Clinton Road, a roughly 10-mile stretch through the woods of West Milford in New Jersey, has been ranked the world’s most haunted road in a new study based on Google and TikTok search trends.
The road in Passaic County topped car-rental company SIXT’s 2026 list after attracting about 1.08 million Google searches and more than 260,000 TikTok searches. The figures were recorded up to July 30, 2026, with search interest linked to terms including “ghost” and “haunted”. ([sixt.com](https://www.sixt.com/magazine/tips/most-haunted-roads/))
Clinton Road has long been associated with stories of supernatural encounters, although the claims remain part of local folklore rather than established fact. Its reputation has nevertheless made the isolated route a destination for paranormal enthusiasts and curious visitors.
Why is Clinton Road considered haunted?
One of the best-known legends centres on a bridge near a stretch known as Dead Man’s Curve. According to the story, a young boy drowned or died nearby, and his ghost is said to return coins thrown into the water.
Other reports describe unexplained lights appearing in the surrounding forest, phantom vehicles and shadowy figures seen by drivers after dark. The road is also linked in popular New Jersey folklore to sightings of the Jersey Devil, the winged creature said to inhabit the state’s Pine Barrens.
SIXT’s ranking describes Clinton Road as being associated with “ghost lights”, Dead Man’s Curve and the so-called Ghost Boy. It also notes that the road’s continued online popularity has helped maintain its place among America’s most notorious supernatural locations. ([sixt.com](https://www.sixt.com/magazine/tips/most-haunted-roads/))
The company said its global ranking combined Google and TikTok searches for each road with terms such as “ghost” or “haunted”. Standalone searches for the roads were used as additional context, but did not determine the ranking. ([sixt.com](https://www.sixt.com/magazine/tips/most-haunted-roads/))
Clinton Road was followed by the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire, where visitors report seeing the light of Ruth Colbath, and California’s stretch of Route 66, which is associated with disappearing hitchhikers and abandoned ghost towns.
The remaining places in the top ten included Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway, Wisconsin’s Bray Road, New Mexico’s former Highway 666, a frontage road in Montana, North Dakota’s Highway 200, Rhode Island’s Tower Hill Road and Florida’s Interstate 4.
For those visiting Clinton Road, the supernatural stories are unverified. The route is, however, a real public road passing through a remote, heavily wooded area, where darkness, sharp bends and limited visibility can create genuine hazards for motorists.
