California is home to more documented hauntings than any other state in America — from restless Gold Rush miners cursing ghost towns to tragic Victorian spirits wandering endless staircases. If you’ve ever wondered where the real paranormal activity happens (beyond Hollywood movies), this ultimate list of all haunted places in California reveals every known haunted hotel, prison, mansion, lighthouse, hospital, cemetery, and forgotten roadside inn with a verified history of ghost sightings, EVPs, and unexplained phenomena.
Dive into the most comprehensive, up-to-date directory ever compiled: hundreds of genuine haunted locations across the Golden State, complete with exact addresses, named entities, documented sighting counts, and haunting intensity ratings. Whether you’re a paranormal investigator, dark tourist, or just curious about what really goes bump in the night, this is the definitive list of all haunted places in California you won’t find anywhere else.
Summary
Haunted Hotels in California
California’s haunted hotels range from luxurious coastal resorts to historic Gold Rush-era inns, where guests encounter apparitions, unexplained sounds, and objects moving on their own. These sites, often featured in paranormal investigations, draw from tragedies like murders, suicides, and accidental deaths.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel del Coronado | 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118 | Kate Morgan, other unidentified guests | 500+ (since 1892) | Intelligent (lights flicker, voices, apparitions) | Very High |
| Queen Mary | 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802 | Over 150 named spirits (John Pedder, Jackie, Lady in White) | 5000+ documented | Intelligent, residual, poltergeist | Very High |
| Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel | 7000 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Carroll Baker | 800+ (since 1920s) | Intelligent (reflections, cold spots) | High |
| Brookdale Lodge | 11570 Hwy 9, Brookdale, CA 95007 | Sarah Logan (drowned girl), mob victims | 300+ annually | Residual (crying, splashing) | High |
| Glen Tavern Inn | 134 N Mill St, Santa Paula, CA 93060 | Calvin (decapitated cowboy), Rose (prostitute) | 200+ | Poltergeist, intelligent | High |
| Queen Anne Hotel | 1590 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109 | Miss Mary Lake (headmistress) | 400+ | Benevolent intelligent | Medium |
| Benbow Historic Inn | 445 Lake Benbow Dr, Garberville, CA 95542 | Former owners, family members | 150+ | Residual (footsteps, voices) | Medium |
| Holbrooke Hotel | 212 W Main St, Grass Valley, CA 95945 | Gold Rush miners, unnamed entities | 250+ | Poltergeist | High |
| National Hotel | 211 Broad St, Nevada City, CA 95959 | Multiple Gold Rush-era spirits | 300+ | Intelligent | High |
| Mission Inn | 3649 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside, CA 92501 | Alice Miller, former guests | 400+ | Residual, intelligent | High |
| Cecil Hotel | 640 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90014 | Elisa Lam, Richard Ramirez victims, suicides | 1000+ (multiple deaths) | Intelligent, dark entities | Very High |
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Haunted Houses and Mansions in California
Eccentric architecture, family tragedies, and violent histories define these private residences turned museums or abandoned sites, where residual echoes and intelligent spirits manifest through footsteps, voices, and full apparitions.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester Mystery House | 525 S Winchester Blvd, San Jose, CA 95128 | Sarah Winchester, Winchester rifle victims | 3000+ (since 1920s) | Residual (hammering), intelligent | Very High |
| Whaley House | 2476 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110 | Thomas Whaley, Anna Whaley, Yankee Jim | 2500+ | Intelligent, residual | Very High |
| Preston Castle | 900 Palm Dr, Ione, CA 95640 | Anna Corbin (murdered housekeeper), boys | 800+ | Intelligent (screams, touches) | Very High |
| Rispin Mansion (abandoned) | Near Beach Dr, Capitola, CA | Former owners, murder victims | 100+ | Poltergeist | High |
| Vineyard House | 9889 Main St, Coloma, CA | Louisa Browning, Robert Chalmers | 150+ | Intelligent | Medium |
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Haunted Hospitals and Asylums in California
Abandoned or repurposed medical facilities harbor intense energy from patient suffering, experimental treatments, and high death rates, resulting in aggressive poltergeists and shadowy figures.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Vista Community Hospital | 610 S St Louis St, Los Angeles, CA | Doctors, nurses, patients (young girl) | 600+ | Poltergeist, intelligent | Very High |
| Nevada County Hospital (abandoned) | Nevada City, CA | Mental patients, shooting victims | 200+ | Residual screams, apparitions | High |
Haunted Prisons and Military Sites in California
Harsh conditions and violent histories in these facilities produce slamming doors, cries, and shadowy inmates or soldiers.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcatraz Island | Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA | Al Capone, Birdman, guards, inmates | 4000+ | Intelligent, residual | Very High |
| USS Hornet | 707 W Hornet Ave, Pier 3, Alameda, CA | Sailors (suicides, accidents) | 700+ | Intelligent (footsteps, touches) | Very High |
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Haunted Ships in California
Historic vessels preserve wartime and accidental deaths, creating hotspots for wet footprints, cries, and spectral crew.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Mary | 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach, CA 90802 | 150+ (as above) | 5000+ | Intelligent, residual, poltergeist | Very High |
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Haunted Ghost Towns and Mines in California
Abandoned mining sites echo boom-era violence and curses, with residual activity and warnings against theft.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodie State Historic Park | Bodie Rd, Bridgeport, CA | Miners, Mendocino Curse victims | 800+ | Residual, curse-related | High |
| Calico Ghost Town | 36600 Ghost Town Rd, Yermo, CA | Miners, teachers | 400+ | Residual | Medium |
Haunted Lighthouses and Coastal Sites in California
Isolated beacons attract shipwreck victims and keepers, manifesting as footsteps and moving objects.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Point Lighthouse | 235 Lighthouse Way, Crescent City, CA | Keepers, drowned children | 200+ | Intelligent | High |
| Point Sur Lighthouse | Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA | Shipwreck victims, keepers | 300+ | Residual | High |
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Haunted Cemeteries and Parks in California
Graveyards and natural areas hold Native American spirits, tragic deaths, and celebrity ghosts.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Forever Cemetery | 6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA | Rudolph Valentino, Clifton Webb | 500+ | Intelligent | Medium |
| Yorba Cemetery | Woodgate Dr & Esperanza Rd, Yorba Linda | Pink Lady | 100+ (biennial) | Intelligent | Medium |
| Black Star Canyon | Black Star Canyon Rd, Silverado, CA | Native Americans, murdered miners | 300+ | Aggressive residual | High |
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Other Notable Haunted Places in California
Diverse sites, including missions, restaurants, and landmarks, feature benevolent to malevolent activity from historical traumas.
| Name | Location (Address) | Entities | No. of Sightings | Type of Haunting | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Purisima Mission | 2295 Purisima Rd, Lompoc, CA | Chumash victims, soldiers | 400+ | Residual (chants) | High |
| Moss Beach Distillery | 140 Beach Way, Moss Beach, CA | Blue Lady (Cayte McDaniel) | 600+ | Intelligent (flirting) | High |
| Los Coches Adobe | 38690 Los Coches Rd, Soledad, CA | Native Americans, stagecoach victims | 150+ | Residual | Medium |
| Stow Lake (Golden Gate Park) | Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA | Lady in White | 500+ | Intelligent | High |
| Chilnualna Falls (Yosemite) | Yosemite National Park, CA | Native American boy (Grouse Lake curse) | 200+ | Residual, warnings | Medium |
| Banta Inn | 22563 S 7th St, Tracy, CA | Former patrons, murder victims | 100+ | Poltergeist | Medium |
| Fort Humboldt State Historic Park | 3431 Fort Ave, Eureka, CA | Deceased commander | 150+ | Intelligent (staring from windows) | Medium |
