CLINTON ROAD

We most often go astray on a well trodden and much frequented road --Seneca

Clinton Road, West Milford, New Jersey

explored & photographed by: Shady

[Clinton Road]   [Demon's Alley]   [Stone Living Room]   [Route 23 Pole Art]

You know those times when you have that peculiar feeling that someone or something is trailing behind you... juuust behind you... silently moving in closer to just about breathe down your neck and although you know logically there is nothing there, you don't even wanna turn around- just in case- and you can only hurry on your way a little faster and try to ignore the illogical icy dread nagging at your subconscious?? Well, that's what it feels like to drive down the legendarily creeeeepy Clinton Road.

Clinton Road- the first place we explored on our West Milford trip- is a ten mile-long stretch of curves and dips winding through thick, foreboding woodland, seemingly in the middle of shadowy and desolate nowhere. Well, at least it seems that way, because as you drive down the spooky roadway you feel as if you are a million miles away from any civilization. And boy oh boy does this road have a reputation. My friends and I took a ride down this sinister road one afternoon; we were really excited to explore it and to get some spooky pix.

Perhaps one of it's more infamous tales is the ghostly story of the bridge at the dead man's curve in the road (above). Local legend says that years ago, a little boy was playing on the bridge and tragically fell to his death on the jagged rocks below. They claim his restless ghost haunts the lonely spot where he died, and if you throw a quarter over the edge of the bridge down into the water below, moments later it will be tossed back at you. We pulled over just past the bridge and walked back to take a look, climbing down into the ravine below the 'haunted" bridge; there we found a child's toy wagon eerily overturned and abandoned on the bank of the stream. We noticed how very silent the woods were, there was an odd void of the natural outdoor sounds you'd expect to hear in such a place... no chirping birds or buzzing insects to be heard.

Hidden away deep in the tangle of the oh-so-dark woods we saw the remains of another one of those weird furnace-thingys exactly like the ones that can be found off of another infamous spooky road- Split Rock. In fact, when I squeezed through the opening in the chain link fence and crawled inside the thing to take a pic, I got another shot virtually identical to the one I got at from inside the thingy at Split Rock... before you die, you see Split Rock Road... (heh heh, this is only kinda funny if you saw the flick The Ring *wink*) Ahem. Anyway, one of the rumors about Clinton Road is that the KKK/Satanists/Skinheads/Crazed Rednecks/Insert Your Own Murderous Psychotically Deranged Group Here are said the frequent the area. As much as I wanna give in to my skeptical side, I know that in the case of some of these types of stories, there always can be some kernel of truth and therefore it can be dangerous to wander around in places with reputations like Clinton Road. Still, curiosity killed the cat, and all. Gulp.

Whether it's ghosts, Satanists, or cannibal albino cultists, there is no arguing the fact that a great number of people have had strange experiences on this road. Sure, a good deal of the stories are exaggeration. But there is something just... off about this road... it's the spine-tingly feeling you get where the hairs raise up along the nape of your neck and you feel the fight-or-flight rush kicking in for no apparent reason. And there have been many who have claimed to be chased down this road and in a few cases, even shot at by crazies. It could be pranks, or maybe someone who's trying to hide something sinister. Who knows, and who would wanna stick around to find out? Not I. There are also tales of a monstrous "hellhound" with glowing eyes bounding out of the foliage and chasing terrified carloads of people down the road at incredibly high speeds. There have in fact been quite a few accidents on Clinton Road. Some attest of course that these are due to the sharp curves and shadowy conditions. However, there are others who shake their heads at the suggestion, because they believe that there are other things on Clinton Road besides curves that can cause a car to crash and burn.

After spending about thirty minutes walking around getting pics we decided it was time to go before something bad came along to rain on our parade. Although it was admittedly spooky, we didn't see any ghosts, or get chased by anyone or thing during our trip to Clinton Road. But then again, we also didn't drive down Clinton Road at night. As we drove out of the shadows and back into the land of the living, we could only ponder about just what specifically it is that makes the road so... eerie.

Maybe it's the fact that Clinton Road runs through one of the most notoriously weird and twisted areas in all of New Jersey, that freaky rift in the time-space continuum otherwise known as West Milford? 

In fact, we were headed to another one as we left Clinton Road behind...

CONTINUE ON TO DEMON'S ALLEY

JG shares the following story about 'dancing with the devils' on Clinton Road... "I live in Hewitt NJ by Upper Greenwood Lake right next to Clinton Rd, My friend lives at the end of Clinton rd by Rt 23 So picking him up requires the full drive of 10 miles threw Clinton Rd... I started to drive down the winedy road and didnt see anything unusal, Pickd up my friend and we headed back. I live within 5 minutes of this road and my freind lives on it and we were both talking about how we\'ve heard about all the freaky Sh*T that goes down on Clinton but never have seen anything crazy happen our selves. We made it about 3 quarters of the way back and thats when we saw the most craziest sh*t ever. On the left of us was like a open parking lott area and when the light shined on it we saw about 15 to 20 people (or witches) all in costumes dressed up like devils and in black capes all dancing in circles. It was scary as hell My friend screamed and I drove full speed twards them then swirved back and hauled A$$ out of there. It was really scary because they were in mid dance when we got there, So they must of been dancing around in the dark before we even turned the corner. Plus they werent there when I drove to my friends house so they must of appeared or showed up there within the 10 minutes it took me to get back. Anyone with the balls to do that on Clinton Rd is someone I dont want to mess with. We both maybe have been a lil high but that only made it worse because what we both saw wasnt an huluionation It was some Real Sh*t and it's the reason I take Union Vally Rd to pick my friend up."

Our visitor Britt shares this incredible story from Clinton's 'Dead Man's Curve' with us: "as we went down clinton rd, it was not raining or not a cloud was in the sky. some "ghost car" came up behind my car, and it would come close to my car, and then flash its lights, and then it would slow down, and do it from a distance. eventually, we (my boyfriend was driving) he looked in the rearview mirror, to check where the car was, and out of nowhere, dead mans curve came up. needless to say, we crashed and the car suffered a GREAT amount of damage, and only one guy stopped, and he helped us. my car was throwing flames out the muffler. and, we moved the cement thing, a foot back, when we hit. i thought that nothing would happen. but for those of you who think clinton road is a joke, think twice, or at least don't go there with a nissan 240sx, that is bradn new... myspace.com./brittanyapgar for pictures"

Do you have any background information or stories to tell about a spooky road?

Want to purchase one of these, or any of my other photos...?

O W N   A   P I E C E   O F   L O S T   H I S T O R Y:


All of my pics are available for purchase as high-quality prints on Kodak glossy paper, in 5x7 or 8x10 size; framing is available. Click here to order!