While driving down a dark desert highway with the cool wind in your hair might sound like a road-tripper's dream, if you swap in a dark windy road through the woods with spooky sounds in your ears, it’s a whole different story. A recent survey of American drivers reveals the U.S. roads that are the scariest, the ones that they’ll avoid at all costs for fear of otherworldly encounters.
Many U.S. roads are famed for their eerie apparitions and strange phenomena—the stuff of legends and childhood ghost stories. Some drivers might seek out these haunted roads for a seasonal thrill, but others steer clear. A survey of 3,000 U.S. drivers conducted by Gunther Volkswagen Delray Beach identifies the spookiest roads, that only the bravest dare to travel after dark.
Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow, New York comes in at number one, for good reason. Sleepy Hollow is home to the infamous Headless Horseman, and this legendary road takes you right through the heart of the town. When driving this spine-chilling road at night, you might catch a glimpse of the ghostly figure on horseback on his endless quest.
At number two is Old Ghost Road in Brooklet, Georgia. This rural road is notorious for strange flickering lights and shadowy figures. Drivers report a sense of being watched, and stories of wandering spirits abound.
The third scariest road in the U.S. is Superstition Mountains Apache Trail in Arizona. The Superstition Mountains are legendary for tales of lost gold mines, and the rugged Apache Trail has been the site of many spectral sightings of lost, ghostly miners.
At number four is Haunted Highway 359 in Louisiana. The “Ghost Highway” winds through bayous where drivers have spotted a young woman in a vintage dress silently pointing towards the woods. Number five is also in Louisiana: Bayou Sale Road in Franklin. This eerie swamp road is haunted by a mother searching for her lost child.
Rounding out the top ten are State Road 14 (Turquoise Trail) in New Mexico, Stony Hollow Road in Burlington, Iowa; Croison Creek Road in Salem, Oregon; Highway 90 in Gautier, Mississippi and Highway 93 in Arizona. Find the full list of 125 spooky roads to avoid (or visit) here.