Driving Down This Haunted Northern California Road May Give You Nightmares
Because Northern California’s history is often a little unsettling, it’s no surprise that some of our old roads and towns are haunted. Highway 299 crosses the state from east to west near Redding and is one of those creepy roads that comes with lots of ghost stories… keep reading to learn more about this haunted route through the Trinity Mountains.
Proceed with caution – a harrowing drive along this route will keep you up at night!
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. While we continue to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, please take proper precautions or add them to your bucket list to see at a later date. If you know of a local business that could use some extra support during these times, please nominate them here: onlyinyourstate.com/nominate
Highway 299 cuts across Northern California and is one of the spookiest routes in the state, if not the whole country.
A scenic route through old towns, Highway 299 offers a little slice of Americana in addition to the incredibly spooky stories that you'll discover as you journey from east to west along this route.
Located 6 miles west of Redding, Old Shasta City was founded in the 1850s and was once a bustling gold rush town. The shells of many of the brick building still remain.
There's a state park where the city once was and the well preserved ruins are teeming with spirits, especially the old courthouse and jail, according to a recent paranormal investigation.
If you continue on toward Whiskeytown, you'll see this unmarked memorial to a fallen soldier. It seems to be forgotten about, but flowers and an old flag appear here from time to time.
When the dam was built decades ago, Whiskeytown was flooded and all the living inhabitants were forced to leave. Who knows if there were spirits who refused to leave and still haunt the lake to this day?
Highway 299 may be a beautiful road to take from the mountains to the coast, but it's also a historic route with many ghosts luring paranormal fanatics around every turn.
As you can see in this video, once you pass Shasta and Whiskeytown, you likely will find yourself on a long and desolate stretch of road. It might be a good idea to fuel up beforehand so you don’t have to stop!
What do you think of this spooky and abandoned road? Would you drive it by yourself late at night, or would you be too afraid to?
Northern California In Your Inbox
Thank you! You'll receive your first newsletter soon!
Jill is a freelance writer from a small Northern California town and lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you have an idea for an Only In Northern California story, email her at jsanford@onlyinyourstate.com.
Love Northern California?
Thank you! You'll receive your first newsletter soon!