THE SHAPESHIFTER. THE NIGHT WHISTLER. THE UNINVITED ON THE ROAD.

Skinwalkers are the Southwest’s most dreaded secret — a figure from Navajo lore, feared for good reason. Said to walk in the guise of coyotes, wolves, or even human forms with eyes all wrong, these beings aren’t simple monsters. They’re witches. Ones who traded their humanity for dark power — and the ability to become anything they desire.

Sometimes they whistle from the darkness, or tap on your window when you’re driving late through the desert. Other times, they follow you on four legs, their movements just a little too human. One thing’s certain: if you see one, you wish you hadn’t. If it calls your name, you run — and you don’t look back.

Stories of skinwalkers cross boundaries — from the mesas of New Mexico to Arizona’s red sands. Ask the locals, and you’ll get warnings, not stories. This is not folklore for the faint of heart, or for the careless tourist chasing “content.” Sometimes the most dangerous things in the desert don’t leave tracks at all.

Some legends are best left alone. If you hear your name in the dark, don’t answer.