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!
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.
