This Charming Oregon Hotel Has Over 140 Years of Haunted Secrets

by | Aug 10, 2024 | Featured, History, History, Interesting, Southern Oregon, Travel

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Cozy rooms with white wood walls, pretty quilts adorning the beds, and good lighting. Oh yeah, did we mention ghosts? You can't forget the ghosts when describing the historic Wolf Creek Inn just north of Grant's Pass, Oregon. This cute little inn used to be a welcome respite for weary travelers along the Applegate Trail. Today it stands proud as the oldest continuously operated hotel in Oregon, and serves guests who are looking for an authentic historical experience (or who come to see for themselves if the ghost stories are true).

Hauntings At The Historic Wolf Creek Inn Near Grant's Pass, Oregon

A black and white photo of the Wolf Creek Inn.

Is the Wolf Creek Inn really haunted? You'll have to visit and decide for yourself. The Ghost Adventures Crew from the Travel Channel visited once and described the site as, "a historic building riddled with aggressive negative energy, apparitions and a vampire-like creature."

The outside of the Wolf Creek Inn at night. The white Wolf Creek Tavern sign stretches over the street in front of the building. The photo has a green tint and green lighting, giving the entire place a creepy vibe.
Photo by Drew Johnson via Google Local.

Guests at the inn sometimes hear a young lady's voice, the sound of piano music, and doors slamming. People claim that furniture isn't where it was left, that objects seemingly disappear, and staff report that a baking pan has flown across the kitchen floor on numerous occasions. That baking pan is a favorite of one of the ghosts perhaps.

The interior of one of the rooms at the Wolf Creek Inn. There's a large bed with black and white bedding, and white wood walls.
Clark Gable's Room / Image via the author / Danielle Denham / thePDXphotographer

If you really want to visit and see if you can spot any paranormal activity at the inn, you can take a self-guided tour at any time of the year during open days. You won't need a reservation for the self guided tours. If you'd rather go in with an expert, then visit from the end of May through the start of September and take a 50 minute history tour with a park ranger.

The dining area on the second floor of the Wolf Creek Inn.
The dining area on the second floor of the Wolf Creek Inn. Photo by Rick Obst via Flickr CC2.

Tip: While the entire inn may be haunted, room eight is where most of the paranormal activity has been reported, so that's where you'll want to visit first if you're there to see if the ghost stories are true.

A black and white photo of the Wolf Creek Inn and Tavern.

Some people see the ghostly occurrences at the Wolf Creek Inn as sinister, but many who have had paranormal encounters there consider the things that happen as friendly acts of mischief.

Stay At The Wolf Creek Inn

A bed in the Clark Gable Suite at the Wolf Creek Inn.
The Wolf Creek Inn has five rooms to reserve, from a bunk room to the Clark Gable Suite. (Photo credit: Wolf Creek Inn)

Maybe you don't really buy into all of the paranormal ghost stories. That's cool. The Inn itself is an amazing place to stay and is full of interesting history, which is reason enough to visit by itself.

You can reserve one of five rooms, and while you're there, get a meal at the Wolf Creek Tavern, which specializes in comfort food.

What makes the Wolf Creek Inn so special? Aside from the fact that it's a cool state park and known as one of southern Oregon's more haunted spots, the Wolf Creek Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A photo of the room Jack London stayed in at the Wolf Creek Inn.
Jack London's room / Image via the author / Danielle Denham / thePDXphotographer

The Wolf Creek Inn was finished and opened up to guests in 1883. Guests at the time were charged 75 cents for a room, and were happy to have a nice place to stay after a rough day traveling by stagecoach on the Applegate Trail (the trip north on the trail from San Francisco to Portland took 16 days at the time). At the inn they could take a bath and get a hot meal and drink at the tavern. It was a place of rest and socialization, and still remains so to this day.

Today the inn is kept as authentic as possible, but guests can still expect wi-fi.

View from the Lower London Peak Trail, looking down on the valley below.
View from the Lower London Peak Trail. Photo via the Bureau Of Land Management via Flickr CC2.

Fun fact: Famous actor Clark Gable stayed at the inn several times. Other famous people have been to the inn as well, including renowned writer, director and actor Orson Wells. Standing tall over Wolf Creek is London Peak, named after Jack London, one of the Wolf Creek Inn's most famous guests.

Wolf Creek Inn Information

The outside of the Wolf Creek Inn on a cloudy day. It's a two story white building surrounded by green lawn, several plants, and a few trees. There's a large covered front porch, and covered second porch stretching across the inn held up by round white pillars.
Image via the author / Danielle Denham / thePDXphotographer

How much does it cost to visit Wolf Creek Inn State Heritage Site? You can visit the grounds for free from dawn to dusk every day of the week. Check out the interpretive panels in front of the tavern that talk about the Applegate Trail.

Where is the Wolf Creek Inn located? The inn is located at 100 Front Street in Wolf Creek, Oregon, just 24 minutes north of Grant's Pass.

Get more information at the Wolf Creek Inn website, and about the Wolf Creek Inn State Heritage Site here.

Looking for more haunted places to visit nearby? The Golden State Heritage site (a ghost town) is just a few miles east. The site is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


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Written By Jessica Tomlinson

Jessica Tomlinson is a native Oregonian currently living in Southern Oregon. She has been blogging since 2006. She loves nature, photography, hiking, camping, and exploring Oregon's wilds.

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