The Donner Party, or Donner-Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May 1846. Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of 1846-47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada, in the part of the range now known as the Donner Pass. The surviving members are alleged to have engaged in cannibalism in order to survive the harsh winter, although they all denied the allegations.
The videos that Eliot is watching are of The Ghostfacers, previously introduced in Ghostfacers (2008) as pair of self-proclaimed "professional" paranormal researchers. The Ghostfacers have appeared in more than 10 episodes.
This episode takes place in Big Creek State Park just outside of Polk City, IA. There is a real Big Creek State Park just outside of Polk City. It is also located in Polk County, IA. It is a pretty large state park but, does not have much of a dense forest like depicted in the TV show. It has many different shelters, a good sized playground, a small beach and swimming area, disc golf course, and yes, you can rent pontoon boats, kayaks, paddle boards, bicycles, and more, from the DNR. It is located 15 miles north from the city of Des Moines, IA.