Yosemite National Park draws an astounding 3.7 million visitors each year. The name alone stirs up images of happy-go-lucky vacationing families. Quite a large percentage of the visitors could tell you a creepy story or two. A creepy voice on the wind, a large rustle in the forest… Many found themselves feeling like prey while on a stroll through the park.
Yosemite is roughly 1200 miles of ancient sequoias, breathtaking waterfalls, meadows, and massive rock formations. According to Native American legends, there’s more than just deer and bear scampering around Yosemite’s vast forests.
There are true stories of encounters with Bigfoot. Run-ins with peculiar creatures know as Nightcrawlers, and even UFO sightings in Yosemite. As if these tales weren’t enough, there have been shocking murders and a large number of mysterious disappearances in Yosemite. Ancient curses and spirits of the dead flow through this land just as naturally as its’ streams.
An Evil Wind Dwells Near The Waterfalls
According to the Miwok and Ahwahnee tribes, an evil spirit of the wind called the “Po-ho-no” lurks near Yosemite’s waterfalls. Like a siren, this entity lures people to the edge of the falls. It lets out a gust and sends them plummeting into the afterlife.
According to legend, two Ahwahnee women were picking berries along Bridal Veil Falls. Suddenly, a mist swirled up and entranced the younger of the two. As the maiden moved closer, the mist let out a shriek. It whipped her down hard on the rocky waters below. When the chief was told what happened, he forbid anyone from going near the abode of this evil spirit. The falls of Yosemite have claimed the lives of hikers in recent years. To this day no member of the Ah-wah-nee will venture near the Po-ho-no.
Mysterious Disappearances are a Regular Occurrence
Many people children have gone missing in Yosemite with bizarre elements in common. First, they tend to happen in locations rich with huckleberries. Second, 95-percent of time a storm follows the abductions, washing away tracks or clues. If ever found at all, it’s often at an impossibly far location. Clothing or shoes will be missing, but they won’t have scrapes on their feet – implying they were carried.
Some believe it’s a creature with a taste for huckleberries and a strange obsession with clothing and children. Perhaps good instincts on the weather? Local lore contains a few beasts that could be responsible; Bigfoot, pterodactyls, Wendigo, or mountain devils known as Seeahtiks, who possess hypnotic abilities and extraordinary strength.
Yosemite’s Grouse Lake Has its Own Jason Voorhees
Many hikers have reported a wailing sound erupting from Grouse Lake. The first documented report of this phenomenon came from Galen Clark, Yosemite’s first park ranger in 1857. Clark heard the cries and thought it was a dog. He asked the local Indian tribe if they’d lost one. They told him it wasn’t a dog and not to go after it. According to the natives, an Indian boy drowned in the lake many years ago. Now he haunts it, calling out to those who pass by. If anyone goes in after him, he’ll grab their feet, and pull them down into the lake to drown.
Creatures Known as NightCrawlers Lurk in the Woods
These mysterious creatures spotted in Fresno and Yosemite. Nicknamed Nightcrawlers and Fresno Aliens. They are slow, awkward beings resembling a pair of shambling white pants. An Indian Totem eerily similar to these creatures exists. When asked about it, local Native Americans said Nightcrawlers are a peaceful race. They’ve existed here many years but came from a planet of mostly swampland (which is why they have long legs). They want to rebuild the union between man and nature.
Bigfoot Doesn’t Like Loud Noises
California Conservation Corp worker went camping in the Tuolumne Meadows of Yosemite. One night, he heard heavy footfalls heading straight for his tent. He came out to investigate and was faced with what could only be described as the legendary Bigfoot. Once his brain processed the roughly, 600-pound beast covered in black fur that stood on two legs, he screamed. To his surprise, the beast screamed back and retreated!
Multiple UFO Sightings Have Occurred Over Yosemite National Park
In September of 2002, a strange light was captured on video near area 51 in Yosemite. It slowly hovered, gliding through the air leaving a luminous trail behind it before disappearing. According to the witness, soon after the craft vanished, Air Force jets came out to the same location. They circled the area but the strange light never returned.
The Norman Bates of Yosemite National Park
In 1999, 43-year old Carole Sund, her daughter Juli (15) and friend Silvina Pelosso (16) checked into the Cedar Lodge. They never checked out. A hiker found their red Pontiac torched deep in the mountains. Carole and Silvina were in the trunk. Six-days later the FBI received an anonymous taunt with a map leading them to Juli, her throat had been slashed. Then in July, a teacher at the Yosemite Institute, Joie Ruth Armstrong went missing. Her body was found 27-feet away from her head in a drainage ditch. The deranged woman-hating lunatic responsible turned out to be the Cedar Lodge’s handyman Cary Strayner. He’d use his position to gain access to victims, then take them into the woods to kill them. He also confessed plans to kill his girlfriend and her daughter on Valentines Day.
Tenaya Canyon is Cursed
Tenaya Canyon is often referred to as the Bermuda Triangle of Yosemite National Park. This is due to its connection to mysterious deaths and unsolved disappearances. Local lore states Chief Tenaya cursed the canyon back in 1851. A battle raged and American soldiers killed the chief’s son. Now it’s believed the canyon is taking it out on those who attempt to explore its dangerous terrain.
A Ranger Discovered A Creepy Trail Of Deer Heads While Patroling
A ranger for the Backcountry Division in Yosemite National Park recalls a strange experience while patrolling on foot. In the middle of the trail he found a severed deer head. The cut was clean, the body was nowhere to be found. Hunting was illegal; he surveyed the area, buried the head, and continued on. A second deer head was in the middle of the trail in front of him half a mile later. Panic set in as he realized he was 30-miles away from his vehicle. Whoever did this could be watching him. Again, he surveyed the area, found nothing, and buried the head. Before finishing his patrol he discovered a third deer head, almost completely stripped of skin. He
After he buried the third head, he made camp for the night. Or as he described it:
“When I finally made camp, I didn’t make camp. I found a tree that was well off trail, one that was next to a rock outcropping. I placed my back to the tree, and the rocks, and faced outward. I didn’t turn on a light. I didn’t do anything, except sit there until dawn came, watching the forest, wondering about the heads and their meaning.”
He did file an official report of the creepy trail of deer heads. However, the mystery of who placed them and why remains unsolved.
The Ahwahnee Hotel Has An Attentive Ghost
Former manager, Mary Curry Tresidder allegedly haunts Yosemite’s Ahwahnee Hotel. Her living quarters were up on the top floor and she died there in 1970. Guests and staff members have all reported seeing the busy ghost. Bustling around the hallways, up and down the stairs, and checking in on the guests. There’ve been reports of a rocking chair moving on its own in one of the suites. The problem is, that suite doesn’t actually have a rocking chair in it.
There’s A Legend That A Suicide Victim’s Ghost Haunts Camp 6
Camp number 6 has a tragic tale in its history. One night, a camper hung himself. No one knows why and there wasn’t a suicide note. He was found hanging from the wooden frame of his tent. People say, you can still see him swinging from that wooden frame – on dark, lonely nights. Apparently, the best time to witness this phenomenon is between the hours of 11 pm and 3 am.
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