The Hauntings of Mt. Helix

Posted: 10.30.2025 | Updated: 10.26.2025

La Mesa is known as the “Jewel of the Hills.” It’s a beautiful suburban neighborhood just to the east of San Diego, California. Driving past, it’s impossible to miss Mt. Helix: the park with a view of all East County on a mountain topped with a 35-foot-tall white cross.

But don’t let the serene scenery and sacred decoration fool you. Beneath it all lies a history of dark secrets that often manifest themselves in the present as haunting activity.

Keep reading to learn more about haunted Mt. Helix. After that, book yourself a ghost tour with San Diego Ghosts, and get ready to visit phantom-filled locations in person!

Is Mt. Helix Haunted?

The park at the top of Mt. Helix has been the origin of several hauntings since 1968. These scary stories include:

• A couple who heard the sobbing of a woman followed by a floating, shadowy figure
• A woman in white, in full Victorian dress, who always seems to be crying
• A paranormal investigation that captured proof of supernatural activity, including strange voices on an Ovilus device

Because of the eyewitness accounts and the recorded evidence, many people believe that Mt. Helix is indeed haunted.

The History of Mt. Helix

Mount Helix is one of San Diego County’s most cherished historic landmarks. The mountain was named in the 1870s after the Helix aspersa (a species of snail found in the region) by Scottish immigrant and rancher Mrs. Edward Johnson. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mt. Helix became a scenic retreat for local residents who were drawn to its sweeping views of the foothills and coastline.

One such person who enjoyed this drive was philanthropist Mary Carpenter Yawkey. In 1925, she commissioned the construction of the iconic Mt. Helix Park and amphitheater as a memorial to her mother, Ellen Browning Scripps, a major benefactor of San Diego’s cultural growth. Unfortunately, Mary never got to see the dedication of the memorial in 1929. She died a year earlier.

The open-air amphitheater, built from native stone, was designed to blend naturally into the mountain’s summit. It quickly became a cherished venue for Easter sunrise services, concerts, and community events.

Today, Mt. Helix Park is managed by the Mt. Helix Park Foundation, a nonprofit organization. The site continues to serve as a cultural and recreational destination, offering panoramic views, walking trails, and public arts programming that honor its historic legacy.

The Hauntings of Mt. Helix

However, many locals and tourists alike swear that there is something else 1,370 feet up in the air. A mysterious and frightening apparition has been terrifying visitors for more than half a century.

The first reported sighting was in 1968. A man wrote a letter to an Evening Tribune San Diego columnist that began with a chilling question: “Have you heard of a sobbing ghost on Mount Helix?”

According to this man, he and his wife drove to the top of Mt. Helix on the night of a full moon. They stood under the giant cross, looking up at the stars and feeling at peace with the night sky. That’s when they heard it — an unmistakable but displaced sound that shattered their tranquility and made their blood run cold.

It was a woman sobbing, clear as the star-filled sky above. Wide-eyed, the couple looked around but saw nobody else. They searched the entire mountaintop area but found nobody else. They were utterly alone… yet the crying continued.

What they witnessed next paralyzed them with fear. The figure of a woman slowly walking down the steps. But something looked wrong, like her body wasn’t quite solid. Finally snapping out of his fearful daze, the husband approached the strange woman. Before he could get to her, however, her hazy form dissipated into nothingness.

Woman in White

Then we have Sharon, a young woman from nearby El Cajon. She’s a founding member of the San Diego Ghost Hunters and claims to have had three separate encounters with the sobbing spirit.

According to Sharon, the ghostly woman floats by on the breeze and has a very distinctive look. She is slender and wrapped in a long white dress that flows in the wind, along with her blonde hair. Even when the air is still, her dress and hair dance around her. And she always seems to be crying, tears perpetually streaming down her pretty face.

The woman in white’s identity remains a mystery, but Sharon says her dress is Victorian. It’s from another time, maybe even another place. Sharon wondered if the female phantom was none other than the ghost of the park’s founder, Mary Yawkey. As a ghost hunter, she knew there may be one way to find out.

Paranormal Investigation

The San Diego Ghost Hunters performed a paranormal investigation at Mt. Helix back in 2010. They came equipped with cameras, audio recorders, and electromagnetic (EMF) detectors. Another interesting device they had is called an Ovilus.

The Ovilus records the light, energy, and temperature in an area. Then it converts those sources into spoken words from a built-in database. An intelligent spirit can use this device to communicate with the living.

The team covered the grounds, taking pictures and capturing audio. One of the recordings was interrupted by a deep rumbling sound like someone’s stomach growling. Only it was much louder.

When the team asked if Mary Yawkey was still there, the place was eerily quiet… for a while. Then the Ovilus suddenly spat out a string of words: “Lord, priest, minister, Mary (or marry), me, remember, bride, sadness, sorry.” There were others, but they were difficult to make out.

Something was definitely trying to contact the investigators and tell them something about a somber wedding. But that was the extent of the evidence the team captured. As such, the truth behind the ghostly bride remains a mystery.

Haunted San Diego

The hauntings of Mt. Helix continue to inspire intrigue and fear in and around La Mesa. But this is only one of the many urban legends and ghost stories that the area has to offer.

Ready to visit haunted places in San Diego for yourself? Book a ghost tour with San Diego Ghosts today, and be prepared for a fun and frightening adventure!

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Sources:

• http://lastadventurer.com/last-adventurers-fieldnotes/hauntedsandiego
• https://www.mthelixpark.org/history-of-mt-helix-park
• https://www.sandiegohaunted.com/san-diego-haunted-locations-places-homes/casa-de-oro/mount-helix-cross-mt-ghost-haunt-spirit-cry-la-mesa-ghost-bride/
• https://patch.com/california/lamesa/is-there-a-ghost-on-mount-helix