The Alcatraz Demon. Alcatraz is extremely haunted. There are ghosts of prisoners who died there and ghostly security guards. The place is full of spooky rooms, like those in the medical ward, which creak and groan like any good haunted prison should. There's a room called "the hole" or Cell D-14. In the depths of the prison that was used for solitary confinement. According to legend, sometime in the 1940s, a man was put down there and, throughout the night, screamed to the guards about a demonic creature with glowing eyes in the cell that was trying to kill him. The guards ignored this as an excuse to get out. When they opened the cell in the morning, they found the man strangled to death. No one knows exactly how he died. Have you heard of this story? Have you ever visited this place?

The Dark Watchers in the Santa Lucia Range. The Dark Watchers are described as tall, sometimes giant-sized featureless dark silhouettes often adorned with brimmed hats or walking sticks. They are most often reported to be seen in the hours around twilight and dawn. They are said to motionlessly watch travelers from the horizon along the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. According to legend, no one has seen one up close and if someone were to approach them, they disappear. The stories of the Dark Watchers have been passed down through generations, with early accounts dating back to the 1700's when Spanish settlers called them "los vigilantes oscuros". Authors like John Steinbeck and Robinson Jeffers also wrote about them in their works, adding to the legend. Some theories suggest that the Dark Watchers may be a result of optical illusions, such as shadows cast by mist and fog, or even infrasound effects that can induce feelings of unease. Others believe that they are a real supernatural entity, part of the local folklore and lore of the region. Have you heard of this folklore or maybe even seen one?

Joshua Tree Skinwalkers. Joshua Tree National Park has a connection to skinwalker lore, particularly among the indigenous inhabitants of the Mojave Desert who have long-held beliefs about these shapeshifting creatures. Skinwalkers, part of Navajo mythology, are seen as dangerous witches who can transform into animals and are believed to practice malevolent magic. While not directly tied to a specific event in Joshua Tree, the park's location in the Mojave Desert aligns with the traditional territory where these beliefs are held. Skinwalkers are in many areas including Arizona, Nevada, and even New Mexico. So it's not solely bound to California. But have you heard of a Skinwalker?

Turnbull Canyon Hauntings. This place has a dark energy above it as a lot of death happens here. Turnbull Canyon was named after a murdered man Robert Turnbull who was a Scottish immigrant and shepherd who immigrated to California to make money in real estate. He ended up buying the canyon because he thought it was a good place to raise sheep. He gained a reputation for being the town drunk and was overall, a messy figure. Quakers wanted Turnbull's land but he refused to sell it to them for years until they presented him with a very high offer. He accepted and shortly after, he was murdered under mysterious circumstances in 1888. Someone had severely beaten him up while he was drunk. As far as my research shows, the police never figured out who did it. To honor him, the quaker's named the land after him and Turnbull Canyon was born. Another example is The crash of flight 416 which is often regarded as a legend. An airplane crash did happen in Turnbull Canyon. In 1952, flight 416, which left New York City and was headed to Los Angeles, crashed into the canyon. All 29 passengers died. It's believed the captain of the plane flew below the suggested altitude due to thick fog. This, however, caused one of the wings to scrape the canyon and lose control. The fog was so bad that locals didn't even know a plane had crashed until hours later when they saw smoke coming from the hills. Next would be Hell's Gate. Another legend exists in the canyon, known as Hell's Gates. Stories of satanic worship, cult meetings, and skeletons of 'unbaptized babies' are reported but hold no weight in truth. The dusty trail leads to a barbed wire fence with 'No Trespassing' signs, piquing the curiosity of those in search of the unknown. Rusted chains hold a gate shut, and overgrown desert brush blocks the view of what lies beyond. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is not given in this article. Some say it's the foundation of an orphanage; some say it is an abandoned mental asylum. And last but not least is Murders and chaos. In 2002, 17-year-old Gloria Gaxiola was shot in the head and killed on Turnbull Canyon road. Three men, who were thought to be her friends, were eventually arrested in 2008. They believed Gaxiola would implicate them in a robbery they had committed. They all were later convicted of her murder. Sadly her body was dragged for four miles by the cars back seatbelt. In 2009, Christine Martinez, a young woman from Bellflower, was attacked by friends and left for dead at Turnbull Canyon. They beat her up, slashed her throat, and jammed needles into her before they threw her into a ravine. Miraculously, she made her way out of the canyon and knocked on an elderly woman's door for help. She survived her ordeal and the two men who attacked her were later convicted of their crimes. In 2011, a man shot his girlfriend in the head and dumped her body in Turnbull Canyon. He fled to Mexico and was not convicted of her death until 6 years later. With all that being said, have you heard of any of these stories or maybe hiked this canyon?

The Fresno Nightcrawler. Fresno's urban legends include the famous Fresno Nightcrawler, a cryptid described as a ghostly, pants-like creature. Other legends involve Lost Lake, a place rumored to be haunted by Native American spirits and tragic occurrences. The legend started with surveillance footage of a pants-like figure captured in 2007 and a video of two white figures in Yosemite Lakes Park in 2011. Have you heard of the Fresno Nightcrawler?