Haunted Hotels You Can Visit — and the Ghosts Who Never Checked Out

We visit haunted hotels you can actually book—from the Stanley Hotel (inspiration for The Shining) to Glacier National Park's Belton Chalet—with the hosts of National Park After Dark. Our guests, Danielle LaRock and Cassie Yahnian, share chilling tales of historic lodging near our country’s most majestic parks. Join us (if you dare) to meet the West’s creepiest overnight guests, including Scary Mary and her terrifying grip as well as a helpful suitcase-packing specter. 

Danielle and Cassie also provide practical advice for ghost-curious travelers, explain why the pleasures of staying in these classic sites can offset their supernatural challenges, and why you might not want to sleep—or even shower!—alone in some of them. Whether you’re plotting your next national park road trip or just love a spooky story, this episode is for you.

Spine-tingling highlights:

• The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado: Find out why the Stanley’s vibes feel “spooky but wholesome”—and what really happened in room 217.
• Golden North Hotel, Skagway, Alaska: Gold Rush–era landmark where “Scary Mary” still stares out the window.
• Red Onion Saloon, Skagway, Alaska: Former brothel where a “doll & tube” system signaled which workers were available.
• Belton Chalet, West Glacier, Montana: Meet giggling child ghosts and the lodge’s resident spectral prankster, “Belton Bob.”
• Granite Park Chalet, Glacier NP, Montana: Backcountry stone chalet tied to the 1967 “Night of the Grizzlies” and the 2003 Trapper Fire.
• Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas: Former hospital now frequently cited as one of America’s most haunted hotels.
• Plus, listeners’ paranormal encounters at Fort Bragg’s Gray Whale Inn, aboard the Queen Mary, and at a casino in Nevada.
• And tips on how to visit haunted places with respect (say hello, set boundaries, and don’t agitate).

Guests

With campfire-storytelling flair, Danielle LaRock and Cassie Yahnian share meticulously researched survival tales, morbid histories, and paranormal lore meant to inspire—not discourage—exploration. The best-friends-turned-cohosts of the popular podcast National Park After Dark believe that learning the history of a place—no matter how gruesome—will deepen your experience there. The pair first met while working at an animal hospital, bonded on long hikes, and now road-test historic lodges, haunted hotspots, and national park legends. To help their listeners put the show’s motto, “enjoy the view, but watch your back,” into practice, the two also organize wilderness first aid courses and international group adventures. 

Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.