These 10 haunted California destinations are the creepiest places to visit, sources say
If you’re looking for a Halloween scare away from the pumpkin patches and haunted house tours, some travel sources listed these California destinations as real-life “paranormal hotpots.”
From spirit-filled hotels to hiking trails, the Travel Channel, Visit California and Haunted Rooms America compiled lists of places people have named as “haunted” across California, including four in Sacramento.
Here are 10 of California’s haunted locations:
Delta King Riverboat Hotel
The Delta King Riverboat Hotel is located in Sacramento near Old Sacramento. According to the Haunted Rooms America website, the boat is said to be haunted by the spirit of its original captain.
Employees have reported seeing the captain’s ghost and hearing “phantom footsteps” on the ship’s deck, the website claims.
Chilnualna Falls Trail
The Chilnualna Falls Trail, located in Yosemite National Park, is an 8-mile hike comprised of five cascades above the Wawona basin, according to the National Park Service website.
People who have hiked the trail claim to have heard a child’s spirit calling out for help, Travel Channel’s website states.
Old Sacramento Tunnels
Sacramento’s Underground Tours allow visitors to explore the city’s past challenges with natural disasters, including fires and flooding, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation website.
Former Sacramento residents counteracted these disasters by building levees, re-routing the river and raising the streets over 20 feet above the flood area, the website states.
Locals regard it as the most haunted place in Sacramento due to the ghost activity that has been reported here, the Haunted Rooms America website states.
Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery, located in Santa Cruz County, is said to be a “spiritually active” site, according to the Travel Channel website.
The website states that multiple visitors have claimed to have witnessed ghosts, including an elderly lady and children, lingering around the headstones.
Preston Castle
Preston Castle, located in Ione, was once a reform school for juvenile children in the late 1800s known as Preston School of Industry, the Preston Castle website states.
It was established by the State Legislature to rehabilitate juvenile offenders rather than imprisoning them.
During Halloween time, the Preston Castle Foundation hosts “The Haunt,” where visitors enter the haunted castle for ghost adventures.
California State Library
The California State Library, located in Sacramento, was established in 1850 to organize and preserve materials for the state’s lawmakers, according to the library’s website.
Visitors have reported seeing the spirit of an older man wearing glasses who reads and stares at anyone who disturbs him, the Haunted Rooms America website states.
Staff have also reported hearing noises, such as the sound of a book being used, even though no one is there.
Point Sur Lighthouse
Point Sur Lighthouse is located in Monterey County on the coastline between Carmel and Big Sur.
The lighthouse is said to be home to the “ghosts” of past lightkeepers, according to the lighthouse website.
Every October, there are ghost tours where guests walk through the lighthouse during sunset and listen to “paranormal investigator” recordings from ghost hunts.
Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is in San Jose and was once the residence of Sarah Winchester, a widow and heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, according to the mystery house’s website.
Ghost encounters are said to have occurred at the Winchester Mystery House by both visitors and employees, the website states.
Brookdale Lodge
In Santa Cruz County, the Brookdale Lodge previously hosted celebrity guests, including Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple and President Hoove, according to the lodge’s website.
Travel Channel’s website states that former guests of the lodge have said to have spotted a little girl in a blue and white dress, who is rumored to be the ghost of 6-year-old Sarah Logan who drowned in the nearby creek.
The little girl is said to approach strangers asking for her mother but then disappear, the travel website states.
Sacramento Old City Cemetery
The Sacramento City Cemetery was established in 1849 and is the resting place of more than 25,000 pioneers, immigrants and descendants, including the son of Alexander Hamilton and Sacramento’s founder, according to the cemetery’s website.
There are said to be several spirits lurking around the headstones such as a couple dressed in black, the Haunted Rooms America website states.
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