Haunted Seattle Underground
When I visited Seattle, Washington, I couldn’t resist taking the famous Seattle Underground tour, hoping to bump into a ghost or two. The Seattle Underground—passageways beneath the old downtown—is widely reputed to be haunted. Tour guides regale visitors with ghost stories of shadowy figures and eerie encounters in these tunnels that were once the heart of the city. The subterranean streets have a dark history marked by violence and fire, and many believe some spirits never left. Visitors and guides alike have reported strange silhouettes flitting at the edge of vision, inexplicable whispers, and a heavy, eerie sensation in the air.
At one point during my tour, a woman in front of me suddenly yelped that something had tugged her hair. She whirled around and eyed me as if I were the prankster. I quickly put my hands up and protested, “Wasn’t me!” The group nervously laughed, but the incident set our hearts racing. Certain areas of the Underground are especially active, according to lore—an old bank vault and a former brothel are among the hot spots for paranormal activity. One popular tale involves a bank teller who was killed in a turn-of-the-century shootout; his ghost, nicknamed the “Banker Ghost,” is said to roam the vaults still checking his pocket watch. The old red-light district tunnels are reportedly stalked by the spirits of sex workers. A local psychic even claims to have conversed with the ghost of one madam, known as “Darling Dash,” who sadly doesn’t recall how she died.
The tour was fascinating, though I personally didn’t experience any supernatural events that day beyond a case of goosebumps. After exploring beneath the streets, I made a final tourist stop at the Seattle Space Needle looming over the city skyline. Soon it was time to head to the airport and fly back home, feeling both thrilled by Seattle’s history and a bit disappointed I hadn’t met a ghost in person.
A Majestic Farewell and an Unlikely Connection
On the flight home, the airline captain’s voice crackled over the intercom, urging us to peek out the left-side windows. There, piercing the clouds, stood Mount Rainier itself—majestic, snow-capped, and almost mystical against the sky. I pressed my face to the glass for a better look. The volcano’s presence was breathtaking and magical. In that moment I wished I had more time to explore Washington State’s wilderness, especially the towering beauty of Rainier. Little did I know I was about to stumble into a paranormal connection to that very mountain.
Not long after I returned to California, I was contacted by a Washington State Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer who needed my help with an investigation. (By trade, I’m retired from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, where one of my roles was serving as a Custodian of Records.) The officer was tracking down a hunter notorious for breaking game laws in both California and Washington, and I assisted by pulling some records on the suspect. As we wrapped up the paperwork, I casually mentioned my recent trip to Seattle and my side-interest as a paranormal investigator. That bit of small talk immediately caught the officer’s attention. He chuckled and said Mount Rainier has its fair share of crazy stories. In fact, over his years on duty he’d heard countless bizarre tales from locals—fishermen, hunters, campers, and hikers—who came out of the Rainier wilderness with unexplainable experiences. Sensing I was all ears, the officer decided to share a few of the eeriest reports he’d collected. (For professional reasons, he asked that I not publish his name, and I’ll respect that here.)
Campfire Tales from a Wildlife Officer
One chilling account the officer relayed came from a hunter who swore that something extraordinary happened to him two years ago in the deep woods of Mount Rainier. While tracking deer, this hunter spotted two figures roughly 300 yards away that nearly stopped his heart: one appeared to be a classic “Grey” alien—short, slender, with grayish skin and an oversized head—and just behind it stood a towering Bigfoot. For a few seconds, man and creatures stared at each other in mutual shock. Then, in a blink, the alien and the Sasquatch bolted, scampering off into the trees. The hunter was left trembling in the silence. Terrified, he decided to cut his expedition short and hike back to his truck before nightfall.
On his hurried trek out, the hunter stumbled upon a huge nest-like structure tucked beside a tree. It looked crudely woven together, far too large for any known Northwest animal. Mystified (and still frightened), he made a mental note of the location. Three days later, curiosity got the better of him, so he returned to that spot with three friends in tow to prove what he saw. But when they arrived, the massive “nest” was gone without a trace. His friends gave him a hard time, joking that his imagination was running wild. Still, the hunter insisted every word was true—and he felt vindicated enough to tell the officer because, as it turns out, another hunter had recently confided to that same officer about catching a glimpse of a Bigfoot in those woods. In his mind, two separate sightings meant something strange was truly out there.
The Goatman of Mount Rainier
Another unsettling story the officer shared involves a creature that sounds straight out of a nightmare. In June of 1998, a lone hiker was navigating a quiet trail on Rainier when he encountered a bizarre cryptid crossing the path. The being had the tall, muscular build of a man but the head of a goat, walking upright on two legs. The hiker froze as he noticed the creature’s feet ended in cloven hooves. Its fur was a grimy, dull white color, with mottled black patches across its goat-like face. In a few strides, this goat-man vanished into the brush, leaving the hiker speechless and shaken. The officer assured me that the witness was stone-cold sober during this encounter—no alcohol, no drugs—just a genuinely baffled person who struggled to make sense of what he saw. The so-called “Goatman” of Mount Rainier became one of those campfire whispers among park rangers, though sightings of this creature are exceedingly rare.
Eerie Legends of Mount Rainier
Beyond these personal accounts, I learned that Mount Rainier itself has long been a hotbed of paranormal lore. Over the decades, locals and visitors alike have reported all manner of supernatural phenomena in the shadow of the mountain. We’re talking ghostly footsteps trailing hikers on empty trails, ancient legends of mountain spirits, mysterious lights in the sky, and even inexplicable disappearances. Below are some of the most famous spooky legends and incidents tied to Mount Rainier’s imposing presence.
Camp Muir Trail and the Spirit of Tahoma
Camp Muir, a popular high-altitude camp for climbers on Rainier, is rumored to be haunted by “Tahoma,” the spirit guardian of the mountain in Nisqually tribe lore. According to legend, Tahoma (another name for Mount Rainier) can consume unwary explorers and trap them in a cavernous stomach within the mountain. Hikers on the Camp Muir Trail often report hearing phantom footsteps crunching in the snow just behind them. Yet when they stop and turn around, no one is there. The Nisqually people have long regarded Tahoma as a living entity, and even today some mountaineers believe the mountain’s spirit might take offense at arrogant adventurers. Those ghostly footfalls on the trail serve as a chilling reminder that Tahoma could be watching — and perhaps warning hikers to turn back.
The Original “Flying Saucer” Sighting
Mount Rainier holds a special place in UFO lore. In the summer of 1947, a pilot named Kenneth Arnold was flying a small plane near Rainier when he witnessed something that forever changed the language of the unexplained. He claimed to see nine shiny objects darting through the air in formation at incredible speeds. Arnold described their motion as “like a saucer would if you skipped it across water,” a phrase that led the press to coin the term “flying saucer.” His report was widely publicized and ignited the modern UFO craze in America. In the weeks and months after, a wave of other UFO sightings swept across the country. To this day, Washington State boasts one of the highest numbers of UFO reports in the United States. According to an Auburn Reporter article, over 7,000 UFO sightings have been logged in Washington, second only to California. And it all arguably began with Kenneth Arnold’s historic encounter near Mount Rainier’s peaks.
Eleven Ghostly Climbers of 1981
Even the most experienced climbers are not immune to Rainier’s mysteries. In June 1981, tragedy struck when an avalanche on the Ingraham Glacier roared down the mountain, claiming the lives of 11 climbers. In the years since, many have claimed that those lost mountaineers still make their presence known. Around the late spring anniversary of the disaster, some hikers and climbers report hearing disembodied voices carried on the wind or seeing shadowy human figures roped together, marching across the distant glacier before fading away. A haunting feeling of being watched often overtakes visitors in these high alpine areas. At the historic Paradise Inn (a lodge at 5,400 feet on the south slope), guests and staff have likewise reported odd occurrences—from unexplained footsteps in empty hallways to doors opening on their own. Many believe the spirits of the avalanche victims, or other lost souls on the mountain, may have found their way to this cozy lodge seeking warmth and company.
Ghosts, a Watchful Cloud, and a Hooded Figure
Not all of Mount Rainier’s ghostly legends are tied to a specific tragedy—some are just plain strange. Hikers at Reflection Lake, for instance, have told of an “intelligent” low-lying cloud that seems to follow people around. One traveler shared a story (featured in a Fodor’s Travel guide) about a shimmery, ground-hugging cloud that glided alongside them in eerie silence, keeping pace as they walked. The hikers couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside that cloud was watching them. Then, in an online thread, a Reddit user recounted capturing a photograph of a mysterious hooded figure lurking near the tree line during a hike. According to the post, merely seeing this cloaked apparition made both the poster and a friend feel suddenly ill and overwhelmed with dread — and that night they suffered vivid, disturbing dreams. Rangers have also quietly noted scattered reports of people hearing unidentifiable noises in the woods or experiencing the prickling sensation of invisible eyes on their back in various corners of the national park. Whether one credits vengeful spirits, nature elementals, or overactive imaginations, these tales contribute to Rainier’s reputation as a mountain alive with the unknown.
Mysterious Disappearances
Perhaps the most unsettling mystery of Mount Rainier is the sheer number of people who vanish there without a trace. Since 1989, at least 400 individuals have gone missing in Mount Rainier National Park, and many of those cases remain unsolved. In some instances, partial remains or personal effects are eventually discovered, but even then the cause of death or disappearance often remains unclear. Search-and-rescue teams sometimes find themselves utterly baffled — it’s as if the mountain itself selectively swallows people. These grim statistics serve as a sobering reminder: for all of Rainier’s beauty and wonder, its forests and slopes hold secrets that may never fully be explained.
Paul Dale Roberts, HPI’s Esoteric Detective
Halo Paranormal Investigations
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