Author: michaelb

Drivers across the nation have spine-tingling tales of the strange and supernatural, from creepy local folktales to terrifying personal experiences. Last year, we reviewed 9 of the most haunted roads in America, which mostly focused on the East Coast. This year we’re back, with 11 more haunted roads stretching across the United States, from Wisconsin to Texas to California. If you find yourself driving on any of these roads, especially around Halloween, take heed of these spooky warnings!

 

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Jeremy Swamp Road, Southbury, CT

Try not to break down in Connecticut. There are stories from roads across the state, including Jeremy Swamp Road, of poor souls in stalled vehicles who vanish before their tow truck arrives. Legend attributes these disappearances to attacks by “Melon Heads,” humanoid creatures with bulbous heads who emerge from the woods to attack.

Owaissa Street, Appleton, WI

Riverside Cemetery on Owaissa Street is known for supernatural sightings. Phantom mourners have been seen at funerals in old-fashioned clothes and leaving via a carriage that disappears into the street. The cemetery is also home to Kate Blood, an alleged witch who was murdered by her husband. Drivers often say they see her stalking the tombstones in a hooded cloak, and others claim blood flows from her grave on the anniversary of her death.

Bloody Bride Bridge & Boy Scout Lane, Steven’s Point, WI

Talk about a haunted town. On the Highway 66 Bridge you can see the bloody ghost of a bride killed on her way to the wedding. Where is she? Just look in your rearview mirror into the backseat. Boy Scout Lane is where a troop of boy scouts were last seen before they vanished. Presumed dead, it’s unclear why they disappeared, but drivers say you can still hear the sound of their laughter floating through the woods.

Route 66, Villa Ridge, MO

The abandoned Tri-County Truck-Stop just off Route 66 has been the subject of numerous paranormal investigations. At night, visitors have heard loud banging and unintelligible whispers, and report their electronic devices malfunctioning. Visiting mediums have suggested the truck stop is a portal to the other side of eternity, where souls re-enter our world and attach their spirits to truckers whom they might possess in order to drive themselves home.

Stagecoach Road, Marshall, TX

Chased out of New Orleans in the 1800s, a Voodoo queen re-settled in Marshall. She lived there peacefully, selling lucky amulets until the town’s priest, fearful of the occult, killed her on the side of Stagecoach Road.  Today, her spirit has been seen wandering along the road on nights with a full moon, wielding shrunken heads and voodoo dolls, hell-bent on bringing bad luck to the town that betrayed her.

Goatman’s Bridge, Denton, TX

The Old Alton Bridge may have been decommissioned in 2001 when a new steel bridge was built, but the original truss bridge from 1884 remains, as does its accompanying legend. According to the stories, when a local goat farmer was murdered on the bridge, he called upon the Devil to save him. Transformed into a demonic satyr, he now guards “Goatman’s Bridge,” stalking those who cross at night without their headlights on.

Route 666, Douglas, AZ

The most dangerous stretch of Route 666 lies in Arizona, near the Mexican border. The state may have redesignated the road as Route 191, but residents still know it as The Devil’s Highway. Drivers say their vehicles have been pursued by packs of bloodthirsty feral dogs, referred to as Hellhounds by the locals. Some have even reported the sudden appearance of a spectral big rig, covered in roaring flames and billowing black smoke, that attempts to run them off the road.

Sandhill Road, Las Vegas, NV

People who sneak into the flood tunnels underneath Sandhill Road often run out terrified, having heard the echoes of menacing scrapes and ghoulish shrieks. Those who have traveled deepest below Sandhill Road have discovered bones chipped with tooth-marks. However, as the zombie-like shuffling and moaning creeps closer, brave visitors always flee before they can collect any evidence beyond their own haunted memories of the sounds of the undead.

Route 375, Rachel, NV

Route 375, known as the Extraterrestrial Highway, is as close as you can get to the highly classified Area 51 facility. Though the government denied its existence until 2013, Area 51 has been rumored to be a lab for military testing on crashed UFOs for decades. Many traveling in Nevada have seen bright lights hovering over their vehicles — and some even report losing consciousness, only to awake in their vehicle days later, apparent victims of alien abduction.

Prospector’s Road, Garden Valley, CA

In the midst of the Gold Rush, a drunken miner made the mistake of bragging at the local saloon about striking gold. That night, as he stumbled down the road home, jealous miners ambushed and killed him, stealing his treasure. His ghost now haunts Prospector’s Road, appearing at night as a large, bearded man holding a pickaxe, who suddenly screams at those who drive by, “Get off my claim!”

Ortega Ridge Road, Montecito, CA

A century ago, three nuns ventured out from the Santa Barbara Mission to bring food and Bibles to the local village of Chumash Native Americans. Along the way they were robbed and killed by highway bandits. A hundred years later, apparitions of the three Sisters, known locally as Las Tres Hermanas, can still be seen on the side of Ortega Ridge Road, dressed in black and white habits and standing hand-in-hand, seemingly in anguished prayer.

(And if you want even more scary stories, check out our new 2020 collection of haunted tales from the road — 11 More Haunted Roads in America!)

 

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Route 2A, Haynesville, ME

Twin girls were once hit and killed by a semi on Route 2A. Today, drivers say they’ve seen a pair of young girls wandering down the road, lost and confused. Those who stop to offer them a ride report that shortly after the girls get in, they suddenly leap from the moving vehicle! Drivers frantically slam on their brakes and try to find the girls, but the twins are nowhere to be seen.

Pocahontas Parkway, Henrico County, VA

Construction of Pocahontas Parkway unearthed a treasure trove of artifacts from the Powhatan and Arrohattoc tribes, dating back as far as 6,000 years. The disruption of sacred land has led truckers and tollbooth workers to see Native Americans apparitions holding torches on the edge of the woods by the road, and hear drum-beats, chanting, and anguished yelling break through the swirling wind on stormy nights.

Mona Lisa Drive, New Orleans, LA

According to legend, the rich father of a young woman named Mona forbade her marriage to a sailor. Mona killed herself in grief and the father had a statue built in New Orleans City Park to honor her. But when a group of misbehaving teens destroyed the memorial, Mona – not allowed peace in life or in death – began to haunt those who travel along Mona Lisa Drive, moaning and scratching at vehicle windows.

Crawford Road, Yorktown, VA

At the Yorktown battlefields, visitors report seeing ghosts from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and also claim to see bodies hanging from the Crawford Road bridge. In some cases, it’s the body of a woman in a white dress; in other cases, multiple bodies are seen swinging. Drivers also report their vehicle engines cutting off when they pass underneath the bridge, then seeing shadows moving and hearing unintelligible whispers.

Messick Road, Poquoson, VA

Years ago, a fierce storm flooded Dolly Mammy’s farm. Dolly’s daughters refused to help her round up the cattle, so she trekked out alone into the night. The next day, a neighbor stumbled upon a foot sticking out from a sinkhole; Dolly had suffocated in the bog. Today, drivers on Messick Road still report seeing a lantern-carrying apparition in the marsh – Dolly Mammy looking to rescue her cows, and punish her daughters.

Clinton Road, West Milford, NJ

Clinton Road is pitch black at night, with no street lights and several sharp turns, but it’s not just dangerous – it’s also haunted. There are multiple stories of phantom headlights appearing out of nowhere and following drivers before disappearing. The road also includes a bridge, where a young boy once drowned. It is said that if you throw a coin over the bridge, he’ll throw it back at you, then chase you back to your car.

Bray Road, Elkhorn, WI

Since the first European settlers reported canine monsters who would attack and disappear without a trace, travelers on Bray Road have continued to glimpse a large creature resembling a bear or wolf. In rare accounts, the Beast of Bray Road runs through the forest parallel with the vehicle, able to keep up not only on all-fours, but also on two legs, before vanishing into the brush. Might the Beast of Bray Road be a werewolf?

Archer Avenue, Chicago, IL

As the story goes, a young woman named Mary was walking home from a dance when she was killed in an unsolved hit-and-run incident. Mary’s parents buried her in Resurrection Cemetery. For decades, there have been stories of drivers near the old dance hall picking up a young hitchhiker wearing a party dress. She says nothing except to ask to be let out at the cemetery, where she suddenly vanishes into thin air.

Kelly Road, Ohioville, PA

Surrounded by dense, dark woods, Kelly Road sits on land cursed years ago by a sinister cult. When animals traverse Kelly Road, they are said to suddenly turn rabid and violent, attacking anything they see, including their owners. Imagine the horror of driving down the road when your pet unexpectedly lunges at your throat with snarled teeth, forcing you to keep them at bay while trying to maintain control of the moving vehicle.