The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is described as haunted, primarily by the ghost of a young girl named Muriel, who vanished after exploring a trapdoor in 1915. Her disappearance is often followed by a scream, the discovery of her scarf, and a pool of blood, leading to claims of her lingering presence. Other legends include the ghost of a construction worker whose body was trapped and unretrieved within the lighthouse walls and the ghost of Keeper Higgins. The most famous story involves a group of teenagers, including Muriel, exploring the abandoned lighthouse in 1915. The group found a trapdoor leading to a mysterious passage. When Muriel went back alone to retrieve her scarf, her friends heard a scream, and she vanished. Her red scarf was later found near a pool of blood by the trapdoor, but Muriel herself was never found. Visitors report seeing a ghostly figure of a young girl, hearing screams, and even seeing bloodstains on the upper chamber floor. One legend states that a construction worker fell to his death while building the tower and that his body was never retrieved, becoming sealed between the double walls. Another tale involves Keeper Smith and Keeper Higgins. After Smith left Higgins in charge, Higgins fell ill. Smith returned to find Higgins dead and "drunk" (likely a misunderstanding), leading him to take his bulldog up to the tower to ward off the lingering spirit of Higgins. Moaning sounds and cries for help are sometimes heard, especially when fog rolls in. A light has been seen from the lantern tower even when the lamp is not lit. A ghostly figure of a young girl is sometimes seen in the lighthouse windows.