4 Haunted Stops for a Creepy October Road Trip
Road Trip! Editorial Team
4 min readListicle
Haunted Highways: Ghostly Pitstops for Late Autumn Drives
October is the ultimate season to trade major highways for shadowed mountain passes and historic, mist-shrouded hollows. While rugged western passages like the classic Boise to Jackson Hole route offer their own wild Sawtooth ghost towns, these four specific haunts across America are the ultimate destinations for a spine-chilling drive this fall. Fire up the Road Trip app, queue up your favorite spooky playlist, and explore these hair-raising stops.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is a massive, historic psychiatric hospital in Weston, West Virginia, constructed from hand-cut stone and known as one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the world.
Did you know that this site holds the title of the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America, second in the entire world only to the Kremlin? The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was designed in the mid-19th century under the Kirkbride Plan, which prioritized sunlight and fresh air, but severe overcrowding eventually tarnished its therapeutic mission. Today, its quiet corridors are rumored to be haunted by patients and Civil War soldiers alike, and its location just off Interstate 79 makes it an easy, hair-raising detour. Visiting in October means you can catch special seasonal flashlight tours that show off the historic building in its creepiest light.
Keep the mood light on long stretches between sights by playing State Trivia in the Road Trip app to keep your passengers entertained while you drive West Virginia's winding country roads.
Point Pleasant
Point Pleasant is a historic river town in Mason County, West Virginia, situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers, famous for its 1960s cryptid sightings.
A local legend says that a red-eyed, seven-foot-tall cryptid called the Mothman terrorized this small river town for a year before a major bridge collapsed, leaving locals to wonder if the creature was a curse or a warning. Point Pleasant is located about 110 miles west of Weston via US-33 W, making it the perfect follow-up stop. In late October, as cold river fog rolls over the banks of the Ohio River, the town's Mothman Museum and iconic chrome statue become magnets for paranormal enthusiasts. Take a stroll down Main Street, snap a photo with the legendary beast, and decide for yourself if the legend holds water.
Estes Park
Estes Park is a scenic mountain town in northern Colorado's Larimer County, serving as the main eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and sitting at an elevation of 7,522 feet.
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The historic hotel here is so famously eerie that it inspired Stephen King to write his legendary horror novel The Shining after a single night in room 217. Estes Park is a high-altitude wonderland where the crisp mountain air and frequent October mists create a classic gothic vibe. The grand Stanley Hotel dominates the landscape, offering panoramic views of Lake Estes and the towering, snow-dusted peak of Longs Peak. It is the ultimate Rocky Mountain stop for travelers who love combining wilderness adventure with historic ghost stories.
E-bike ride around the beautiful Estes Lake bike path
Charleston
Charleston is a historic port city in South Carolina, situated on a peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, celebrated for its preserved antebellum architecture and coastal legends.
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Beneath the pristine, pastel-colored historic homes of this coastal city lies a network of brick dungeons where real pirates, including Blackbeard's crew, were chained and left to rot. Charleston is a masterclass in southern gothic beauty, especially in late October when the hanging Spanish moss sways in the cool Atlantic breeze. While the city's cobblestone streets look picture-perfect by day, a nighttime ghost tour through its historic cemeteries and alleyways will show you why it is considered one of America's most haunted cities. If you are road-tripping along US-17, this is the ultimate coastal finish to your spooky October journey.
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Misty mountains, folk music & autumn blazes
Misty mountains, folk music & autumn blazes
