The former maximum-security prison set on an island is now a musuem and tourist attraction. Visitors and tour guides alike have reported unexplained screams, slamming cell doors, banjo music and footsteps. The site has been investigated by both Ghost Hunters and Ghost Labs.
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Geographic Information
- Address:
- Alcatraz Island, CA
United States
Get Directions » - GPS:
- 37.8266636, -122.42301220000002
- County:
- San Francisco County, California
- Nearest Towns:
- San Francisco, CA (3.6 mi.)
Tiburon, CA (3.7 mi.)
Belvedere, CA (3.9 mi.)
Sausalito, CA (4.1 mi.)
Marin City, CA (5.5 mi.)
Strawberry, CA (6.7 mi.)
Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, CA (7.1 mi.)
Emeryville, CA (7.5 mi.)
Tamalpais Valley, CA (7.6 mi.)
Alto, CA (7.8 mi.)
Please note: It is your responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before investigating any location listed on this site. Private property should be respected at all times, as should all posted signs concerning trespassing, hours of operation and other local regulations. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time.
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Disclaimer: The stories posted here are user-submitted and are, in the nature of "ghost stories," largely unverifiable. HauntedPlaces.org makes no claims that any of the statements posted here are factually accurate. The vast majority of information provided on this web site is anecdotal, and as such, should be viewed in the same light as local folklore and urban legends.
I do not have any photos but in 2009 my senior year my family and I went to The Rock, and went for a tour it was very intriseting to walk threw this old persion. As we were headding to the warddens office my face and lower jaw got grabbed tightly like someone wanted to see my face. I slapped at it and told my mom she noticed I looked surpised but I countiued on the tour and had no further incounters that day. It dint spook me that much I been toched about 4 times form diffrent sprites so it want new and I belive it was one the warddens.
I’ve been to Alcatraz before and while many people didn’t think it was haunted, I personally knew how haunted it was
I take students on a field trip here as well as visited the Rock with my kids. If you want the experience of paranormal activity , the hospital wing upstairs is where I have experienced activity on multiple occasions. I’m not a big fan of these ghost shows and believe about a 10% is true so when I tell you there is activity Herr please believe it. So much so when I take students here I probably will be in the hallway the whole time when we are upstairs. I’ve had experience s from loud bangs, orbs, smells, someone touching the back of my neck, to feeling s depressed where I am almost in tears. So when my kids or students experience some of this. It not something to play with. Do not get me wrong, it’s fascinating buy when your with students and almost in tears, I figured out I need to be more responsible with the spirits!
The end room and the x Ray is when I experience the most crap…
We visited the rock as a family a few years ago with our two teenagers. Walking through the jail house we all noticed that it would get really cool then warm up. This wasn’t gradual, it would be one step cool, next step warm. The smells, we too experienced different smells, some just as pungent as if there were a open sewer right there.
The most frightening thing happened to me however, as we approved the outside recreation area, where the one for opens up to the huge cement stairs (sort of like amphitheater) I was standing at the top of the stairs, I felt a hand on my waist push me, as if to push me down the cement stairs. I caught myself on the man in front of me. I then turned instantly around to yell at one of my kids and they were at least 4 feet away, totally involved in a conversation with their dad. They hadn’t pushed me! At that point I was totally freaked out, I was scared that something else may happen to hurt me. We finished the rest of the tour without any incident. I am still thrilled that we got to take our kids to see such an amazing place.
My school went there for a field trip when I was in grade school. We did hear the sound of cell doors closing, but thought it was a show put on for us.
We were asked if we wanted to go into the hole (the dark room where there is no light or windows). I was terrified. I don’t know why but as we were walking in I felt absolute fear and didn’t want to go in. It was cold and scary. I do believe it was the paranormal, because I felt as if I was being pushed out of the room.
When I was was working my way through College, with the help of the Student work Program. My job included arranging School field trips each semester to Alcatraz. The first trip there we were lead by a Ranger who guided the tour. At the “Hole” it was said that inmates would be left there alone sometimes for weeks with no daylight. I was at the very end of the crowd, when it came time for me to look into the hole, it looked so gloomy and I couldn’t imagine living in there. It seemed like seconds that I stood there staring but I realized the rest of the group was long gone. THEN I heard a blood cuddling crazy laugh come out of the darkness from the hole. To say the least I ran all the way to catch up with my class. After that I made sure I was never without my field trip Groups.
In the early 1990’s my sister and I went to Alcatraz on a school tour. The whole time we were in that places I could several distinct sounds that no one but my sister could hear. First I began to feel like i had static electricity running through me. Second there was this acrid smell, that no one else could smell but me. Third there was this hum, and an electric sound that lingered every time there was a snapping sound. Third anything I came into contact with was unusually cold or warm, so I didn’t touch much while I was there. which was hard to do because I was a kid. Fourth I felt a cold presence standing to the back left of me, it made the back of my neck tender to the touch later that day because it was cold while I was there. Fifth someone touched me on the shoulder, when no one was standing behind me since we had walked into he place, I was always the straggler, which changed after this visit to the prison island.
This one my friend took. Have spent many hours comparing the pictures of those who died there but no luck.
My friends and I visited this place several times.They have a lot of areas blocked off now, but as we were walking, one of my friends suddenly bumped into one of the cell bars. He was pushed really hard out of nowhere. We all freaked out, when we went to the gift shop, there was another man who claimed to be pushed as well. Apparently there is a ghost of an inmate that likes to push people who visit a certain area. Regardless, we also felt a strong sense of sadness, like a deep depression just overcomes you.We left after a couple of hours on the island. It was fun and interesting.
i remember going there as a teenager on a trip with the family and i walked in the room where they would get lockdown if they where really bad i felt chills all over my body i felt a ghost and he was so scared ..i well never forget that ..that place is super haunted .