervention from the U.S. Navy. Kitchen left his strange palace without explanation in 1953, however neighbors continue to report dark apparitions moving about the property.

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego

Home to one of San Diego’s most famous ghosts, the Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888. In 1892, Kate Morgan checked in to the hotel to wait on her husband. Four days later she was found dead at the bottom of an outdoor staircase. Now, employees and guests of the hotel encounter flickering lights, oddly behaving TVs, temperature drops, and phantasmal scents in Kate’s third-floor guestroom. Paranormal researchers have also documented activity in the resort’s gift shop, where items have been caught flinging themselves from shelves. The strange occurrences reportedly extend to Room 3519, where the body of the owner’s mistress was allegedly discovered.

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco

The former military prison is infamous for its formidable walls and well-known inmates, including Al Capone. Despite multiple attempts, no prisoners were ever able to escape the misery of the maximum-security prison, located on an isolated spur of rock a mile off the coast of San Francisco. Alcatraz’s severe reputation was cemented by reports of extreme punishments and harsh living conditions suffered by the inmates, whose souls are now rumored to haunt the facility. Staff and visitors have reported unexplainable voices and noises emanating from the utility corridor, as well as drifting banjo music drifting from the shower room, a frequent haunt of Capone’s.

Los Coches, Soledad

A former stagecoach stop, Los Coches is now known as a point where past and present collide. Multiple visitors reported experiencing a time shift while standing inside the adobe. There are rumors that the proprietor murdered miners who stayed at the end, disposing of their bodies in an abandoned mine shaft nearby. Locals have seen a black-clad figure wandering the property at night, while others felt a presence pushing down on their chests. The outpost is now a popular spot for paranormal investigators and was visited by the Ghost Adventures team in season 10.

Moaning Cavern, Vallecito

Named for the moans that echo from the cave’s entrance when wind passes through, the moaning cavern was discovered by miners in 1851. More recently, 12,000-year-old bones have been discovered deep within its shafts. Experts suspect that the cave’s emanating wails lured nearly 100 prehistoric people to their deaths as they investigated the source of the cries.

Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County

California’s most infamous ghost town, Bodie was founded in 1859 as a mining outpost. Consisting of 200 original structures, it is one of the nation’s largest unreconstructed ghost towns. It’s also home to a legendary curse. According to lore, anyone who takes something from the grounds will be punished. Validating this legend, Bodie State Historic Park Rangers report that they receive letters on an almost weekly basis from previous visitors apologizing for taking souvenirs. The misfortunes recounted in these messages run the gamut from bad luck to health issues to mysterious accidents, all taking place after the author removed some token item from the site.

El Adobe de Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

This historical restaurant, once frequented by President Richard Nixon, has gained a reputation for its delicious food and ghostly residents. Built in 1812, the building once served as the town’s court and jailhouse. It is rumored that one of the inmates now haunts the building, accompanied by the spirits of victims from the earthquake that destroyed the adjacent San Juan Capistrano mission later that year. Visitors have witnessed a headless friar standing at the door, experienced feelings of being watched, and physical touches on the shoulder from disembodied hands.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles

California’s longest operating hotel, the Roosevelt has hosted several stars, past, and present, including Marilyn Monroe. The starlet. who lived there for two years while establishing her career, is now thought to be one of several spirits who haunt the hotel’s halls. Guests have reported feeling cold spots, receiving mysterious phone calls, and capturing orbs in their photographs.

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20 Of The Creepiest Places In California

Related To:

Shop This Look

Creepy California

The Dark Watchers, Big Sur

Preston Castle, Ione

The Cecil Hotel, Los Angeles

Brookdale Lodge, Santa Cruz

Cerro Gordo Ghost Town

Point Sur Lighthouse, Monterey County

Padre Hotel, Bakersfield

La Purisima, Lompoc

Evergreen Cemetery, Santa Cruz County

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose

The Queen Mary, Long Beach

Chilnualna Falls Trail, Yosemite National Park

Court of Mysteries, Santa Cruz

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco

Los Coches, Soledad

Moaning Cavern, Vallecito

Bodie State Historic Park, Mono County

El Adobe de Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles