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Among the spooky stories associated with Clinton Road is the tale about a ghost boy who throws back coins dropped over a small bridge. Another legend tells of a phantom vehicle that appears at the rear bumper of nighttime visitors with lights blaring. And for as long as anybody can remember, members of a Satanic cult are supposed to gather at odd stone structures in the woods. The road's reputation is such that a movie called 'Clinton Road' (2019) centers on a woman who goes missing on a stretch of the highway. Tracing her last known whereabouts, her husband must unlock Clinton Road's secret "if he wants to get out alive," according to the synopsis.
A song called called 'A Tombstone Every Mile' was written about Route 2A, described as Maine's most dangerous road. According to local lore, it's also the most haunted. Motorists have reported seeing the ghosts of car wreck victims, including children, screaming at the side of the highway. Older legends suggest that the spirts of those buried in the numerous cemeteries set along the road often appear near Route 2A, mocking drivers as they speed past. Pictured is a late 1800s cemetery on Route 2A near Holden.
Mona Lisa Drive is found in New Orleans' City Park. Apparently it's named for a young woman called Mona who fell in love with a sailor. Unfortunately her father didn't approve of the match and murdered his daughter for having the affair. Ever since, people have told stories of hearing wretched moaning and other noises in the park.
A two-lane rural highway of about 9.5 km (6 mi) in length, Shades of Death Road really does exist, and is the subject of folklore and numerous local legends. Apparently the road is regularly visited by apparitions and floating orbs. The origins of its name are obscure. Some historians suggest it could refer to a bad malaria outbreak in the 1850s, or for highwaymen who robbed travelers on the road.
Ortega Highway is part of State Route 74 and runs from Interstate 5 in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County to the city limits of Palm Desert in Riverside County. Unfortunately the road is another route with a killer reputation, often cited as one of California's deadliest. But it's the odd story of two motorists who pulled up after seeing a clown figure on the blacktop that puts Ortega on the ghost map. When they got out of their vehicle to investigate, the harlequin simply vanished, leaving a sinister cackle floating on the air.
Officially called Lawler Ford Road, but also known as the Al Foster Trail, the ominous-sounding Zombie Road has been associated with unworldly goings-on since the 1950s, when it was a popular hangout for teenagers. Reasons for its unsavory reputation include an unverified story about the "zombie killer," a creepy individual who would threaten young couples venturing into the woods with a painful death.
The bad aura that pervades Kelly Road is enough to turn normally passive and harmless wildlife into rabid and violent beasts, according to fanciful lore. Known as the "Mystery Mile," the road has also been known to cause people to lose their temper for no apparent reason.
Innocuous as it may look, especially when illuminated at night by neon, this area of Washington Street in Boston is associated with Margaret Jones, a Puritan midwife who was the first person to be executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Washington Street stands on what was once the Boston Neck, where Jones met her grisly end. It's said that her vengeful spirit lurks in the shadows, preying on the hapless victims walking through.
The section of US 44 that snakes through the Shawangunk Mountains in New York state is apparently the ghosting ground of a red-haired hitchhiker. Killed in a tragic car accident, she haunts the route in the hope of catching a lift from an unsuspecting motorist.
Urban legends associated with this isolated road include the fictional massacre of a troop of Boy Scouts by their group leader. Despite the fabricated account, the area has been the subject of several paranormal investigations. The unpaved road is today privately owned and off limits to the public. Image: Craig M. Groshek
Archer Avenue is just 32 Km (20 mi) from downtown Chicago, but this road is a world away from the comfort of bright city lights. Archer Avenue weaves through thick, dark forest and is anchored at both ends by cemeteries. Worried drivers have reported sightings of phantom monks St. James-Sag Church, and the infamous "Grey Baby" at Sacred Heart Cemetery. But it is "Resurrection Mary," the ghostly hitchhiker, that has been scaring motorists for decades.
US 93 has the dubious honor of being the most dangerous highway in the United States, according to news channel KTNV. Rather than by careless driving, some claim the staggering accident rate is due to a ghostly highwayman who walks up and down the road, carrying a lantern. He'll suddenly appear before vanishing into the darkness, blinding drivers and causing them to crash. The legend has provided US 93 with its chilling moniker, "Blood Alley."
Deep inside a dense swampy forest known as the Big Thicket runs a road that, while used regularly during daylight hours, is studiously avoided by locals after dark. The few that dare take the drive have complained of mysterious lights, the so-called Saratoga Lights, that are said to represent the illuminated lantern held by a tormented groom searching for his missing bride.
The woods enclosing Southwest Missouri's West 50 road in the Ozarks hills are where the famously unexplained light phenomenon known as "Spook Light" has been witnessed. The weird illuminations have been examined scientifically, but as yet no reason has been given for their appearance. Meanwhile, the area has been dubbed the "Devil's Promenade."
A terrifying ghost is often blamed for the accidents that occur with alarming regularity along the narrow, winding Prospector's Road. Legend says that back in the 1800s, a miner who struck gold was subsequently murdered for his lucrative pay dirt. Anyone who encounters his spirit is met with a hoarse, "Get off my claim."
Rumors persist that Riverview Drive in Totowa is haunted by the ghost of a young hitchhiker named Annie, killed in a hit-and-run incident and left for dead. Countless drivers over the decades have reported seeing a ghostly figure hovering over the road's surface before vanishing in an instant.
Across the US-Canada border, legend says that the small limestone tunnel that runs underneath what was once a railway line in the northwest corner of Niagara Falls was the scene of a horrible murder. A young girl's life ended here, and her dying screams can still be heard on certain nights.
Sources: (History of Massachusetts) (KTNV) (Chicago Reader) (Daily Mail) (Rockford Register Star) (The Post-Crescent) (Only In Your State)
See also: Why people see ghosts, explained
Drivers navigating the remote section of Morrow Road between Shea and Holland roads in Clay Township speak of a ghostly image of a woman apparently searching for her missing son. The legend dates back to the 1800s, when the road was little more than a cattle track.
Just outside the town of Hawk Point sits Satan's Tunnel, a tunnel above which an old railroad line used to run. According to locale lore, many years ago when the line was active a man was hit by a train. He died instantly, falling in front of the tunnel's mouth. For decades afterwards, Hawke Point residents were frightened by the apparitions of devil worshippers gathering near its entrance, and they dubbed the sinister landmark "Satan's Tunnel."
A long stretch of trails through woods in Huntingdon eventually become Sweet Hollow Road, located within the West Hills County Park. According to local lore, even Native American peoples avoided this area, considering it cursed. Ghostly wayfarers have been reported, seen drifting over the road's uneven surface.
Running parallel to Sweet Hollow Road is Mount Misery Road, whose reputation as a haunted highway is equally as chilling. It has been haunted for as long as anyone can remember. Furthermore, its narrow, winding dimensions make it a dangerous route to follow.
Set deep in rural Illinois between Fairdale and Pearl Road, in Boone County, is Bloodspoint Road. The short, narrow track has a dark reputation for being the source of strange experiences and hauntings. Along the road is a cemetery, where the young victims of a school bus crash are buried, the spirits of which haunt the vicinity. Locals, however, point out that there's been no verification of such a crash.
US Route 491 was once Route 666 and subsequently known as the Devil's Highway because of the significance of the number 666 to many Christian denominations as the Number of the Beast. The highway runs through New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, and over the years several drivers have reported being chased by bloodthirsty hellhounds—supernatural dogs that represent death in some cultures.
This Satanic connotation, combined with a high fatality rate along the New Mexico portion (pictured) convinced some people the highway was cursed.
Make sure your vehicle is in tip-top condition before driving down Jeremy Swamp Road in Southbury. Locals report that drivers in stalled vehicles on this road have vanished before their tow truck arrives, apparent victims of "Melon Heads," or humanoid creatures with bulbous heads that come out of the woods and attack the hapless commuters.
Appleton is known for several cemeteries, including Riverside Cemetery on Owaissa Street. The final resting place for many US military personnel, the cemetery is also where axe murderer and alleged witch Kate Blood is buried. Visitors to her tombstone have reported seeing ghosts of past mourners dressed in old-fashioned clothing clustered around her tombstone.
The historic portion of Stagecoach Road is a 12-km (8 mi) stretch that begins at the end of East Popular St. in Marshall and comes out near Highway 43 in Karnack. Urban legend speaks of the tormented spirit of a veiled woman dressed in mourning black who spooks passersby.
Long known by its nickname "Extraterrestrial Highway," the section of Route 375 near Rachel, Nevada, passes near the infamous Area 51, the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and where several sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have been reported.
The tunnels that run underneath Sandhill Road in Las Vegas are allegedly haunted. Residents have complained of eerie noises echoing around the vicinity after a couple perished in a car crash on a stretch of the road between Olive Avenue and Charleston Boulevard.
The United States is crisscrossed with numerous roads that are supposedly haunted. Many are already notorious for their alarming accident rate. But couple this unfortunate fact with stories of ghostly sightings, strange noises, and other supernatural goings-on, and driving suddenly becomes an even more perilous and frightening experience. But where in the country are the spookiest highways from hell?
Click on and motor through America's most haunted roads.
Cruising America's most haunted roads
Would you drive on these scary roads?
TRAVEL Curiosities
The United States is crisscrossed with numerous roads that are supposedly haunted. Many are already notorious for their alarming accident rate. But couple this unfortunate fact with stories of ghostly sightings, strange noises, and other supernatural goings-on, and driving suddenly becomes an even more perilous and frightening experience. But where in the country are the spookiest highways from hell?
Click on and motor through America's most haunted roads.