Creepy campgrounds and haunted destinations - 2024 edition
Our sixth annual collection of creepy campfire stories
This year’s sixth annual Halloween podcast episode where we share haunted haunts and creepy campgrounds. From ghosts to Bigfoot, spirits and scary sounds these spine-chilling tales might have you packing up camp and running for home…or they might be just the places you’ll want to haunt soon. Even some of our audience shared some of their own creepy tales.
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Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 279
Peggy Barthel
Welcome to the spooky camping RV podcast.
Tony Barthel
This week, we share some haunted campgrounds in our annual spooky camping Halloween episode. Now
Peggy Barthel
Turn off the lights.
Tony Barthel
Sit back.
Peggy Barthel
Try to relax as we share these haunted places.
Tony Barthel
I'm Tony.
Peggy Barthel
And I'm Peggy.
Tony Barthel
And we are 2 RV industry veterans who travel around part time in a small trailer.
Peggy Barthel
Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips
Tony Barthel
And a lot of tricks.
Peggy Barthel
And discounts. You will find our previous Halloween episodes, episode number 18, episode number 80, episode 122, 1 74, and 2 26. Those are the previous Halloween episodes.
Tony Barthel
And if you want to know how we're doing this, we are working with a skeleton crew.
Peggy Barthel
Uh
Tony Barthel
It's quite an undertaking. We realize what a grave situation it is, but hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Peggy Barthel
We'll turn on the lights if you must. You know that you have the power.
Tony Barthel
Don't be haunted by bad decisions. We love working with our friends at ABC Outfitters to bring the light back into your world with their reliable master volt power systems and solar systems.
Peggy Barthel
If you're spooked by solar and lithium systems, give ABC Upfitters a call.
Tony Barthel
They'll take the scare right out of it and you can reach them at 574-333-3225.
Peggy Barthel
Or find them at abcupfitters.com.
Tony Barthel
Well, once again, it is our least popular episode of the entire year, our Halloween episode. And yet,
Peggy Barthel
listed some and I found some more. Well, the very
Tony Barthel
first is Bannock State Park in Montana. Originally, this was a gold mining town, but Bannock now houses 2 campsites. In 18/64, sheriff Henry Plummer was hanged after being accused of directing a murderous gang.
Peggy Barthel
He never got a fair trial, so the only way to be sure if he was guilty was to ask his ghost, which has been sighted wandering around the town and the campsites. Next we go to Cameron Park, Texas. This park is home to Jacob's Ladder, a steep staircase where women have reported feeling hands pull on their clothing. Ho ho.
Tony Barthel
Not far away from the ladder is Lovers Leap, where 2 lovers from opposing Native American tribes jumped to their deaths.
Peggy Barthel
The ghostly couple can now be seen walking through the river holding hands like something straight out of an old horror movie.
Tony Barthel
There are also stories of witches in black and white dresses running throughout the park, and tourists have reported hearing high pitched screams.
Peggy Barthel
And smelling rotting flesh. Ew. Let's take a visit to Braley Pond Campground.
Tony Barthel
It's popular with hikers, campers, and fishermen with a pond and nearby creek.
Peggy Barthel
It is in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest near West Augusta, Virginia.
Tony Barthel
While it seems like a tranquil forest environment during the day, that can change as the sun sets.
Peggy Barthel
People have reported getting nauseous when in the area, seeing floating orbs of light, and hearing horses galloping down the road.
Tony Barthel
The most well known tale is about the ghost that haunts Braley Pond. Campers claim to have heard loud laughter that can't be accounted for, and a ghostly figure floating over the creek.
Peggy Barthel
Oh. Carl g Washburn Memorial State Park in Oregon is situated near the coastal town of Florence. A haunted beachside campsite awaits your next supernatural adventure.
Tony Barthel
Oh, while we've all heard reports of vengeful spirits, the spotlight here is on Rue, a long ago steward of these grounds and the lighthouse.
Peggy Barthel
Visitors have attested to witnessing her presence, sitting on the beds, and moving objects within rooms.
Tony Barthel
Even laborers around the lighthouse have shared accounts of encountering her offering assistance with their chores.
Peggy Barthel
Well, that doesn't sound so bad.
Tony Barthel
Right? Hey. Sure. Pick up a shovel, Ruth.
Peggy Barthel
At Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California
Tony Barthel
Where we've stayed.
Peggy Barthel
Where we've stayed and seen Bigfoot.
Tony Barthel
Uh, Yeah.
Peggy Barthel
But you might also encounter the spirits of Native Americans.
Tony Barthel
The Sinkyeon people used to live in this forest, and their spirits remain to protect the sacred ghost trees. Campers have reported seeing spirits standing in the dark forest and slowly melting into it.
Peggy Barthel
Just as a side note, the Humboldt Redwood State Park is home to 6 ghost trees that the Sinkyeon people seem to deem sacred and they are protecting. The ghost trees are rare albino redwoods that average 30 feet tall. A benefit of camping at Humboldt Redwoods State Park is that you could say you saw a ghost. A ghost tree, that is.
Tony Barthel
It's a great place to log off.
Peggy Barthel
Oh, boy.
Tony Barthel
Revisiting because it's in New Mexico, the Holy Ghost Campground Northeast of Santa Fe, down an eerie narrow road, you travel about 13 miles.
Peggy Barthel
Some tales say that a priest killed the Pueblo people who settled on this land in the late 17th century.
Tony Barthel
Others say the priest was killed by the Pueblo people who are defending themselves. Either way, there may be the spirit of a Catholic priest among these trees.
Peggy Barthel
There have been more recent tales of gruesome car accidents, brawls between bikers due to paranormal activity, and state troopers that disappear altogether.
Tony Barthel
Visitors claim to see moving shadows beyond the trees.
Peggy Barthel
Even though this spot is claimed to be haunted and scary, Holy Ghost Campground is a breathtakingly beautiful place to camp. It is set upon Holy Ghost Creek, which offers hiking trails and incredible nature views.
Tony Barthel
Alright. The next part of this is exactly campgrounds, but you can find camping in and near these national parks and places.
Peggy Barthel
Did you know that Yosemite National Park is actually haunted?
Tony Barthel
It's known for its rock formations and is a mecca for cave explorers, rock climbers, and hikers. So what paranormal activity happens in the area? Sections of the park are believed to be haunted by Native Americans who were killed there, and the Ahwahnee Hotel has seen its fair share of the unliving.
Peggy Barthel
Park ranger Galen Clark reported sounds like dogs wailing along Grouse Lake Trail, but was later told it was a sound of a young boy who drowned in the lake.
Tony Barthel
One worker of the hotel is said to have seen the ghost of John f Kennedy who visited a year before his assassination.
Peggy Barthel
Keep an eye out and visit the National Park Service for more information on these haunted rumors.
Tony Barthel
Devil's Den in Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania is where visitors have seen a headless horseman Oh. Running through the boulder strewn hill. Lady of the Lake in Olympic National Park, where fishermen found an incredibly well preserved body floating in the lake.
Peggy Barthel
It turned out to be Haley Latham who had been working at a nearby tavern and had a troubled relationship with her husband before disappearing.
Tony Barthel
Ho ho. Yellowstone National Park at the Old Faithful Inn has a plethora of rumored hauntings, like a headless bride, jostled door handles, and strangers lurking around and peering through the windows.
Peggy Barthel
In August of 1959, a 7.5 earthquake hit the West Yellowstone area of the Madison River in Montana. The quake triggered a landslide, and 1,000,000 of pounds of rocks and boulders crashed into the campground, killing 28 campers.
Tony Barthel
Quake Lake was formed by this huge landslide, and the remains of the campground and trailers sit at the bottom of the lake. Campers at Beaver Creek Campground report seeing glowing orbs floating over the water where the campground once was on those moonless nights.
Peggy Barthel
The Grand Canyon National Park is full of apparitions. It's the location of Crash Canyon where 2 jets crashed into each other in the 19 fifties and now hosts creepy mysterious lights.
Tony Barthel
There are also sightings of a wailing woman in a white dress with blue flowers along the transept trail on stormy nights. She reportedly committed suicide in the Grand Canyon Lodge after a family tragedy in the canyon.
Peggy Barthel
Rocky Mountain National Park is home to the Stanley Hotel, also the star of The Shining Mhmm. And is certainly considered to be one of the scariest places in all of America.
Tony Barthel
If you miss out going there, you'll be steamed. And if you get that joke, you are truly a very nerdy nerd. Norton Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains boasts plenty of scary stories like the Cherokee legend of Spear Finger.
Peggy Barthel
This witch walked through local trails disguised as an elderly woman and used her stone finger to cut out and eat the levers of children who strayed from home.
Tony Barthel
And we've been here, Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Formerly a tuberculosis sanitarium, and Native Americans here are said to still roam the caves in their ghostly form. We hope you've enjoyed our trip to the RV supernatural again this year. We really enjoy these Halloween episodes, but that might make us unique. But either way, we hope you're not spooked by camping.
Tony Barthel
Don't forget we have this week's podcast haunting you in all the places that you like getting podcasts. We also have the notes on all the stories that go with this episode along with discounts, deals, helpful tips, and more at our home on the web at stressless camping.com.
Peggy Barthel
Don't forget to like and share, and thank you for joining us on our weekly RV podcast adventure.
Tony Barthel
If you don't like and share, we may come and haunt your RV.
Peggy Barthel
The tray quiggered a the quake triggered a landslide. The Grand Canyon National Park is full of apparitions.
Tony Barthel
What apparitions? It's full of reparations.
