High up in the Hollywood Hills, tucked away in a small pocket of Griffith Park, you will come across a picnic table shadowed by paranormal activity. Haunted Picnic Table 29!
The air is alive, full with stale heat, wonder and ethereal waves that shimmer just above the asphalt. Even the most dreary ambient sounds evade detection. The battered roadway we walk upon curves behind the mountainside and appears to fall off the earth itself.
Just around the next bend, a slight breeze ambles up the steep embankment as the site we have come to see, discretely reveals itself.
Fluorescent green words spell – RIP Rand and Nancy!!! 10-31-1976.
There is no other graffiti around, which is a pleasant surprise.
We stand back and take in the view before stepping beyond the wooden posts to get a closer look.
The History
One dark Halloween night in 1976, a young couple decided to make out on this park bench. Rand Garrett, 22-years-old. A musician. And his high school sweetheart. Inspiring actress Nancy Jeanson, 20, were unaware that this night would be their last as physical beings on this earth.
As they got down to “business”, the pine tree adjacent to their picnic table came crashing down, crushing the couple to death.
After their funeral, the parents came together. They thought that the lover’s ashes should stay with each other in the afterlife. So their remains have been set free to the open air, across the table and all around the site.
Since that fateful evening, many eerie events have taken place indicating that Rand and Nancy’s presence remains. They are not going anywhere, and they do not like malicious intruders.
Mysterious Encounters
One such incident would happen to a city tree trimmer, Morris Carl, whose instructions were to saw the tree down.
He did report that, after sawing off the crown of the tree, he became overcome with extreme chills. Each time he started using the saw the feeling intensified. On nearing the tree, he heard moaning and crying, and the tree began shaking violently, literally bouncing up and down.
Then came the whispers, which insisted……” Leave us alone.”
Carl, in a panic, jumped into his vehicle attempting to escape, but the engine wouldn’t start. All he could hear was the sound of rubbing on the windscreen. Letters appeared in front of him which spelt out, “Next time you die”.
Carl did escape and then made his statement regarding the entire incident to his employer.
Morris’s supervisor, Dennis Higgs, decided that he would take on a $500 bet to cut the tree down after dark.
His lifeless body was found the next day. His fingernails were cracked and broken.
The police revealed that he had been dragged along the ground about 15 feet towards the picnic table. The chainsaw lay by his side, with the blade, bent into a U shape.
Although the police thought it was foul play, the coroner listed Higgs’ death as a heart attack.
As a result of these two instances, park workers have now been instructed to leave the area alone.
Those who did not heed this advice have been grabbed around the chest or heard sobbing, screams, wicked laughter and then given the same warning that Carl had.
Our Takeaway
We spent about 30 minutes looking around. Enjoying the space by taking pictures, and, even sitting at the picnic table.
In all honesty, we do believe in energy, both positive and negative. Call it ghosts, spirits, a presence, or whatever you so choose. Out of respect for the young couple, we told them our intentions. We asked them if it was OK for us to sit at the table and even thanking them afterwards.
We felt only peace and tranquillity while in the area and didn’t hear or see anything that could lend itself as paranormal.
I have done a fair amount of research on Rand and Nancy. Apart from blogs, I was unable to find any reference to either of the young souls. No death records or obituaries, no school records or news reports. Nothing on the above incident.
So Haunted Picnic Table 29, is it… Fact or fable? You decide.
Makes for a great story, though!
HAUNTED PICNIC TABLE 29 in a nutshell
- There are several ways to hike to this area
- We chose to hike up via Amir’s Garden on the North Trail leading to Mt. Hollywood Drive at Vista Del Valle Drive
- Not on a location map
- All trails will be steep
- Wear sensible hiking boots
- 3-mile round trip (more depending on which path you take)
- Little to no shade
- Take plenty of water with you
- Watch for snakes and other bities (we didn’t see any)
Remember: Take only photos, and leave only footprints. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve this site for others to enjoy.
location map
- If you’ve enjoyed reading about Haunted Picnic Table 29, then you may like the Haunted Old Zoo, which is also located at Griffith Park
- For more places of interest in and around Pasadena, click the link below.
- For more ghostly hauntings, paranormal activity, ghost towns or just plain mysterious, click the next link.
is it ok to copy these images? thnaks
Of course you may copy the images as long as you reference us. Adding a link to our blog page and YoTube channel would be nice too!
Thank you for asking.