In the northern reaches of New Jersey, a narrow two-lane road cuts through the woods, following the path of the winding creek. For several miles, there are no signs of civilization: no houses, no gas stations, no restaurants or shopping centers. Just trees that crowd both sides of the road, limiting visibility as the drive takes several hairpin turns, with numerous switchbacks and blind crests. This is Clinton Road in West Milford, New Jersey, named the “most haunted road” in the United States (via northjersey.com).
On a rainy, cold, windy Sunday morning, my wife and I pointed my car northward, driving to the far reaches of North Jersey, to experience this spooky drive for ourselves. Along the way, we visited a historic railroad station, and stopped for coffee at what certainly must be one of the smallest coffee shops in the nation.
So come along, then, on this eerie adventure, just in time for Halloween! We’ll also share a recent trip to the Midwest, and then wrap up with some updates from the garage.
Let’s begin:
The Haunted Road
Our latest adventure would take us to the northern edge of New Jersey, to drive Clinton Road in the town of West Milford.We set off after breakfast on Sunday morning. If you’re going to drive the most haunted road in America, you might as well do it with gray skies, rain, and cold temperatures…The rain lifted for a period, and we were treated to the last of the changing leaves.As we neared West Milford, my wife suggested a quick detour. We paid a visit to Newfoundland Station, a former stop along the New York, Susquehanna, and Western railroad. The rains had turned the gravel driveway into a bit of a muddy mess, and while passable, I was glad the TLX comes equipped with all-wheel drive.Newfoundland Station opened in 1872 and was in operation until 1944. The building is still owned by the New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railroad, and is kept in good condition. However, the railroad now only operates freight trains, so its time as a passenger station has long since passed (via Wikipedia).Two caboose cars sit behind the station. The C-224 car in the foreground is a 1946 Erie Caboose, built for the Erie Lackawanna Railway. The concrete structure in the background is the remains of a water tower, part of the station’s infrastructure. Our curiosity satisfied (and with the rain picking up in intensity), we clambered back in the car and continued heading north.About ten minutes later, we turned onto Clinton Road. Named the “Most Haunted Road in America,” this narrow, winding, two-lane drive is filled with plenty of spooky stories – ghost sightings, paranormal activity, Satanic rituals, cars that vanish, and strange apparitions. A gloomy Sunday morning seemed a perfect time for this drive.Clinton Road is a lonely, lonely drive. With my wife behind the wheel so I could take pictures, I snapped this photo of my car’s map… beside the creek and trees, there is nothing around for miles. If you look at the top left of the map, you’ll notice there is no cell phone service for portions of the road as well. Gulp.Among the legends tied to Clinton Road are: the ghost of a boy who lives below the bridge at “Dead Man’s Curve,” occult and Satanic rituals happening with regularity at the remains of Cross Castle, numerous UFO spottings, ghosts standing along the road, strange animals that roam the woods, and reported witch activity (via Weird NJ).While we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary during our drive, I will admit to a sense of relief when we finally came upon the town of West Milford and cell phone service returned. Stories of the paranormal aside, the road is a lot of fun to drive, filled with curves, blind crests, and sharp turns. It was a spooktacularly good time!!As we started our drive home, my wife and I decided to stop at a local coffee shop we found on the map… and what we encountered was the smallest coffee shop either of us has ever seen! Longfellow Coffee is a small chain of shops, and they have a drive-thru only location in the town of Kinnelon. My wife had an Americano with almond milk, and I had a brewed coffee with cream… it was also really good coffee!The rains lightened slightly on the drive home, allowing us to enjoy some of the beautiful colors of the trees.Home again! 21,000 miles is now in the books, and the TLX has been a great road trip companion over the past month. I am looking forward to seeing what new adventures we take with it. Onward!
A Midwest Visit
A few weeks ago, my wife and I headed out to Wisconsin and Minnesota to visit with family. Our day started with an early morning arrival at Newark International Airport. While at 30,000 feet, I watched the sun rise in the distant horizon.After a relatively smooth two hours of flying, we began our descent into Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.A friend picked us up at the airport in her Honda CR-V, and of COURSE I noticed that her car was rolling on a new set of Nokian tires! I approve!Fresh off the plane, my father-in-law took us to Sovereign Grounds, a Turkish coffee shop in Minneapolis.My father-in-law has befriended the owner of the coffee shop (because that’s how he rolls), so seeing me stumble up to the counter bleary-eyed, the owner suggested I try some Turkish Roast. It was delicious… but also rather strong. After two sips, I was completely awake.Stopping to pick up some lunchmeat at RJ’s Meats, a local butcher shop in Hudson, Wisconsin, I had the ultimate “Welcome to the Midwest” experience… I came face-to-face with a bratwurst vending machine.I’ve seen soda vending machines, snack vending machines, even coffee vending machines… but this was the first vending machine I ever saw that offers fresh sausage. When in Wisconsin!Of course we stopped for lunch at Taco John’s, and of course I got the street tacos, and of course there was an order of potato oles… of course.As we were out running errands, I spotted this rusty Ford pickup truck, still on the road. “It has a patina of good, honest use,” I commented. “Check out the license plate,” my wife responded.We most certainly made time to get refreshments from Caribou Coffee, my favorite midwest coffee chain.My in-laws graciously let me take the wheel of their beautiful 2019 Honda CR-V for its 40,000 miles rollover. Mileage achievement completed!On our last full day in town, my wife took me on a hike through Willow River State Park in Hudson, Wisconsin. While the park is free to visit, a daily parking pass is $10 per vehicle.After parking the CR-V, we began our hike to the park’s main attraction: Willow Falls.Willow Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. On the day of our visit, the water positively gushed over the falls.According to signage in the park, the falls were carved out of the landscape around 18,000 years ago by the retreat of glaciers at the end of the ice age.When we visited, the park staff were in the process of cleaning up some deadfall and removing trees, part of their yearly maintenance. It made for a fitting glamour shot with the CR-V. After our time at the park concluded, we headed home – the next day, we had a flight back to New Jersey.Owing to several delays, we arrived in New Jersey later than expected, but were treated to a beautiful twilight sky at the airport. It was a wonderful trip to Wisconsin – I’m already looking forward to my next visit!
Garage Updates
With winter fast approaching, my wife and I spent some money on a new set of Nokian WR G4 SUV tires for her Grand Cherokee. Grace the Jeep is now properly equipped for the winter season!I also got an early Christmas gift from my Dad – he found a mint-condition dealership brochure for the 1989 Honda CR-X. My stepmom bought her beloved CR-X from (now defunct) Martin Honda, and had stuck this brochure on a shelf in the den when she got home with her new car. While cleaning, Dad uncovered it a few weeks ago and surprised me with it recently. So cool! I’ve already read it cover to cover.
Wrapping Up
If you are looking for a free, spine-tingling adventure, I would highly recommend a visit to Clinton Road in West Milford, New Jersey. Read up on the paranormal activity of the road, channel your inner-Fox Mulder or Dana Scully, and set off to northern NJ. To quote The X-Files: “I want to believe!”
Thanks for coming along on this spooky journey down the open road ahead!
I really enjoyed this post. I’ve never heard of Clinton Road. Seems extra creepy if you’re out of phone service for parts of it.
My dad had an old Ford truck similar to the Patina truck. It was what I learned to drive on – three on the tree with an inline six. Brings back memories.
Glad you enjoyed it! We had a lot of fun driving Clinton Road, although if it was foggy, or snowy, or in the dead of night, it might have been even creepier!
That Ford pickup was pretty epic – cool to see a survivor like that still on the road.
The Open Road Ahead 
Both trips seemed amazing. Glad u had fun Looking forward to the next trip..
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Thanks so much for reading – glad you enjoyed it!!
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I really enjoyed this post. I’ve never heard of Clinton Road. Seems extra creepy if you’re out of phone service for parts of it.
My dad had an old Ford truck similar to the Patina truck. It was what I learned to drive on – three on the tree with an inline six. Brings back memories.
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Glad you enjoyed it! We had a lot of fun driving Clinton Road, although if it was foggy, or snowy, or in the dead of night, it might have been even creepier!
That Ford pickup was pretty epic – cool to see a survivor like that still on the road.
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