Not every road trip involves mile markers & gas stations. In fact, some stretches of highway in the U.S. have such strange reputations that they sound more like campfire tales than driving directions. Here are ten American highways with stories weirder than fiction. Which one of these have you heard about before?
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The highway once known as U.S. 666
Travelers in the Southwest used to drive along U.S. Route 666. As you can probably imagine, that number started all sorts of superstitions, with people swiping the signs as souvenirs & locals calling it the “Devil’s Highway.” The name finally changed in 2003 to U.S. 491 after years of complaints.
Nevada’s road officially named the Extraterrestrial Highway
In the mid-1990s, Nevada’s State Route 375 got a new name, which was the “Extraterrestrial Highway.” That’s because Area 51 isn’t too far away. So, the state leaned into the UFO lore & held a ribbon-cutting with cast members from Independence Day, although road signs keep vanishing. They’ve now bolted the replacements extra high.
A Florida interstate stretch called the “Dead Zone”
There’s a piece of I-4 near Sanford, Florida, that many drivers are afraid of. According to legend, four pioneer graves are directly beneath the highway & this has caused years of eerie accident stories around that very stretch. That’s why it has the nickname the Dead Zone, but the state treats it like any other road.
Colorado’s cliff-edge Million Dollar Highway
U.S. 550 cuts through the San Juan Mountains, and part of the route is hardly for the faint of heart. This includes spots with steep drop-offs & no guardrails at all. Apparently, the “Million Dollar” name came from the cost of the highway, although many people who have driven through it say it’s because the drive feels priceless. And terrifying.
The freeway exit that spells Zzyzx
Your eyes aren’t fooling you. Down on I-15 in California, Exit 239 has a road named Zzyzx Road, which came from a promoter named Curtis Howe Springer. He dreamed up a health spa there in the 1940s & the government shut it down decades later. However, the name still lives on the highway signs and confuses every first-time driver who comes across it.
A curvy U.S. 129 segment and its Tree of Shame
“The Dragon” is on the Tennessee–North Carolina line of U.S. 129. While it’s just 11 miles, it has 318 curves, and there’s also a strange landmark called the Tree of Shame. Here, bikers hang busted parts from crashes as both a warning & a weird photo opportunity along one of the most challenging rides around.
Nevada’s U.S. 50 called the Loneliest Road
Back in 1986, Life magazine didn’t exactly give U.S. 50 a glowing review, as it called the Nevada stretch “The Loneliest Road in America.” But the state refused to be embarrassed. Instead, they doubled down & printed survival guides for anyone who was daring enough to drive it. It’s essentially empty basins stretching for hours between small towns.
The I-70 exit for No Name, Colorado
Exit 119 on I-70 points to a place literally called No Name. Yes, really. The name traces back to a nearby creek & canyon, and when the freeway was built, officials never changed it. Nowadays, the green exit sign has become a popular tourist spot for anyone going through Glenwood Canyon. Can you blame them?
A 61-square-foot post office on U.S. 41
Ochopee, Florida, looks like any tiny town except for its post office, which sits right off U.S. 41 & is just 61 square feet. The office used to be a farm shed until a fire wiped out the old office in 1953. Today, it still sorts & stamps mail. It holds the title of being America’s smallest post office.
A persistent light near old Route 66
Out near Joplin, Missouri, you’ll find a rural road where people still search for the Hornet Spooklight. Legend says that the Spooklight is a glowing orange orb that floats & bobs along the horizon. This is usually near an old alignment of Route 66. Interestingly, the “Devil’s Promenade” area has been a popular place for curious visitors for generations.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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