If you’re looking to spot an actual ghost in North Carolina, then here are eight of the best places to give it a whirl; however, if you’re seeking a paranormal experience of another kind… then the tunnel located along this loop trail is undoubtedly a sure bet.
The hullabaloo around the tunnel all started in the 1930s and 40s, when parts of North Carolina were flooded to create Fontana Lake.
The three-mile Goldmine Loop Trail travels past the lake, through some heavily wooded land (with a clearly marked trail), and ends up at the now famously creepy tunnel.
As you draw near to the tunnel, you may begin to feel an uneasiness descend upon you. The history behind the tunnel ahead is overwhelmingly sad and has incited downright anger in many of the local residents for generations.
You see, when the dam and lake were created at about the same time as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the road leading to many of the homes in the area was submerged under the new lake. But the powers in charge promised to build a new road.
For a variety of reasons, their work ceased just beyond the beautiful new tunnel. The tunnel and the road beyond now sit abandoned and unkempt; the walls are covered with graffiti and the floor surface covered in worse.
Is it haunted? Many people say yes. Once inside the tunnel, many say they have an unsettled feeling that's almost overwhelming. Most don't walk the entire quarter mile to the other end and simply return on the loop trail the way they came.
Some visitors have reported seeing figures at the other end of the dark tunnel, and say that is one of the creepiest feelings ever. Although nothing horrible has been recorded inside this spooky tunnel, there is definitely something about it that makes people uneasy.
If you want to to check it out for yourself, you don't actually have to hike three miles to see it. There's a small parking lot located on Lakeview Drive near Bryson City (map and link below). Park and walk a short distance to the tunnel.
Have you visited this 'haunted' tunnel and the Road to Nowhere in North Carolina, and did you get a creepy vibe when trying to pass through this tunnel? We'd love to know!
The Road to Nowhere and its notoriously abandoned tunnel is located near Bryson City, North Carolina. Here’s a link to the Google map above. If using GPS, be sure to enter Lakeview Drive E, or you’ll end up on a short road in a subdivision in another part of town. From the parking area, you can choose to take the three-mile Goldmine Loop Trail or simply follow the road that goes nowhere until you end up at the tunnel. More information on the trail option can be found at this link on alltrails.com.
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