Top 10 Haunted Campgrounds and Parks in the US

Calico, California
It’s called a “ghost” “town”, what do you expect? Located in San Bernardino County, California, Calico was once a prosperous silver mining town, but by 1907, the area had been completely abandoned. Today, the area has been preserved as a recreational county park with overnight camping. But the campground? It’s in the old town graveyard. Many people have reported various spooky activities taking place here, including women who felt they were being assaulted in the night by an invisible being. No thanks! For the brave of heart though, you can also put Cali’s Bodie Ghost Town on your to do list.

Cincinnati, Ohio
Some regions seem to be inexplicably haunted by a variety of specters, but Eden Park in Cincinnati has its own very specific ghost story. According to legend, in the fall of 1927 a woman named Imogene Remus was on route to a divorce hearing when her husband, a prominent bootlegger named George Remus chased the car she was riding in into Eden Park where he proceeded to shoot and kill her. Ever since, visitors to the park have said that they see a woman wearing a black dress – which legend says she was wearing that day – wandering around the grounds, particularly around the gazebo.

Los Angeles, California
Known for the famous “Hollywood” sign, you'd probably recognize the Griffith Observatory even if you didn't know the name. But did you know the green space surrounding it is totally haunted? It is said that there has been a curse on the park for many years because the family of the original owner was cheated out of their inheritance. But the more you delve into the history, the more you’ll learn about the wide variety of spectral figures who have been spotted here over the years such as Griffith J. Griffith himself, and an actress who committed suicide there.

Glen Ellen, California
American novelist Jack London is famous for books like “The Call of the Wild,” and the state park that bears his name is the ranch he and his family once lived on. And some people maintain they STILL live there. London and his wife are interred on the grounds, but possibly the spookiest location is Wolf House: London’s dream home that burned down before he even had the chance to live in it. What’s left of the grand mansion sits on the grounds, gathering moss and apparently being haunted by the ghost of the author himself, as well as the specters of some of the characters he created.

Hunting Island, South Carolina
Hunting Island is South Carolina’s most visited state park, hosting over a million people each year. The region is beautiful, but what many people don’t know is that it’s also home to a lighthouse that is most definitely haunted. There are several figures said to haunt the lighthouse: one is a former keeper who blamed himself for the drowning death of a young boy and the other is the daughter of one of the keepers who killed herself there. Visitors to the nearby campground have also reported hearing loud noises at night and singing in the distance.

Weott, California
There’s something eerie going on at Humboldt Redwoods State Park but no one seems to know what it is. Hikers have said they have seen a large humanoid figure prowling in the woods that some think could be Bigfoot. Others cite the fact that the area was once sacred to Native Americans, saying that the former – and now ghostly – residents return to haunt it. Up until the mid 1800s, the Sinkyone, part of the Eel River Athapaskan nation, did live here. White settlers took the area for their own though, making it understandable that the original inhabitants might want a little vengeance.

Beaverhead County, Montana
The town of Bannack was originally a gold mining town, and actually still had residents until the 1970s. Once a town of 10,000, it is now the home of two campsites, and is managed by Bannack State Park. The catch is, the place is considered incredibly haunted. So just what happened here to spur on these hauntings? Some suspect that it was the hanging of Bannack's Sheriff Henry Plummer in 1864. Plummer was accused of once being the head of a murderous gang, but he was killed rather than tried, so we may never know if he was guilty or not. Unless we ask his ghost...

Waco, Texas
This Waco, Texas green space is home to Jacob’s Ladder; a steep stone staircase where many people – particularly women and especially after dark – claim to feel hands tugging at their clothes. Then there’s Lover’s Leap, where – legend has it – the Romeo and Juliet of two warring Native American tribes jumped to their deaths together, and can now apparently be spotted walking in the river below. How about the phantom engines heard where a young man died riding his motorcycle? Or the story of the witch that roams the forest, towing screams, banging noises and the smell of rotting flesh behind her? Guess it’s true: don’t mess with Texas.

San Rafael, California
Within the San Francisco Bay area is China Camp State Park, which today is a peaceful, abandoned area outside of the city. Once home to Chinese immigrants, there have been debates over its preservation over the years. Visitors have said that when they are in the park they feel as though they’re being watched, and ghosts have been spotted on more than one occasion. At least one grisly event took place here as well, as the park was the site of the infamous “barbecue murders” where a girl and her boyfriend killed her parents and tried to burn their bodies in a campfire.

Sierra Nevada Region, California
Of all the beautiful national parks in the United States, perhaps none is more beloved than California’s Yosemite. It may be known for its beautiful granite cliffs and excellent hiking and climbing by outdoor enthusiasts, but it’s also full of otherworldly happenings. One area is said to be cursed by Chief Tenaya of theAhwahnechee Nation, and the Ahwahnee hotel is reportedly home to more than just the living guests. Some have even said that they have spotted the ghost of John F. Kennedy in the hotel, who previously visited the facility in 1962, just a year before his assassination.