Haunted Big Sur, CA

HAUNTED BIG SUR, CA
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
jazmaonline.boards.net/
Email: jazmaonline@gmail.com
Sacramento Paranormal Haunted Hotline: 916 203 7503

GHOST WANKERS PODCAST:
www.youtube.com/@ghostwankers

MY BOOKS:
www.lulu.com/spotlight/httpswwwlulucomspotlightjazmapika1

MY BIO:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/2495/paul-dale-roberts-biography-revised

MY MINI-BIO:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/3009/new-bio

PAUL’S EBOOKS:
jazmaonline.boards.net/thread/3222/pauls-books

During my high school days (1971 to 1973), I would hitchhike from my school (Oceana High School) to Big Sur. I would make a stop at Sanchez Adobe Ranch to ride horses and do a little work at the ranch. My girlfriend Raquel Nunez at the time, would invite me over to do some work with her father. She made me into a ranch hand. I would wind up cleaning up the horse’s stalls. After I was done, then I was able to ride a horse alongside Raquel and her horse. The trails at the ranch were always somewhat creepy and I always thought someone was watching us. Not too far from the ranch was Big Sur. Many of my buddies like Eugene Pointer, William Reid, John Hester, Steve Vestneys would meet up with me at Big Sur. Many of my high school friends would party at San Gregorio State Beach. San Gregorio State Beach is a very haunted beach. Locals claim that they have seen Spanish explorers in 16th century clothing walking up and down the beach and then vanishing. The beach has a reputation for being somewhat “creepy” due to its remote, secluded nature and the sometimes-unsettling presence of possible spirits felt by locals or caretakers on the private property surrounding the beach. It is primarily known as a scenic, natural spot with a history dating back to a 1769 Spanish expedition. A hippie that frequented this beach was ran over by a vehicle on Highway #1. This hippie would always carry a sign that said: “Ain’t Going to Lie, just want to get High”. Whenever we saw him, we had a good laugh because of his sign. Then one day, we heard he had died from multiple injuries after being hit by a vehicle. Eugene Pointer claimed that he saw the ghost of this hippie and he was still holding his sign. Eugene couldn’t believe what he was seeing and blinked 3 times and on the 3rd blink, the hippie was gone. Here is what I know about the paranormal activity that happens at Big Sur.

SPECIAL NOTE: Another haunted beach is “Free Beach”, along Highway #1 and Devil’s Slide. Many vehicles have went over the cliffs of Devil’s Slide and people who frequent Free Beach have made claim of seeing ghostly victims of Devil’s Slide. I have been to Free Beach a few times and never encountered any ghosts, but my friend John Hester claims that on one Summer evening, he saw a girl playing in the sand and when he looked back, the little girl was gone.

Big Sur is considered highly haunted, famous for the elusive “Dark Watchers” in the Santa Lucia Mountains and paranormal activity at the Point Sur Lightstation. Local legends describe shadowy, 10-foot-tall figures that watch hikers at dusk, while the lighthouse is frequently cited as one of California’s most haunted sites, featuring spirits of shipwreck victims.

THE DARK WATCHERS
For centuries, travelers and residents (including author John Steinbeck’s mother) have reported seeing tall, shadowy, human-like figures on the mountain ridges. They are often described as wearing capes or hats and vanishing when approached. The Dark Watchers are also known as Los Vigilantes Oscuros. They are giant, featureless humanoid silhouettes reportedly seen standing on the ridges of the Santa Lucia Mountains. They typically appear at dawn or dusk, standing up to 10 feet tall with wide-brimmed hats and walking sticks. The Watchers were famously documented by John Steinbeck in his short story Flight and by poet Robinson Jeffers. Skeptics suggest they may be an optical illusion known as a Brocken specter, where a person’s own shadow is projected onto mist or clouds. According to newspaper archives in the mid-1960s, a Monterey Peninsula local and former high school principal went on a hiking trip in the Santa Lucias when he suddenly spotted a dark figure standing on a rock and surveying the area. When the principal called out to the other hikers, the creature vanished.

POINT SUR LIGHTSTATION
Known as a “hotbed” of activity, this 1889 lighthouse has been investigated by many ghost hunting groups. Visitors and staff have reported hearing voices, footsteps, and seeing apparitions of past keepers. Often cited as the most haunted lighthouse in America. Visitors and paranormal investigators report seeing a solitary lighthouse keeper in a 19th-century uniform walking around. The site is linked to over a dozen shipwrecks along the treacherous coastline. Reports include the sound of a young girl singing, phantom footsteps, and a “malevolent” presence near the falls that is said to push people. Many people have seen “The Ghost Light” that swings back and forth. Visitors and rangers have reported seeing the lighthouse beam turn on, even when the station is empty or inactive. Mike Sonner of Pacifica says it is most likely the ghost of a lighthouse keeper who is swinging his lantern back and forth. Mike has actually seen the Ghost Light and has no logical explanation for the sighting. Mike says since the lighthouse has a reputation of being haunted with the history of numerous shipwrecks and isolation, the site is known for paranormal activity, including doors opening on their own, shadowy figures in the lantern room, and the spirit of a young girl. The Point Sur Lighthouse Woman in White has been seen walking the cliffs, while a tall man in 19th-century clothing has been spotted. Barbara Fairweather, ghost hunter from Daly City claims she captured an EVP from the 19th-century tall man and his name is Frances. Visitors have reported hearing disembodied voices, including a young girl, and footsteps in empty rooms. Doors in the keeper’s house have been known to close on their own. Some reports suggest the spirits are former keepers and their families returning to their isolated home. Specifically, the kitchen in the restored keeper’s house is a hotspot for activity, where spirits are said to still linger. The Lantern Room is haunted by shadow figures. The shadow figures have been seen in this top-level. Lucy Dunridge, a tourist from San Diego claims that she has seen shadow figures moving about on the ceiling. Lucy says after seeing the shadow figures, she will never return to Big Sur. Lucy says the lighthouse is just too creepy.

DEETJEN’S BIG SUR INN
This historic inn is rumored to be haunted by the spirit of its founder, Helmuth Deetjen, whose presence is often felt in the “Grandfather” room. The ghost of Helmuth has been seen reading a book.

UFO/UAPs
UFOs/UAPs have been seen in Big Sur. There was the 1964 Big Sur Incident. An article describes how a team filming Wikipedia Atlas missile tests from a Big Sur mountaintop allegedly recorded an unidentified object flying alongside a missile and shooting a beam of energy at it. While some, including former Lieutenant Robert Jacobs, claim it was an extraterrestrial craft, others like project engineer Skeptical Inquirer Kingston George argue the object was actually a decoy warhead. Then we have the Vandenberg Sightings. Nearby Vandenberg Space Force Base, a frequent site for rocket launches, has been the location of multiple reported UAP sightings, including a 2003 incident involving a large, hovering object.

BIGFOOT
A hiker reported finding a large, unknown footprint in the Big Sur area in 2022, leading to speculation about Bigfoot.