The Spirits of Griffith Park

Posted: 09.20.2025 | Updated: 10.11.2025

Located right next to the iconic Hollywood sign, Griffith Park is a wooded oasis for those looking to get away from the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. However, this idyllic location has also been the site of murder and suicide, leading many to believe that the park is haunted. An alleged curse on the land is often blamed for the tragedy that surrounds the seemingly peaceful park.

Want to learn more about the ghosts and hauntings of Los Angeles and Hollywood? Be sure to book a walking ghost tour with LA Ghosts for your next trip!

Is Griffith Park Haunted?

Griffith Park is said to be haunted by several spirits who either lost their lives on the land or had close connections to it. The ghost of an actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age has been seen leaping from the Hollywood sign for decades since her death. The spirit of a woman who is rumored to have placed a curse on the park has been seen riding a phantom horse. 

There are even those who claim that the creature known as the Beast of Griffith Park lurks deep in the woods, ready to attack. 

These are just some of the shocking stories to come out of Griffith Park, a beautiful but mysterious place.

History of Griffith Park

The land that is now Griffith Park was originally owned by Don Antonio Feliz and was called Rancho Los Feliz. As the story goes, Feliz had no children but planned to leave the land to his niece, Dona Petranilla. In 1863, Feliz was stricken with smallpox. On his deathbed, a lawyer and some nefarious businessmen convinced Feliz to sell the land to them. 

In her grief and rage, Dona Petranilla placed a curse on the land. She proclaimed, “Your falsities shall be your ruin. The substance of the Feliz family shall be your curse. The lawyer who assisted you in your infamy and the judge shall fall beneath the same curse. 

The one shall die an untimely death, and the other in blood and violence. A blight shall fall on this terrestrial paradise. The cattle shall sicken. The fields shall no longer respond to the tiller. I see a great flood spreading destruction. I see grand oaks wither in the tongues of flames.”

And so, the curse of Griffith Park was born.

A Curse Takes Hold

Although Dona Petranilla’s curse may be an urban legend, it did come true to some extent. The subsequent owner of the land failed to produce any crops and sold it to Colonel Griffith J. Griffith in 1882. Griffith also ran into a string of bad luck with the property, and, unable to sell it, gave it to the city of Los Angeles in 1896.

There is a legend that at the party to celebrate the transfer of Griffith Park to the city of Los Angeles, the ghost of Don Antonio Feliz appeared. Feliz proclaimed to the other guests, “I come to invite you to dine with me in hell. In your great honor, I have brought an escort of sub-demons.” The guests ran in terror from the room.

Griffith Park was far from the only bad luck Griffith J. Griffith had to deal with. In 1891, Griffith was shot by a business rival and barely survived. In 1903, Griffith shot his wife at the Santa Monica Hotel. Griffith’s wife survived, but he was charged with “alcoholic insanity” and sent to prison, and died from liver disease in 1919.

The Hillside Strangler

Between October 1977 and February 1978, a serial killer known as the Hillside Strangler committed a string of atrocious murders in the Los Angeles area. The killer turned out to be two people, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr. 

Together, these two men killed 12 young women and girls. All but one of them was murdered in Buono’s upholstery shop. Their victims were often assaulted and tortured before being murdered.

The name “Hillside Strangler” came about because the bodies of victims were found amongst the hillsides in Griffith Park. Unfortunately, bodies related to other crimes continue to turn up in Griffith Park every few years. 

Hauntings at Griffith Park

Over the years, countless witnesses have encountered ghosts and experienced the hauntings at Griffith Park. The Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town, Points Between, the Old Zoo, and the old carousel are just some of the spots where ghostly activity is regularly reported.

One of the regularly seen spirits is Dona Petranilla, who typically appears wearing a white gown and riding a white horse through the park. She has also been seen staring from the second-story window of the Paco Feliz Adobe, which is the oldest remaining structure in Griffith Park.

Parkgoers have also spotted the spirits of Don Antonio Feliz and Griffith J. Griffith. Like Dona Petranilla, both have been seen riding ghost horses through the park. All three spirits seem to be tied to the land that played such an integral role in their lives.

Peg Entwistle

On September 16, 1932, actress Peg Entwistle climbed to the top of the “H” of the Hollywood sign and jumped to her death. Entwistle was a 24-year-old up-and-coming actress, but she only appeared in one film, Thirteen Women, which was released after her death. Entwistle left a suicide note in her purse at the base of the sign that read, “I am afraid, I am a coward. I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E.”

In the decades since Entwistle’s fatal fall from the Hollywood sign, witnesses have seen her apparition climbing to the top of the H and jumping. Hikers and runners have also seen a woman matching Entwistle’s description walking the trail between the Hollywood sign and Beachwood Drive, where she lived. People also smell Entwistle’s gardenia perfume around the Hollywood sign.

Haunted Picnic Table #29

On October 31, 1976, a young couple, Rand Garrett and Nancy Jeanson, were making love on a picnic table when a tree fell and crushed them. A tree trimmer named Morris Carl was sent to cut down the tree, but got the fright of his life. He returned to the office, claiming that the tree started to bounce when he tried to cut it down. 

Thinking Carl was making up the story, another employee went out to dispose of the tree, but died at the site of the accident. Strange deaths and illnesses would surround the attempted cleanup of the accident, and the site was eventually left alone.

Today, the site where the tree fell on Garrett and Jeanson remains relatively untouched. Visitors have also seen their spirits near the picnic table where their lives tragically ended.

The Beast of Griffith Park

There are two separate accounts of a wolf-like creature that stalks Griffith Park. The first report was made by three men in 2005 who saw a creature with long legs, black eyes, green skin, and red hair.

In 2009, an 11-year-old boy claimed that he was chased by what looked like an oversized coyote while in Griffith Park. These bizarre tales have led to the modern legend of the Beast of Griffith Park.

Haunted Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a hotbed of supernatural activity, and Griffith Park ranks among the most haunted spots in the city. With sightings of ghosts throughout the park, there’s no telling who you’ll run into.

Getting ready for your Los Angeles getaway? Learn all about the City of Angels’ history and haunts by booking a walking tour with LA Ghosts today! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Los Angeles hauntings.

Sources:

• https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9oApAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gmYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4447%2C5893492

• https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/halloween/griffith-park-curse

• https://creepyla.com/2016/10/04/haunted-curse-ghosts-monsters-griffith-park/

• https://lindsey195740875.wordpress.com/griffith-park-haunted-picnic-table-29/

• https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-08-02/hillside-strangler-devil-in-disguise-peacock