THE STORY
Reported Haunting
A mournful, unearthly cry is said to rise from Grouse Lake. Yosemite pioneer Galen Clark reportedly heard the sound in 1857 and was later told that it belonged to the spirit of an Indigenous boy who had drowned in the lake.
In 1857, Galen Clark, who later became Yosemite’s first official guardian, reportedly heard a strange wailing sound while walking along Grouse Lake. Clark described it as sounding like a lost puppy. Indigenous people familiar with the lake reportedly told him that the sound was not an animal but the restless spirit of a young tribal boy who had drowned there. According to the legend, the spirit resents visitors and may attack anyone who enters the water.