Haunted Northern AZ: Ghost Towns, Ghost Tours and Spooky Stops

There’s something about Northern Arizona after dark.

Maybe it’s the mining towns clinging to mountainsides. The century-old hotels. The empty stretches of Route 66. Or maybe, in a place already known for vortexes and mysterious energy, the line between past and present simply feels a little thinner.

Whatever you believe, Sedona makes a surprisingly good home base for exploring some of Arizona’s best ghost stories.

Sedona: Spirits Among the Red Rocks

Sedona’s supernatural side feels appropriately, well, Sedona. Less creaking-floorboard haunted house, more unexplained energy and lingering presence.

At the Sedona Heritage Museum, housed on the historic Jordan family farmstead in Uptown, visitors have reported seeing a woman dressed in period clothing among the old apple trees. Others describe hearing music and laughter when the grounds should be quiet.

The museum leans into its spooky side each October with Haunted History, an annual storytelling event held inside the historic Apple Shed. Award-winning actor, playwright and cowboy poet Michael Peach brings Arizona’s eerie history and folklore to life through dramatic readings, humor and original poetry. This year’s one-hour performance takes place Sunday, October 25, from 3 to 4 p.m., making it an easy Halloween-season addition to an afternoon in Uptown Sedona.

After dark, the Sinister Sins & Desert Tears ghost tour takes the intrigue farther. The roughly 1-mile walking tour runs nightly and explores local legends and reported paranormal activity at stops including the Relics Restaurant and Banquet Venue and GreenTree Inn.

Add Sedona’s famous vortex lore, and even skeptics may find themselves paying a little more attention to that unexplained chill.

Jerome: Arizona’s Ultimate Ghost Town

About 40 minutes southwest of Sedona, Jerome practically owns the title of Arizona’s most famous ghost town.

Once a booming copper-mining community, the mountainside town nearly disappeared after the mines closed. Today, its steep streets, historic buildings and mining-era past provide fertile ground for ghost stories.

The Jerome Grand Hotel, originally built as a hospital, may be the town’s best-known paranormal address. For those who want to investigate rather than simply listen, Jerome Ghost Tours offers access to locations including the Haskins House, Old Jerome High School Auditorium and Jerome Cemetery.

Even better for Sedona visitors, Tours of Jerome offers pickup from Sedona for its Classic Haunted Tour. Leaving Sedona, the tour van travels through historic Cottonwood and Clarkdale before climbing Mingus Mountain into Jerome.

Flagstaff: Ghosts Along Route 66

Head north from Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon and the scenery changes, but the ghost stories don’t stop.

Downtown Flagstaff is packed with historic buildings and haunted lore, with the Hotel Monte Vista among its most famous stops. Guided ghost walks explore the hotel along with the Weatherford Hotel, Orpheum Theater and other historic sites near Route 66.

Then there’s Riordan Mansion, the 1904 Arts and Crafts estate where family lore includes a mysterious billiard-room visitor and other unexplained happenings. Around Halloween, the mansion has also been known to embrace the season with special after-dark storytelling tours.

Prescott: Spirits on Whiskey Row

In Prescott, you don’t have to wander far to find a ghost story. Many are concentrated around historic Whiskey Row and Courthouse Plaza.

The Palace Saloon, Hotel St. Michael and Hassayampa Inn all come with tales of unexplained footsteps, apparitions and guests who may never have checked out.

Freaky Foot Tours leads nightly walks through the historic district, while Tours of Prescott owner Darlene Wilson brings more than 15 years of guiding experience, decades of paranormal research and co-authorship of Haunted Prescott to her tours.

Williams: Ghosts on the Mother Road

For one more spooky road trip, follow Route 66 to Williams.

The standout is the Red Garter Inn, an 1897 former saloon and bordello turned bed-and-breakfast. Its best-known spectral resident is said to be “Eve,” a presence associated with the building’s steep staircase. The historic Grand Canyon Hotel has its own stories, too.

Ghost walks have operated seasonally in Williams, but even without a tour, wandering its neon-lit stretch of Route 66 after sunset delivers plenty of atmosphere.

Your Haunted Home Base

Ghost towns, haunted hotels and things that go bump in the night are all within road-trip distance of Sedona. But before you head out in search of Northern Arizona’s supernatural side, make time for a little earthly fun at Sedona Center.

Grab lunch or dinner overlooking the red rocks, raise a glass to the spirits you hope not to meet, browse the shops for a souvenir or two, and save room for something sweet. 

Want to see more of Sedona while you’re here? Hop aboard Sedona Trolley for a narrated ride through some of the area’s most beautiful scenery and iconic landmarks.

Then, when the sun goes down, let the ghost hunting begin.

Whether you believe in spirits, vortexes or simply a really good ghost story, there’s no better place to make your haunted Northern Arizona adventure come alive than Sedona.