On Friday the 13th, the unluckiest day of the year, I visited the notorious Clinton Road. The road stretches for 10 miles between West Milford and Newfoundland, New Jersey and is infamous for the legends behind it. Weird NJ, a travel magazine that covers local legends and folktales, has published many articles about Clinton Road.   

One legend is about Cross Castle which was built in the early 1900s by Richard Cross for his family. When Cross died in 1917, his family sold the property but it burned down years later.  It then became a popular spot for hikers and teenagers to explore and party; these adventurers often sneak into the Cross Castle ruins via the hiking trails just off Clinton Road. Visitors have claimed to have seen the strangest things at the castle such as KKK members gathering, Satanists and witches performing rituals.

Clinton Road has several bridges with small streams running underneath. One such bridge holds another legend: the tragic story about a boy who drowned in the river below. The story goes that a boy was throwing a coin into the stream to make a wish but it landed on a rock. After climbing down the bridge to retrieve the coin, he slipped into the water. Legend claims that when you throw a coin into the river from the same bridge the boy will throw the coin back to you.  

Recently, there have been sightings of a black truck following anyone who enters the road. In the reported sightings, people recall seeing headlights floating in their rear view mirror. When visiting the area many claim to leave Clinton Road with a deep feeling of fear and a desperate desire to leave immediately, regardless if they saw anything on their trip. The long drive through the drawn out, winding, isolated road is creepy on its own but at night I can personally vouch that it is even more terrifying.  

During my visit, the road felt crowded since many other paranormal enthusiasts had also decided to tour Clinton Road on this frightful night. After driving through the first mile past residential homes on either side of the road, it suddenly became pitch black and deserted. Not a single home could be seen, nothing in any of the car mirrors was visible and we could only see what was lit up by our own headlights. 

We decided to park on the side of the road to explore but something stirred inside of us telling us to leave immediately. About 15 minutes later we were pulled over by an officer who was making sure we were alright, and we took this as a sign to go home. I have never felt anything so strong inside of me telling me to leave a place like that before. I’ve heard these urban legends for a long time and I wanted to experience going on a trip to Clinton Road myself. Now that I’ve finally gone, I would definitely go again.