From ungodly monsters to terrifying spirits rooted in regional lore, this state is filled with some of the most haunted highways and roads ever traveled.
Although these pathways might not lead you directly to hell, California’s Urban Legends warn that the following haunted roads and highways are a one-way ticket to the devil’s dominion.
Proctor Valley Rd. (Chula Vista to Jamul)
A remote dirt road that’s notorious for ghostly sightings, including a woman in a long white dress, a Yucca Man-like creature known as the “Proctor Valley Monster,” phantom headlights, and banshee-like screams that dance across the surrounding hilly terrain.
Dogwood Road, El Centro
Also known as Imperial County Road S-31, this haunted road is not only crawling with apparitions, it’s also the source of many accidents due to apparent paranormal encounters. However, this stretch of road is best known for a young lady apparition that’s trying to hitchhike out of town.
Legend has it that this is the spirit of a girl who died nearby in an accident. If you pick her up, she’ll try to lead you to a fiery wreck. If you don’t pick her up, she’ll jump on your hood and try to wreck you.
Jicarilla Rd., Apple Valley, CA
This peaceful suburban region is built on lands once inhabited by Native American tribes for thousands of years. It’s also well-known for settlers heading West and making a new life for themselves. A century later, one life, in particular, ended tragically via hit-and-run.
His restless spirt terrorizes this road and appears without a face and missing other body parts. But this apparition isn’t the only one haunting Jicarilla Rd. There have also been sightings of a girl with a bloody sack covering her head.
Creek Road, Ojai
Creek Road has been haunting residents and travelers for generations with a number of paranormal activities and ghosts harassing motorists brave or foolish enough to travel this road. None more terrifying than the Char Man.
This malicious California monster is out to maim and torture motorists just as he was prior to death. And, if that weren’t enough to scare you, there are legends of an Ojai Vampire that will also steal your soul.
Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena
While the Colorado Street Bridge is a historic marvel, there’s a sinister story attached to this local landmark. Known as Suicide Bridge, legend has it that when you walk across this bridge at night, you can see ghosts jumping off to their death 150 feet below.
Local lore says that constructions workers died building this bridge and that many people jumped to their death during the Great Depression. Over the next Century, suicides continued to occur but at a lesser rate. Yet, the spirits of these tortured souls continue to walk the bridge and the Arroyo Seco below.
Brea Canyon Road, Diamond Bar
This stretch of Brea Canyon Rd. rivals any other stretch of highway in the state due to its large volume of accidents. The windy curves at night, can be a dangerous road to travel. Add in the hauntings and paranormal activity, this road becomes perilous for some.
Spirits of hitchhikers appear walking down the side of the road. Making Brea Canyon Rd. even more tragic is the story of a body being found along the road a few years back.
Turnbull Canyon Rd., Puente Hills
Turnbull Canyon Rd. is a potpourri of paranormal activity with tales of UFOs, hitchhiking ghosts, shadowy figures watching and chasing visitors, and strange lights from a distance.
Making things even more tragic is the disturbing history of this region that includes the murderous “colonization” of Native Americans, demonic rituals and sacrifices from regional cults, and the rumor of an asylum hidden deep within the canyon.
If that weren’t enough to strike fear in visitors, Robert Turnbull, who this region was named after, died mysteriously in 1888. Local lore believes that he also haunts this land seeking justice.
Turnbull Canyon, including the road, is a terrifying blend of fact and folklore.
Highway 94, San Diego
San Diego is one of the most haunted places in California. This beautiful, old region is filled with many ghost stories and paranormal activity. One creepy example is the stretch of Highway 94 that connects San Diego to Campo.
Local legends claim that this portion of the highway has apparitions hitchhiking and stalking travelers passing by. Additionally, supernatural lights seem to appear floating above or alongside the road and then quickly vanishing.
Motorists have also claimed to have seen mysterious creatures off in the distance with blood-red eyes. Another tale details an account where an ape-like creature charged at a passing car only to vanish just before impact.
To make things even creepier, one of San Diego’s most haunted locations was the Haven Bakery. Its remnants and attached spirits are also off Highway 94.
Sand Canyon Road, Santa Clarita
This urban legend is rooted in real tragedy. In 1985, a teenager and her friends were in a car accident that resulted in the driver dying. Her prom date ended up dying in a car accident roughly a year later. Legend has it that a teenage female ghost is at the intersection of Warm Springs Rd. and Sand Canyon Rd. trying to get help for her friends.
More than anything, this is a cautionary tale of drinking and driving, not really a haunted location. Yet, there are some locals who swear that they see this ghost.
East Eight Mile Road, Stockton
Eight Mile Road appears spooky when you drive it at night. Yet, it becomes terrifying when you hear or see the two different ghosts that haunt this stretch of road between Stockton and Lodi.
The first apparition appears to be a woman in a white dress that walks alongside the road. Legend says that she can also appear in your backseat when passing by her. The second apparition is a young, Native American girl walking down the same stretch of road.
Locals also have reported hearing loud, terrifying screams in the middle of the night from this area. Some even claim that aliens have been spotted along this route. That’s not as far-fetched as it may seem considering that there’s an 1896 alien abduction report outside of Stockton.
Niles Canyon Road (Bay Area)
Unlike many other haunted highways in California, there are news paper reports about drivers seeing ghosts on Niles canyon Road dating back nearly a century.
These tales talk of a ghost girl or a White Witch, with similar characteristics in each Urban Legend. Both are said to be hitchhiking and needing a ride.
According to the local legend, the girl returns to the scene of her death every year around Feb. 26 to Feb. 28. If driving along the road, she will pop up in your backseat and give an address across the Dumbarton Bridge. When you get to the bridge, she disappears.
The second local legend is that a lady in white also appears on this stretch of road. However, she’s dressed in older clothing and reportedly died in a carriage accident in the 19th century.
Yet, the tale states that when the Sherrif arrived on the scene of the accident, there was a destroyed carriage and a horse that drowned but no human remains were ever found.
Dyer Lane, Placer County
Located just outside the borders of Sacramento, in Placer County, sits the region’s most haunted road, if you believe the urban legends about it. On the surface, this road is rural, out of the way, unkept and generally unpleasant to drive on. However, when you dive into the lore that surrounds this lane, then you feel the weight of its evilness.
In the 1930s, an alleged incident occurred when a group of witches were attacked and raped by a group of young men. The witches cursed this group of males, and they all ended up dying a horrific death in the next year.
But that’s not the oldest tale about Dyer Lane. There’s an urban legend that the KKK used this area to lynch people in the mid-to-late 19th century. Oh, but wait, there’s more.
Reports of satanic cults, ghost police cars, a vanishing farmer on a tractor, and other apparitions are said to haunt this road and nearby fields. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Dyer Lane feels like you’re driving back in time, where the final destination is tragic despair.
Patrick Road, Napa Valley
Last, but not least on this list is Patrick Road in Napa Valley, where the legend of Rebobs is a popular local lore. This road appears to be the border of humanity and a science experience gone wrong.
The end result, half-robot, half-monkey creatures that attack anyone coming to close to their dwelling place, which is rumored to be a secret base where they performed illegal experiments in the mid-20th century.
