12 Most Haunted Places in Utah: From Moab to Mayhem

The most haunted places in Utah aren’t just about local legends…They’re also tangled up in a history as wild as the Wasatch peaks. From phantom pioneers to spectral saloon girls, Utah’s ghost stories are as layered as its canyon walls. 

Grab your hiking boots and a flashlight; these are the most haunted places in Utah:

The Rio Grande Depot 

Salt Lake City

The Rio Grande Depot is a historic train station built in 1910, once a busy hub for the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Today, the restored depot houses offices and a museum, but it has also earned a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Utah.

The most famous spirit here is the Purple Lady, who has been seen in the depot since 1947. Locals believe she died tragically after chasing her engagement ring onto the tracks, where she was hit by a train. 

Witnesses describe her as a beautiful woman with dark hair and a long dress, usually appearing in the ladies’ restroom, the café, or wandering the mezzanine.

Security guards working late have reported heavy footsteps, shadowy figures, and lights flickering in the cellar when no one is there. The Purple Lady’s ghost remains the most enduring reminder of the depot’s tragic history.

Ben Lomond Hotel 

Ogden

Built in 1927, the Ben Lomond Hotel, originally called the Bigelow, was one of three Grand Hotels in Utah, a title given to the most opulent establishments in the area.

The Ben Lomond Hotel was built on the former site of the Reed Hotel. Just three days after the Reed Hotel opened, Mr. William Steele, the brother-in-law of one of the owners, was found dead in his bed from tuberculosis.

Today, it is no longer operating as a Grand Hotel. In 2019, the Ben Lomand was turned into an apartment building. 

The building itself was built on the site of the Reed Hotel, which opened in 1891 and had its share of death before being demolished.

Tragedies tied to the property include:

• William Steele (1891): Brother-in-law of one of the Reeds’ owners, found mysteriously dead in his bed just three days after the hotel opened.
• Asuki Nakano (1921): A cook who fell three floors down the elevator shaft after stepping into an open doorway without realizing the elevator car had not arrived.
• Two men (1939): Guests who requested access to the top floor, opened a window, and jumped to their deaths.
• Room 1102 tragedy: A bride drowned in her bathtub on her honeymoon, and her depressed son later committed suicide in the adjoining room, 1101. Guests in these rooms report faucets turning on by themselves, voices, cold spots, and even ghostly figures.

Though the building’s elegance remains, so do the hauntings.

Moon Lake

Duchesne County

Tucked away in the Uinta Mountains, Moon Lake is a gorgeous getaway popular for camping, fishing, and hiking. Beneath its natural beauty, however, the lake carries a weird reputation.

Visitors have long heard strange sounds in the forest at night, ghostly figures appearing near the shoreline, and the feelingof being watched while out on the water.

Some believe the hauntings stem from the area’s Indigenous history, as the lake sits on land once occupied by Native tribes. Campers have reported hearing drumming in the distance when no one else is nearby and voices across the water after dark. 

Others tell of dark shapes moving just below the surface of the lake, vanishing when approached.

Devereaux Mansion 

Salt Lake City

Built in 1857, the Devereaux Mansion was Salt Lake City’s first true mansion, designed by architect William Paul. Once surrounded by vineyards, gardens, and stables, it was a social hub for Utah’s early elite. Today, it stands restored and preserved.

Visitors often report seeing the ghost of a young girl dressed in clothing from the 1850s. She appears in upstairs windows, hums or sings to herself, and sometimes photobombs pictures or throws objects across the room. 

Alongside her presence is a second spirit, thought to be a former housekeeper. Unlike the child, this apparition is more aggressive, often slamming doors or tossing items to protect the mansion.

A third presence, believed to be an adult woman, possibly a former housekeeper or matron, is also seen. She projects a stern, aggressive energy and seems to react when the mansion is treated disrespectfully, sometimes slamming doors or tossing items across the room.

Saltair Pavilion

Great Salt Lake

The Saltair Pavilion, often called “The Coney Island of the West,” opened in 1893 on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. At its peak in the 1920s, it drew half a million visitors a year with its massive dance floor, roller coaster, bowling center, and early movie theater. 

Tragedy repeatedly struck, with fires in 1925 and 1970, flooding in the 1980s, and decades of abandonment. Rebuilt in 1981 using an aircraft hangar from Hill Air Force Base, the modern Saltair is now a concert venue.

The rebuild was done quickly and on a limited budget, using an old aircraft hangar purchased from Hill Air Force Base as the core of the modern Saltair. 

The most infamous presence here is Saltair Sally,” the nickname given to an unidentified woman whose body was found on the property in 2000. She has been seen pacing near the windows wearing a white dress, and some people report physical pain when encountering her. 

Another spirit is that of a soldier, often spotted near the staircase, believed to be tied to the military hangar used in the reconstruction. Guests also report disembodied voices, shadowy figures, and lights flickering without explanation. 

With its string of disasters, the Saltair has become one of the most haunted places in Utah.

Mountain Meadows Massacre Site

Washington County

On September 11, 1857, one of the darkest chapters in Utah’s history unfolded at Mountain Meadows. 

The Baker-Fancher wagon train, made up of more than 140 emigrants from Arkansas traveling to California, stopped in the region when they were attacked by a Mormon militia. 

Between 120 and 140 men, women, and children were brutally killed.

The brutality of the Mormon Militia:

• Deceptive surrender: After days of siege, the emigrant party was tricked into laying down their weapons under a false truce. Believing they would be taken to safety, they complied.
• Calculated execution: Men were marched separately from women and older children. Once spread out, they were ambushed and shot point-blank by the Mormon militia.
• Close-range killings: Many women and children were stabbed, shot, or bludgeoned at very short range. Survivors reported that some were killed while pleading for mercy.
• Disposal: Victims were stripped, their belongings looted, and their bodies dumped in shallow, uncovered graves where animals later scattered bones.

This combination of betrayal, intimate violence, and mass murder of families makes it distinct from battlefield deaths. 

Only 17 children, all under the age of seven, were spared. 

This was the largest attack by religious fundamentalists on American soil until September 11, 2001, 144 years later. The Mormon Church has never apologized for the brutal murders. 

Perhaps that is why some spirits have never settled.  

Visitors sometimes feel a wave of sadness settling over them while walking the meadow. Some have heard the cries of children or seen ghostly figures running through the fields. 

Others claim to witness an older man dressed in 19th-century clothing sobbing at the memorial, thought to be the spirit of John D. Lee, the only participant executed for the massacre. Reports of floating heads and a woman wandering across the meadow add to the chilling atmosphere. 

Some think the woman may be a mother looking for her children. Others say she appears briefly at dusk or dawn, then vanishes into the grass. Either way, her apparition is tied directly to the grief and loss left by the massacre.

More than 150 years later, the meadow is still one of the most haunted places in Utah. 

Antelope Island State Park

Great Salt Lake

Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake is best known for its wildlife and scenic beauty, but it is also one of the most haunted places in Utah.

In the 1860s, gravedigger Jean Baptiste was caught robbing over 300 graves, stealing clothes and belongings from the dead. As punishment, he was exiled to Fremont Island, just north of Antelope Island. 

Six weeks later, he disappeared, his shack destroyed, and many believe he turned it into a raft to escape. A headless skeleton found in 1890 fueled speculation about his death, and his spirit is rumored to still wander the lake’s islands.

Ranch manager Carl Aldrich once noted that while he won’t call them “ghosts,” he and others have experienced strange odors, voices, and the sensation of being watched or chased at Fielding Garr Ranch. 

Fort Douglas 

Salt Lake City

Fort Douglas, established in 1862, once served as a U.S. Army base and now operates as a cemetery and a military museum. 

Manifestations:

• Clem: The most famous spirit at Fort Douglas is “Clem,” a Civil War-era soldier often described as a stocky man with a beard in uniform. His full-body apparition has been seen throughout the museum, where he is known to wink, breathe on visitors’ necks, or walk the stairs with heavy footsteps. The museum even hosts an annual October event in his honor, and paranormal groups have investigated his presence many times.
• The Woman in White: At Carlson Hall, part of the University of Utah campus, people report seeing a woman in white, believed to be the ghost of a young woman who died by suicide in the 1930s. She is said to wander the halls and is blamed for the service elevator’s frequent breakdowns.
• Other Manifestations: Other sightings include a young girl roaming the Humanities House on Officer’s Circle, a floating face seen by staff, and a mysterious woman in purple spotted near Chapel Glen. In the cemetery itself, people report hearing German murmurs near POW graves and a translucent rider on horseback.

Today, both the cemetery and the museum can be toured.

The Place Heritage Park

Salt Lake City

The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City preserves historic pioneer buildings once tied to Brigham Young’s original settlement. 

With homes dating back to the mid-1800s, the site is now a living history attraction. But alongside its pioneer past, visitors say the park is also haunted.

• Ann Eliza Webb Young: Brigham Young’s 19th wife, Ann Eliza, is often seen in black, peering from the dining room or kitchen window of the Forest Farmhouse. She divorced Brigham and later spoke out against him and the church, which may explain her unsettled presence. She published her book under the subtitle “Life in Bondage.”
• Mary Fielding Smith: The widow of Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith’s older brother, has been spotted outside her relocated home, sometimes wagging her finger angrily. Many believe her frustration comes from the fact that her house was set facing the wrong way when it was moved to the park.
• Children’s voices: At the Jewkes-Draper Home, visitors often report hearing the joyful sounds of children laughing and playing.

This historic site can be toured today, and guests often hear these stories during visits.

Skinwalker Ranch

Uintah County

Skinwalker Ranch, located in northeastern Utah’s Uintah Basin, is one of the most infamous paranormal hotspots in the United States and, controversially, one of the most haunted places in Utah. 

Known for UFO sightings, cattle mutilations, and strange lights, it has been the subject of books, documentaries, and a television series, The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. 

Despite the publicity, outsiders are not welcome on the property, which remains tightly guarded.

The Timeline:

• Pre-1990s: Local Ute tribes considered the land cursed and avoided it, associating the area with skinwalker legends. In Ute tradition, skinwalkers are not creatures but people. They’re witches who gain the ability to transform into animals by performing dark rituals.
• 1994: Terry and Gwen Sherman purchased the 512-acre ranch. They quickly reported terrifying events: UFOs, glowing orbs, crop circles, cattle mutilations, and encounters with wolf-like creatures.
• 1996: The Shermans abandoned the ranch after 18 months. Robert Bigelow, a billionaire and UFO enthusiast, bought the property to study the phenomenon.
• 1996–2016: Bigelow’s National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci) conducted secretive investigations, reporting unexplained lights, strange creatures, and equipment malfunctions.
• 2016: Bigelow sold the ranch to Adamantium Real Estate, a shell company connected to real estate magnate Brandon Fugal. Under his ownership, the property became the focus of media attention.
• 2020–Present: History Channel launched The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, bringing the strange stories to a global audience.

The Hitchhiker Effect

One of the most unsettling claims about the ranch is the so-called “Hitchhiker Effect.” 

Visitors and researchers say they often bring strange stuff home with them, ranging from strange illnesses and electronic disturbances to apparitions and unexplained activity in their own houses, after leaving the property.

The Utah Lake Monster

Rich County

The Utah Lake Monster is one of Utah’s oldest legends. 

In the 1800s, stories began to spread about a terrifying creature lurking in Utah Lake. Witnesses described it as having the head of a dog with dark, angry eyes. In 1864, one man even claimed the monster chased him all the way to shore.

The Daily Herald also recorded a sighting close to land. Goshen Bishop William Price, traveling with companions, spotted the beast about a mile offshore, keeping pace with their wagon on a calm, clear day. 

Descriptions varied wildly—some said the monster had short legs for walking along the shore, others claimed it could swim “faster than a locomotive.” Brigham Young himself was curious enough to attempt a trap.

Accounts describe the monster’s body as long and serpent-like, sometimes cream-colored, sometimes spiked along the back, reaching up to 50 feet in length. Its head was said to resemble everything from a cow to a walrus without tusks. Some even believed there was more than one creature in the lake.

Alta Club

Salt Lake City

The Alta Club was founded in 1883 by 81 wealthy mining barons, who wanted a private gentleman’s club in the heart of Salt Lake City. 

Built inside the Dooley Building, the Alta Club quickly became a place for Utah’s elite to socialize and host lavish gatherings. 

But during Prohibition and the Great Depression, its polished reputation mixed with vice, members gambled on slot machines and slipped into secret speakeasies hidden inside its walls.

In the 1950s, tragedy struck when a member fell asleep in a third-floor bedroom with a lit cigar. The fire nearly destroyed the building and claimed the man’s life. The damaged floor was closed for decades, and a strict no-smoking rule was adopted. To this day, members report seeing a well-dressed gentleman with a cigar.

The club’s most famous ghost, however, is the “Lady of the Evening.” Witnesses claim she lingers in the basement, often making her presence known by the scent of lilac perfume. 

Her true story has been lost to time, but many believe she is connected to a horrific event that took place on July 23, 1960.

On that day, a man named Jay Bertleson walked into the kitchen and fatally shot pantry maid Lucille Van Gerren. When Chef Edward Sasaki tried to stop him, he was gunned down as well.

Jay then fled into a basement bathroom, where he shot and killed himself. His motives remain a mystery, but ever since, employees and members whisper that the Alta Club is one of the most haunted places in Utah.

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