Mystery Cities of Washington State
Towns across Washington with unusual histories, strange sightings, and reasons Captain Ron keeps coming back.
- Forks, WA — Where Vampires Walk Among the Living
This tiny timber town on the Olympic Peninsula became world-famous as the setting of the Twilight saga. But Forks was strange long before Stephenie Meyer discovered it. With over 200 inches of rain per year, it's one of the wettest places in the contiguous US — wrapped in perpetual mist, surrounded by ancient rainforest, and home to legends that predate any vampire novel. - Roslyn, WA — Northern Exposure's Frozen Time Capsule
Roslyn doubled as Cicely, Alaska in the hit TV show Northern Exposure. But this former coal mining town near Suncadia has its own ghosts — literally. With 24 separate cemeteries for a town of 900 people, Roslyn has more dead residents per capita than almost anywhere in America. - North Bend / Snoqualmie, WA — Welcome to Twin Peaks
David Lynch chose North Bend and Snoqualmie as the filming location for Twin Peaks — and the town embraces its dark legacy. The iconic Snoqualmie Falls, Twede's Café (the Double R Diner), and the surrounding dark forests all appeared in the show. But Lynch didn't have to create the eeriness. He just filmed what was already there. - Ariel / Woodland, WA — DB Cooper's Last Known Location
On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper hijacked a plane, collected $200,000 ransom, and jumped into the rainy Washington night somewhere over this region. He was never found. Every year, the tiny community of Ariel hosts 'DB Cooper Day' — celebrating America's only unsolved skyjacking. - Steilacoom, WA — Washington's Most Haunted Town
The oldest incorporated town in Washington State, Steilacoom sits on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound near Tacoma. It's also widely considered the most haunted town in the Pacific Northwest, with at least six well-documented haunted buildings on its Main Street alone. - Centralia, WA — The Bloody Crossroads
Centralia sits at the crossroads of I-5, halfway between Portland and Seattle. It's known for antique shopping and the world's largest egg. But Centralia has one of the darkest histories of any small town in America — from the Centralia Massacre of 1919 to the haunted Olympic Club hotel. - Long Beach Peninsula, WA — Where the Dead Wash Ashore
The Long Beach Peninsula — the world's longest continuous beach — has been collecting mysteries from the Pacific for centuries. Japanese glass fishing floats, whale carcasses, unidentified wreckage, and messages in bottles from across the ocean all wash up on these 28 miles of sand. - Leavenworth, WA — The Bavarian Village That Shouldn't Exist
In the 1960s, a dying timber town reinvented itself as a Bavarian village — and it worked. Leavenworth is now one of Washington's top tourist destinations, with authentic-looking half-timber buildings, beer halls, and a Christmas lighting festival that draws millions. But something about the town feels like a beautiful mask over a darker face.
