Looking for a late-night thrill? Well, look no further because Black Star Canyon is considered one of the most haunted places in California. During the day, Black Star is a locally-enjoyed canyon with some beautiful hiking trails and mountain smells, despite being located in the heart of Orange County. However, all that beauty starts to fade when you learn about its history.
Black Star Canyon was the location of a Native American massacre that occurred in 1831 after ranchers living in the area became tired of being subject to horse theft by members of the Shoshone tribe. The ranchers killed all the thieves and left their bodies in the canyon to decay. To continue, in 1899, a cattleman by the name of James Gregg was shot and killed at Black Star after an argument regarding his debt began between him and the owners of the property he was renting from. Though largely destroyed, evidence of his property, called Hidden Ranch, still remains in the canyon today. Later, in the 1970s, a school bus full of children transporting them to their homes in the canyon crashed, killing everyone on board. The bus was removed in 2013.
On top of these deaths, there is also a shack located deeper into the canyon supposedly used for satanic rituals as well as a large farmhouse formerly used by the KKK. Many have also reported seeing Bigfoot, dwarfs, ghostly figures, hearing strange sounds, and seeing a weeping woman dressed in white that appears on the trail and out of the corner of the eye. Witnesses call her The Lady in White.
Now, I know what you're thinking - have I witnessed anything strange after 10+ visits? Honestly, yes. Most recently, I went to the canyon with my girlfriend around 11 pm in late 2021, and upon parking and exiting the car, we both immediately heard the sound of digging within just several hundred feet of us. No one else was there so we immediately froze and just listened. We heard the digging for about 5 minutes in intervals of ~30 seconds before it finally stopped entirely. In past visits, I've heard the sounds of children laughing deep in the canyon around 1:00 in the morning and movement in the nearby brush - though that could always just be an animal. Whilst I haven't seen anything strange, a few of my close buddies all saw a tall, dark figure with reddish eyes standing next to a tree about 5min past the trailhead late at night. They all said it was too tall to be a human and immediately ran back to the parking lot.
To reiterate, if you want a thrill, go to Black Star at night (ideally with others, unless you really want an adrenaline shot) and see what you come across. Be very cautious of mountain lions as those will likely be your biggest concern on the trail.
Source: Wpengine. “Black Star Canyon – Facts, History, Hauntings, and Legends.” OC Ghosts and Legends, 16 Sept. 2021, https://ocghostsandlegends.com/black-star-canyon-facts-history-hauntings-and-legends/.
The suspense, the thrill, the excitement. I was at the edge of my seat reading this article. Truly inspiring and motivating. So many emotions reading, from the Native American massacre to the tall anomaly. The Black Star Canyon is the most interesting region in all of Orange County.