10 Spooky Podcasts for Your Next Road Trip

Ghosts in the attic, disappearing hikers and a series of terrifying murders headline our list of petrifying podcasts perfect for your next long drive.

October 14, 2019

By: Joe Sills

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Photo By: Dave Shea, flickr

Photo By: Disneyland Resort / Joshua Sudock

Prepare Yourself for Some Scary Stories

What if we told you that not all ghost stories are fictional? What if we told you that some tales are based in reality, and there there are endless hours of podcasts devoted to explaining the unexplained. No matter how old we get or how many headlines we read, the power of campfire ghost stories remains real. Sit back and enjoy some of the best spooky podcasts, hand-picked by our crew, the next time you hop behind the wheel.

"The Midnight Library" - The Paris Catacombs

It's a chilling moment in history. The nightly processions began in the late 1700s. Covered wagons filled with the disentered bones of the dead meandered through Parisian streets, en route to an old mine where they could be stored. You see, in the final years of the 18th century, Paris was facing a problem with centuries worth of former citizens — its cemeteries were overcrowded and collapsing. Six million bodies are said to be buried in the labyrinth of catacombs beneath the City of Light. In its inaugural episode, The Midnight Library takes visitors on a journey through a captivating land of the dead that lies beneath the streets of the French capital to this day.

"Astonishing Legends" - The Dyatlov Pass Incident

In 1959, a party of Russian hikers disappeared in the remote reaches of the Ural Mountains. Weeks after they were scheduled to arrive home, most of their bodies were found frozen on a high mountain pass with traumatic injuries and a trail of clues that, to this day, have never been fully explained. Astonishing Legends hosts Scott Philbrook and Forrest Burgess take a deep dive into the region now known as the Dyatlov Pass in a long form exploration of the hikers and the clues left after their passing — including images recovered from their cameras, like the one seen here.

"The Desert Oracle" - La Llorona

A banshee is said to roam the obscure backroads of the Mojave Desert, searching for the souls of two sons she drowned in a fit of rage. La Llorona, "the weeping woman," is said to be a spirit hungry for death, haunting travelers with the shrieking sounds of her wailing and appearing as a hitchhiker without a face. The Desert Oracle host Ken Layne broadcasts the legend of La Llorona from an outpost in the Mojave Wilderness, in a captivating telling of one of the Southwest's most famous ghost stories.

"Lore" - Whistle While You Work

Forty-one Minnesotan miners were killed when a mine beneath Foley Lake, about 120 miles from Minneapolis, suddenly flooded in 1924. The disaster remains the state's worst mining disaster, and though the mine would eventually reopen, the lingering spirits of the men who died are still said to haunt its depths. Lore host Aaron Mahnke leads listeners on a journey through the troubling history of mining, including the events of that fateful tragedy nearly 100 years ago.

"History Goes Bump" - Haunted Disneyland

If legends are true, ticket prices aren't the only thing frightening visitors at California's Disneyland. Tall tales among park staffers have prolificated since the park opened in 1955. Among them, stories speak of the ghost of Walt Disney wandering the grounds, a ghostly passenger on Space Mountain and the spirits of park guests who perished on the grounds. History Goes Bump hosts Diane Student and Denise Moormeier chronicle the stranger side of "The Happiest Place on Earth," where real spirits are said to mingle with Walt Disney's fantastic creations.

"Talk is Jericho" - Hunting Monsters

Sightings of the Honey Island Swamp Monster have been reported in southeast Louisiana since 1963. Mysterious footprints and animal mutilations seem to coincide with local reports of a gigantic, ape-like creature roaming the area's dense swamps and marshlands. Talk is Jericho host Chris Jericho explores Louisiana's paranormal legends and ventures to the swamps of Honey Island with cryptozoologist M.K. Davis, who's spent decades on the trail of the unexplained creature said to be roaming the wild lands not far from New Orleans.

"Science Vs." - UFOs: What the Government Covered Up

In 1947, a debris field containing mysterious metal was discovered by a farm hand in New Mexico, close to the small town of Roswell. Though official government reports have long claimed that the debris was from a weather balloon, local legend holds that the debris was actually from a crashed alien spacecraft. Science Vs. talks to first-hand witnesses who claim to have had encounters with UFOs, along with astronomers, physicists and investigative journalists who try to answer one simple question: Are UFOs real?

"Once Upon a Crime" - The Yosemite Murders

Between February and June of 1999, a serial killer murdered four people in Yosemite National Park. The grizzly and unexpected crimes sent shockwaves through the country's outdoor recreation community, shattering the tranquil image of America's park system. Once Upon a Crime explores the dark side of places that seem like paradise, and takes an analytic look at a series of crimes that still chill park visitors two decades after they were committed.

"Jim Harold's Campfire" - It Dragged Me Across the Floor

According to legend, The 13th child of Jane Leeds was born on a stormy night in 1735. After hours of labor, Leeds cursed her child, exclaiming aloud that it would become the devil. Soon, the child is said to have sprouted wings, a forked tongue and cloven feet. Sightings of Mrs. Leed's last child have been reported for three centuries, earning it a nickname—The Jersey Devil. Jim Harold's Campfire brings listeners into the experience with an episode centering around the Jersey Devil.

"You Can See Me in the Dark" - The Haunting of Sills House

Dark, dusty and full of forgotten objects, attics have a way of playing with our imaginations. Did that doll just look at me? Did that rocking horse move? Did I just hear footsteps above the ceiling? As a child, I too was afraid of the attic; and I had a very good reason to be—at night, the keys of a Victorian piano with no strings would echo forth from inside. You Can See Me in the Dark hosts Melissa Sweazy and Nate Reisman convinced me to open up about a childhood filled with hauntings in a short, 20-minute episode that serves as the perfect introduction to their autumn fright fest.

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10 Spooky Podcasts for Your Next Road Trip

Related To:

Shop This Look

Prepare Yourself for Some Scary Stories

"The Midnight Library" - The Paris Catacombs

"Astonishing Legends" - The Dyatlov Pass Incident

"The Desert Oracle" - La Llorona

"Lore" - Whistle While You Work

"History Goes Bump" - Haunted Disneyland

"Talk is Jericho" - Hunting Monsters

"Science Vs." - UFOs: What the Government Covered Up

"Once Upon a Crime" - The Yosemite Murders

"Jim Harold's Campfire" - It Dragged Me Across the Floor

"You Can See Me in the Dark" - The Haunting of Sills House

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