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National Park Mysteries & Disappearances: California
Some of the most visited national parks in the country have a dark side.
Aside from crowds of hikers, campers, and general tourists, there’s a dark side to these three locations in California; the famous Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Mount Shasta. From strange disappearances, grisly murders and bone-chilling paranormal hauntings and ghost sightings; these pristine locales have a lot more to offer than just serene hiking trails or camping. In this second installment of National Park Mysteries & Disappearances, Steve Stockton, along with Bill Melder, presents the reader with a side to these locations you've never heard before.
So, put aside your nature guidebooks, forget about the pretty leaves, and the relaxing streams as well as the miniature golf, the funnel cakes and all the other “tourist traps” and prepare for a wild ride on the dark side of these major national parks.
Aside from crowds of hikers, campers, and general tourists, there’s a dark side to these three locations in California; the famous Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Mount Shasta. From strange disappearances, grisly murders and bone-chilling paranormal hauntings and ghost sightings; these pristine locales have a lot more to offer than just serene hiking trails or camping. In this second installment of National Park Mysteries & Disappearances, Steve Stockton, along with Bill Melder, presents the reader with a side to these locations you've never heard before.
So, put aside your nature guidebooks, forget about the pretty leaves, and the relaxing streams as well as the miniature golf, the funnel cakes and all the other “tourist traps” and prepare for a wild ride on the dark side of these major national parks.
121 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2021
174 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
September 3, 2022
Continuing through the series, the author takes us to a new group of mysterious National Parks this time in California. I appreciated the parks represent a diversity of natural setting from High Sierra majesty to stark, hot desert beauty and one of the most bizarre natural locations in the world, Mt. Shasta.
The volumes of the series are entirely standalone and readers/listeners may reach for whichever park locations take their fancy.
This second volume was slightly different from the first in that part of the Joshua Tree section is told by a second author, Bill Melton, and large portions of the Yosemite tales are culled from a retired park ranger’s published accounts of his more exciting experiences with rescue operations, unexplained phenomena, and disappearances.
There were two National Parks and one nature area in this volume and they were each sorted in the same format as the first volume with natural and supernatural mysteries, folklore and legend, and the disappearances.
I have visited each of these locations, several times at Yosemite so I was excited to listen in to the out there experiences and stories shared by Stockton. I was unsurprised to learn that the Joshua Tree area of the desert hosts a lot of dead body discoveries because criminals find it an excellent location to kill a problem person or dump an already dead body. But, I was stunned to discover that one of my favorite camping areas, Mt. Shasta, is associated with not only the paranormal, mythological, and cult elements, but also sci-fi spectacles that go beyond alien sightings to a bizarre robot kidnapper and hollow earth theory lost super race.
I found this volume had a stronger storytelling tone to it most of the time and helped me engage more with the book particularly when the stories were enhanced with details beyond the strict facts. I did get a few chills and I will never see these seeming natural wonder spots in the same way again. If the author has done nothing else, he’s given me a healthy respect for the wild country and taking precautions no matter where one goes.
Chris Abernathy continued as the series narrator and I welcomed his voice work as familiar and pleasing. I hope he continues to narrate this series of mysterious and sometimes macabre tales.
All in all, this was entertaining, interesting, and different non-fiction travel reading and I look forward to progressing to the third volume and seeing the author tackle more National Park mysteries and disappearances. Definitely a quick listen that I would recommend.
I rec'd an audio copy via Tantor to listen to in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Aug 31st.
The volumes of the series are entirely standalone and readers/listeners may reach for whichever park locations take their fancy.
This second volume was slightly different from the first in that part of the Joshua Tree section is told by a second author, Bill Melton, and large portions of the Yosemite tales are culled from a retired park ranger’s published accounts of his more exciting experiences with rescue operations, unexplained phenomena, and disappearances.
There were two National Parks and one nature area in this volume and they were each sorted in the same format as the first volume with natural and supernatural mysteries, folklore and legend, and the disappearances.
I have visited each of these locations, several times at Yosemite so I was excited to listen in to the out there experiences and stories shared by Stockton. I was unsurprised to learn that the Joshua Tree area of the desert hosts a lot of dead body discoveries because criminals find it an excellent location to kill a problem person or dump an already dead body. But, I was stunned to discover that one of my favorite camping areas, Mt. Shasta, is associated with not only the paranormal, mythological, and cult elements, but also sci-fi spectacles that go beyond alien sightings to a bizarre robot kidnapper and hollow earth theory lost super race.
I found this volume had a stronger storytelling tone to it most of the time and helped me engage more with the book particularly when the stories were enhanced with details beyond the strict facts. I did get a few chills and I will never see these seeming natural wonder spots in the same way again. If the author has done nothing else, he’s given me a healthy respect for the wild country and taking precautions no matter where one goes.
Chris Abernathy continued as the series narrator and I welcomed his voice work as familiar and pleasing. I hope he continues to narrate this series of mysterious and sometimes macabre tales.
All in all, this was entertaining, interesting, and different non-fiction travel reading and I look forward to progressing to the third volume and seeing the author tackle more National Park mysteries and disappearances. Definitely a quick listen that I would recommend.
I rec'd an audio copy via Tantor to listen to in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on Aug 31st.
June 10, 2022
This was a really good read
August 13, 2024
Ugh I so wanted to love this one. It was definitely not what I was expecting though, unfortunately.
First off, Yosemite is one of my favorite parks and it had the smallest feature, which was disappointing! It’s a very big park with a lot of history, and mysteries, so I was really hoping for so much more out of that section.
I did enjoy the segment on Joshua Tree and found it to be the most interesting portion of the whole book. I loved how it went into the history of the area, the pop culture references, and of course the eerie side of the park.
The Mount Shasta section felt like a hot mess. I didn’t really care for all of the “cult” references and things along those lines.
Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a horrible read, but if you’re expecting a book that will really dive into these parks, then this one may be a disappointment for you as well.
First off, Yosemite is one of my favorite parks and it had the smallest feature, which was disappointing! It’s a very big park with a lot of history, and mysteries, so I was really hoping for so much more out of that section.
I did enjoy the segment on Joshua Tree and found it to be the most interesting portion of the whole book. I loved how it went into the history of the area, the pop culture references, and of course the eerie side of the park.
The Mount Shasta section felt like a hot mess. I didn’t really care for all of the “cult” references and things along those lines.
Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a horrible read, but if you’re expecting a book that will really dive into these parks, then this one may be a disappointment for you as well.
April 19, 2023
Mostly Drivel, the Last Quarter was OK
Well, after I found book 1 decent if a little mediocre, I figured the books were short (& free, being on Kindle Unlimited), so I would go ahead with the next two books. I expected that the writing would get better with a second book in the series; additionally the first book was written by only one author, & this one he had a cowriter, which I also (wrongly) assumed was to improve upon the writing that dragged the first book down.
I quickly discovered that, if anything, the writing style has actually gotten WORSE since the first book. Parts of this book read to me like something written by a bored teenager forced to write an essay he did not want to write. While grammar was okay, there was no variety to the sentence structure at all. Additionally, the authors tended to repeat the same information over & over multiple times. At one point there were no less than three paragraphs that each stated someone had walked away with no gear & left no trace; leaving no trace he had left without his gear; he disappeared off the face of the earth without his gear. So they were saying literally the same information over & over in a slightly different way. I don't know if they needed filler to make the book a more viable length (it is only 152 pages) or what!
My next big issue is that this is supposed to be a book of mysterious disappearances, yet the first few events discussed are not mysterious in the least. In perhaps the most drawn out & boring story in a book filled with lengthy, boring stories, the information regarding the so called "mystery" included the dates & locations from whence the victims disappeared, when & where their bodies were found (only a week or so later), a massive list of suspects the police spoke to before receiving the confession of the individual responsible for their deaths, who explained every detail of what he did to them & why... So, basically, there was not a single mysterious element about it. It was literally all explained & wrapped up with a neat bow.
There was one other thing that particularly got on my nerves. It might appear minor & maybe I'm just being nitpicky, but it has to do with the following sentence: "The skeletal remains of four people, unearthed from two shallow graves on Wednesday in an off-roading area..." On Wednesday? WTF?! What Wednesday? There is no date information or even a month or year presented to base this alleged Wednesday on. It's beyond ridiculous to put something like that in a book. I'm assuming it was an event that occurred while they were writing, so likely in the year the book was published, but considering there are approximately 52 Wednesdays every year, that doesn't really narrow it down. It is just so sloppy & lazy. I almost stopped reading then, & after that point my disgust was so that I admit I did only a quick skim on most of the rest of the book.
By the time I had reached about the 73% mark in my ebook, I was completely prepared to skim the remainder because it wasn't even written in such a way that it held my attention. In the entire first 3rd of this book there was only one account I actually did rather enjoy, which was the author's personal experience involving the possible ghost of Gram Parsons. However, the final ¼ of the book suddenly turned around & got...well, not good, per SE, but not nearly as bad! It seemed almost as if it had been written by a completely different person, & related actually mysterious events that I found interesting. As in the first book, the last few stories intrigued me enough that I wanted to know more.
I had planned on giving this book 1 star & completely disregarding the 3rd installment, but that last quarter was decent enough to earn this book another star. As for the final piece of this series... I'm still on the fence, but being as these books are short, & free, I'll probably give it a try. At under 200 pages they are a mildly entertaining way to fill a couple of hours, though they will certainly never win any prizes! If you liked the first book, or have low standards when it comes to quality of writing, then this book might be for you. If you're really interested in hearing some mysterious tales from the National Parks in California, I suggest starting at approximately the 75% mark, at the beginning of the Mt Shasta section, since that was the only part I really found worth reading.
Well, after I found book 1 decent if a little mediocre, I figured the books were short (& free, being on Kindle Unlimited), so I would go ahead with the next two books. I expected that the writing would get better with a second book in the series; additionally the first book was written by only one author, & this one he had a cowriter, which I also (wrongly) assumed was to improve upon the writing that dragged the first book down.
I quickly discovered that, if anything, the writing style has actually gotten WORSE since the first book. Parts of this book read to me like something written by a bored teenager forced to write an essay he did not want to write. While grammar was okay, there was no variety to the sentence structure at all. Additionally, the authors tended to repeat the same information over & over multiple times. At one point there were no less than three paragraphs that each stated someone had walked away with no gear & left no trace; leaving no trace he had left without his gear; he disappeared off the face of the earth without his gear. So they were saying literally the same information over & over in a slightly different way. I don't know if they needed filler to make the book a more viable length (it is only 152 pages) or what!
My next big issue is that this is supposed to be a book of mysterious disappearances, yet the first few events discussed are not mysterious in the least. In perhaps the most drawn out & boring story in a book filled with lengthy, boring stories, the information regarding the so called "mystery" included the dates & locations from whence the victims disappeared, when & where their bodies were found (only a week or so later), a massive list of suspects the police spoke to before receiving the confession of the individual responsible for their deaths, who explained every detail of what he did to them & why... So, basically, there was not a single mysterious element about it. It was literally all explained & wrapped up with a neat bow.
There was one other thing that particularly got on my nerves. It might appear minor & maybe I'm just being nitpicky, but it has to do with the following sentence: "The skeletal remains of four people, unearthed from two shallow graves on Wednesday in an off-roading area..." On Wednesday? WTF?! What Wednesday? There is no date information or even a month or year presented to base this alleged Wednesday on. It's beyond ridiculous to put something like that in a book. I'm assuming it was an event that occurred while they were writing, so likely in the year the book was published, but considering there are approximately 52 Wednesdays every year, that doesn't really narrow it down. It is just so sloppy & lazy. I almost stopped reading then, & after that point my disgust was so that I admit I did only a quick skim on most of the rest of the book.
By the time I had reached about the 73% mark in my ebook, I was completely prepared to skim the remainder because it wasn't even written in such a way that it held my attention. In the entire first 3rd of this book there was only one account I actually did rather enjoy, which was the author's personal experience involving the possible ghost of Gram Parsons. However, the final ¼ of the book suddenly turned around & got...well, not good, per SE, but not nearly as bad! It seemed almost as if it had been written by a completely different person, & related actually mysterious events that I found interesting. As in the first book, the last few stories intrigued me enough that I wanted to know more.
I had planned on giving this book 1 star & completely disregarding the 3rd installment, but that last quarter was decent enough to earn this book another star. As for the final piece of this series... I'm still on the fence, but being as these books are short, & free, I'll probably give it a try. At under 200 pages they are a mildly entertaining way to fill a couple of hours, though they will certainly never win any prizes! If you liked the first book, or have low standards when it comes to quality of writing, then this book might be for you. If you're really interested in hearing some mysterious tales from the National Parks in California, I suggest starting at approximately the 75% mark, at the beginning of the Mt Shasta section, since that was the only part I really found worth reading.
October 30, 2021
I have enjoyed each and every Big Foot book and all the stories included in them. But, the National Park mysteries and disappearances is a book that has left me wondering. How can someone just disappear while hiking on an established route and never be found? Not even their bones. And the number of missing and never found is astounding. I must admit that I've never been on any of these mountains but they are not desolate area's. There's always someone hiking the area's. I, myself, would never go without a partner but many of them feel confident enough to do just that.
The California book was so interesting and I am now getting ready to start the Smokey Mountain book. That's an area that my Grandfather lived in and I feel more comfortable with it. I don't plan to do any hiking but I do plan to do a lot of reading. I still have a couple dozen books to read to finish up all the Bigfoot and other monster books. I've enjoyed every one of the one's I've finished and I've also like finding out the each animal is different. I believe some of them could be friendly while others are just plane mean in every way. Sort of like people I guess you could say. I appreciate everyone writing their stories because I've enjoyed them a lot. Keep writing and I'll keep reading.
The California book was so interesting and I am now getting ready to start the Smokey Mountain book. That's an area that my Grandfather lived in and I feel more comfortable with it. I don't plan to do any hiking but I do plan to do a lot of reading. I still have a couple dozen books to read to finish up all the Bigfoot and other monster books. I've enjoyed every one of the one's I've finished and I've also like finding out the each animal is different. I believe some of them could be friendly while others are just plane mean in every way. Sort of like people I guess you could say. I appreciate everyone writing their stories because I've enjoyed them a lot. Keep writing and I'll keep reading.
January 25, 2024
Se trata de uno de tres libros sobre misterios y desapariciones en las áreas de los parques naturales más famosos de los Estados Unidos. En este caso, vamos a California a Yosemite, Joshua Tree y Mount Shasta donde se han dado una serie de extraños casos, aunque el libro se centra más en las desapariciones de personas en estos lugares, que salen a senderear y después no regresan, exactamente lo que le pasó a un famoso actor de cine que era de mis favoritos, Julian Sands, que fue de senderismo al monte San Gabriel en enero de 2023 y ya no se supo de él hasta junio cuando se encontraron sus restos. ¿Cómo puede uno perderse de esta manera? Bueno, pues SÍ es posible y este libro nos muestra varios ejemplos que como en un programa de "Misterios sin resolver" pues no han podido ser resueltos (valga la redundancias).
En especial me atrajo investigar más sobre el monte Shasta, un volcán activo al sur de las Cascadias que al verlo en foto, inmediatamente puedo uno captar que sería considerado un lugar sagrado. El lugar está lleno de cuevas creadas por antiguos derrames de magma y se nota el aura de misterio de la zona, a la que acuden exploradores, senderistas, locos de los ovnis y cultos fanáticos.
En especial me atrajo investigar más sobre el monte Shasta, un volcán activo al sur de las Cascadias que al verlo en foto, inmediatamente puedo uno captar que sería considerado un lugar sagrado. El lugar está lleno de cuevas creadas por antiguos derrames de magma y se nota el aura de misterio de la zona, a la que acuden exploradores, senderistas, locos de los ovnis y cultos fanáticos.
March 31, 2023
I was nearly able to finish this one in a single afternoon at work. I am so glad that I picked up all three books in this series. I truly hope that these authors come out with more books, since it's truly fascinating!
It was broken down between Mysteries and Disappearances at each of the three locations in California. In this case, many of the stories were new ones for me, so that was even more fun! Since this was an audiobook, I'll say that the narrator did a very good job. I particularly loved the dry - almost sarcastic - tone he used when discussing some of the really... out there theories regarding Mount Shasta.
It was broken down between Mysteries and Disappearances at each of the three locations in California. In this case, many of the stories were new ones for me, so that was even more fun! Since this was an audiobook, I'll say that the narrator did a very good job. I particularly loved the dry - almost sarcastic - tone he used when discussing some of the really... out there theories regarding Mount Shasta.
May 12, 2025
For some reason, one of my latest hyper-fixations has been missing persons cases, specifically where people have gotten lost in the woods or wilderness.
I'm running low on podcast episodes to listen to, but I saw this pop up on my Spotify home page...that's right, I've made it through an audiobook! I never thought I'd see the day.
The book is a good combination of location descriptions, area history/mythology, and actual cases...with a heavier focus on the mythology and supernatural. The longest chapter is about the author getting Gram Parson's room at the Joshua Tree Inn and two girls conducting a séance.
I'm running low on podcast episodes to listen to, but I saw this pop up on my Spotify home page...that's right, I've made it through an audiobook! I never thought I'd see the day.
The book is a good combination of location descriptions, area history/mythology, and actual cases...with a heavier focus on the mythology and supernatural. The longest chapter is about the author getting Gram Parson's room at the Joshua Tree Inn and two girls conducting a séance.
August 8, 2022
I recently had just finished Steve Stockton's book Strange Things in The Woods when I decided to pick up one more of his reads on Kindle Unlimited. I wasn't a huge fan of Strange Things, but this book was a big improvement! Where Strange Things felt hastily put together in areas and the theme wasn't very clear, this book felt well researched and well written. It was very digestible, a good read between my work calls.
May 25, 2025
Since I’ll be traveling to Yosemite in June - AND I love a good mystery - this book was a “gimme.” Alas, the greatest mystery of the book was - “who the fuck would publish such drivel?” No better than a random assortment of Wikipedia entries repeatedly referring back to a 1961 tome cataloging a series of “mysterious disappearances,” the book offers no new insights, evidence or conclusions. DNF’d after Yosemite - there’s only so much monotony I can take.
August 18, 2021
Mystery
I love this book ; just like I loved the first book and I look forward to the next .The stories are strange but the writers never say this is the answer they just give you the facts.
It's written with wit, the funny little anecdotes work and the writers show sympathy for the victims
I love this book ; just like I loved the first book and I look forward to the next .The stories are strange but the writers never say this is the answer they just give you the facts.
It's written with wit, the funny little anecdotes work and the writers show sympathy for the victims
February 6, 2024
I live for weird stories from the woods. And here’s a whole book about it!! My only complaint is that some of the information is repetitive - but to be fair I did listen to it - so maybe it wouldn’t be if it were in physical book form and you could flip between chapters at will. Other than that I loved it - will be listening / reading again.
December 30, 2025
I was hoping for more conspiracy theory tea honestly. The desert is crazy and I just know there’s wild things happening and bodies being hidden. It was all people who hallucinated in different ways and experienced different outcomes. It is interesting too how in the desert you cant use thermal imaging to find people because the sand and rocks are so hot.
September 23, 2021
Needs editing
The content and pacing of the book sometimes seems to be "Text-to-Speech", because a fact will be stated and then restated again several paragraphs later, but with different wording.
The content and pacing of the book sometimes seems to be "Text-to-Speech", because a fact will be stated and then restated again several paragraphs later, but with different wording.
October 6, 2021
This was the second in this series and was just as interesting as the first giving the reader a "heads up" to the mysterious side of visiting the national parks. I'm excited for the next book that deals with the National parks in the great northwest corner of the USA!
June 12, 2023
I enjoyed the first book in this series about the Smokey Mountains enough to pick up the second book. Didn't really care too much about a dead rock star and the editing needed some help in a few places, but I still thought it fun.
November 28, 2025
Tough to read
If the author hadn't repeated info so much, this book would have been half as long. Spells people's names differently, even when used twice in the same sentence, so I had to backtrack just be sure of whom he was speaking.
If the author hadn't repeated info so much, this book would have been half as long. Spells people's names differently, even when used twice in the same sentence, so I had to backtrack just be sure of whom he was speaking.
October 4, 2021
Interesting stories.
You will find many page turner stories in this book. The author did well in researching the tales enclosed. Great for National Park enthusiasts.
You will find many page turner stories in this book. The author did well in researching the tales enclosed. Great for National Park enthusiasts.
November 11, 2021
Be careful when you enter a national park or any kind of forest and never go alone!!!
February 20, 2022
Some good stories.
Likes this book, some good stories and lots to leave you thinking about the mysterious happenings that go on here.
Likes this book, some good stories and lots to leave you thinking about the mysterious happenings that go on here.
August 29, 2022
i personally didn't enjoy this volume as much as the first, but it was still interesting since i enjoy learning about bizarre things/strange disappearances/etc
October 17, 2022
I enjoyed the stories that were presented in this book. Nothing too terrifying, and they were interesting enough to keep me reading all the way through.
January 18, 2023
Thought provoking!
October 9, 2023
I thought the stories were short and unintriguing. I won't remember any of the stories that I heard. The concept gave me so much hope, but it fell short unfortunately.
June 19, 2024
This installment is definitely more my stride. I will add…. I’m not upset I listened to this audiobook in the daylight 😂
October 31, 2024
A novel look at some (national) parks in California! While I wasn’t necessarily hooked by this, I’m sure I’ll be thinking of it when I’m driving past Mt. Shasta next summer!
August 10, 2022
Strange & Unusual California
This was the second book in the new National Park Mysteries & Disappearances. Each book focuses on a different area. It is a great collection of unsolved mysteries, strange and unusual occurrences and more. Despite the popularity of the National Parks, many unusual things happen and there are many strange disappearances. The Missing 411 series was one of the first to note the pattern of disappearances. This series gives you a wonderful overview of the areas and notable legends and background. This is very creepy entry, with many unusual things occurring in these areas. A fantastic book and and I can't wait for the next installment. Only beef for me is that the books are too short. This book now has an audio version that is enjoyable to listen to.
This was the second book in the new National Park Mysteries & Disappearances. Each book focuses on a different area. It is a great collection of unsolved mysteries, strange and unusual occurrences and more. Despite the popularity of the National Parks, many unusual things happen and there are many strange disappearances. The Missing 411 series was one of the first to note the pattern of disappearances. This series gives you a wonderful overview of the areas and notable legends and background. This is very creepy entry, with many unusual things occurring in these areas. A fantastic book and and I can't wait for the next installment. Only beef for me is that the books are too short. This book now has an audio version that is enjoyable to listen to.
March 14, 2023
A small number of interesting stories from, perhaps, police blotters of surrounding communities or logs of ranger activity. Somewhat disappointing as a cohesive story.
June 7, 2024
Too short
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews