The Ahwahnee Is One of the Most Haunted Places in California

Most know Yosemite National Park for its beautiful outdoor attractions. Imposing granite cliff faces like Half Dome and El Capitan, serene meadows and forests, and the picturesque Merced River, all tend to come to mind. But right in the heart of Yosemite Valley, supernatural secrets are said to lurk within the park’s most famous hotel.

The Ahwahnee, which has 99 rooms, 24 cottages, a heated outdoor pool, and two on-site restaurants, has been the premier place to stay in Yosemite since its doors opened in 1927. Featuring soaring wooden beams and Native American artwork, the hotel’s interior inspired some of the sets for Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 horror classic “The Shining.” 

“We do get a lot of visitors who are fans of ‘The Shining,’” says Chelsie Layman, director of communications for Yosemite Hospitality. “The film wasn’t actually filmed at the hotel, but a lot of the locations were replicated in a movie studio. Things like the iconic elevator, the grand entrance, some of the hallways, and the Great Lounge really resemble those of the movie. There are definitely people who come for the spooky vibes.”

Much like the fictional Overlook Hotel of “The Shining,” thousands of guests have stayed at the Ahwahnee over the decades—but some, it’s rumored, never left. However, the people who have stayed are actually pretty warm and cordial.

Though Layman notes that she can’t personally speak to supernatural experiences at the Ahwahnee, guests have reported bumping into the spirits of people like Mary Curry and Donald Tresidder. Tresidder was the fourth president of Stanford University and met Curry at Yosemite. The two spent a significant amount of time at the park throughout their lives, overseeing the construction of the Ahwahnee, Badger Pass Ski Area, and other major infrastructure projects. Donald passed away in 1948 and Mary in 1970—while staying in her suite at the Ahwahnee, no less. But the legend goes that the happy couple remains at the hotel to this day.

Before you get too concerned, the Tresidders seem to be very friendly ghosts. In fact, lucky visitors might find themselves invited to dance by Mary—she’s also been said to tuck the occasional guest into bed. Others have reported hearing Donald’s footsteps on the steps at night, perhaps in search of refreshments from the Ahwahnee kitchens.

“I’ve heard that every once in a while, staff might smell perfume where somebody wasn’t in the hallway previously,” Layman says. “That’s been the biggest one that I’ve heard in terms of a spooky presence, or feeling something that you didn’t see.”

Another spirit thought to haunt the Ahwahnee is none other than that of John F. Kennedy. The former U.S. president stayed at the hotel in 1962, a year before his assassination, and requested a rocking chair be brought in for his visit. Today, some say that the chair moves on its own from time to time.

If you’re in the mood for even more spooky season ambiance during a visit to Yosemite, stop by the Yosemite Cemetery, located a short drive from the Ahwahnee near the Yosemite Valley Welcome Center. While there aren’t any specific ghost tales associated with this cemetery, the grounds serve as the final resting place of several early park guests, staff, and Southern Sierra Miwok Nation community members. Special tours of the cemetery are given every year around Halloween.

“We do host a ghost tour during Halloween on the 30th and the 31st,” Layman says. “It’s an interactive ghost tour that weaves in a lot of the history of Yosemite and some of the first people to live and be buried in Yosemite. It’s such a fun thing to come and lean into, especially during this season.”