10 Haunted California Sites Feature Ghosts and Curses

Ten California locations are currently drawing attention for their reported ghostly activity and dark histories, ranging from a former island prison to a beachfront resort.

Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay Area is cited as one of the region's most famous haunts. Visitors have reported rattling chains, cell doors opening on their own, and cold drafts. The site holds the history of inmates and guards who died within its walls.

In the Tri-Valley cities of Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton, the Arroyo del Valle Sanitarium remains a focal point for local lore. The foundations of the former tuberculosis sanitarium lie beneath Camp Arroyo, a youth camp in Livermore. An urban legend tells of a groundskeeper who killed patients in a children's ward before taking his own life, a story that camp visitors often hear at night.

The Beaumont Library in Riverside County, built in 1911 as a Carnegie library, has a history of alleged paranormal events. In 2025, staff told Patch they believed the building was haunted during a major renovation. One incident involved an employee hearing loud knocking from a locked storage area under the stairs. Police investigated and found the room empty.

Captain's Anchorage in Big Bear, opened in 1947 by actor Andy Devine, is known for stories of a former bookkeeper named George who died in an upstairs office. Employees have reported unexplained footsteps, apparitions, and the sensation of hair being pulled. The general manager of the restaurant confirmed these reports to local outlets.

Black Star Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains is described by residents as the darkest place in Orange County. The area was the site of a 1831 massacre between trappers and Tongva natives. Hikers report hearing music, conversation, and drums at night, along with sightings of an abandoned bus and unexplained outbuildings.

At Dominican University in San Rafael, the Meadowlands building is the site of the Blue Boy legend. The de Young family owned the property before the college acquired it. The family's son, who had mental health issues, was reportedly drowned by his mother in a bathtub. He turned blue and was named accordingly. The mother later cut herself and hanged herself.

The Claremont Hotel in the district straddling Berkeley and Oakland was constructed in 1915. The original building, called a castle by settler William B. Thornburgh, burned in 1901. Guests report that room 422 is haunted by a little girl, accompanied by the smell of smoke and the sound of a baby crying.

Griffith Park in Los Angeles is linked to a curse placed in 1863 by Dona Petronilla, the teenage niece of land baron Don Antonio Feliz. She was cut out of his will and vowed the land would never be profitable. Colonel Griffith J. Griffith bought 4,000 acres in the 1880s and gifted the land to the city. He later shot his wife during a drunken rampage and died of liver disease. Visitors report seeing a woman in a white dress and actress Peg Entwistle, who died in 1932.

The historic Haskell House at Franklin Street and McDowell Avenue in Fort Mason is the site where U.S. Senator David Broderick died in 1859 after being shot in a duel. He limped back into the house and died days later. Those who sleep in the house report feeling a presence, particularly in the kitchen.

The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, built in 1924, has a reputation for troubled stays, including those of serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger. The hotel gained national attention in 2013 after Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian tourist, disappeared. Her body was found in a rooftop water tank, and her death was ruled accidental. The Los Angeles City Council designated the building a historic-cultural monument in 2017.

The Horton Grand Hotel in downtown San Diego is a reconstruction of the Grand Horton Hotel and the Brooklyn-Kahle Saddlery Hotel, both built in the mid-1880s. Room 309 is considered a hotbed of paranormal activity, with reports of shaking beds and flickering lights. Some believe the room is haunted by Roger Whitaker, a gambler reportedly shot to death there in the original building. The Hotel del Coronado, which opened in 1888, is said to be haunted by Kate Morgan. The 24-year-old woman checked in in 1892, was estranged from her husband, and died by suicide after five days. Guests report seeing a woman in a black dress in the hallways and on the beach.