Riverdale Road

An 11-mile stretch of road between Thornton and Brighton in Adams County, widely considered one of the most haunted roads in America. The road passes through rural farmland with a dark history of urban legends dating to the 1970s.

Riverdale Road is an eleven-mile stretch between Thornton and Brighton, northeast of Denver, that has earned a reputation as one of the most haunted roads in America despite running through what is otherwise unremarkable suburban farmland. The road's dark legend centers on a cluster of stories that have been passed down and embellished for decades, blending genuine local history with urban folklore until the two have become nearly impossible to separate.

The most dramatic legend involves the "Gates of Hell," said to be an old iron gateway visible from the road that supposedly marks the entrance to a portal to the underworld. Connected to this story is the tale of a man who went insane and burned down his entire mansion while his family slept inside. The Denver Public Library's Special Collections traced this legend to 9190 Riverdale Road, where a two-story brick home believed to have been built in the 1860s -- the David Wolpert House -- caught fire at approximately 1 a.m. on November 28, 1975. However, the house had not been inhabited at the time, and no fatalities or injuries were reported. The gap between the documented facts and the lurid legend has only deepened the road's mystique.

The road's most commonly reported apparition is the Phantom Jogger, a ghostly runner who haunts an area known as Jogger's Hill. According to multiple accounts, the ghost of a murdered jogger follows passing cars and taps on their sides as they drive by. A Lady in White has been seen standing or walking along the roadside before vanishing when drivers slow down or stop. A phantom Camaro with a single working headlight reportedly races along the road at night, only to disappear when other drivers try to follow or avoid it. Some motorists have also reported seeing a ghostly hitchhiker who appears in the road and vanishes when the car passes through the spot.

The Thornton Police Department has addressed the road's reputation publicly. After consulting with dispatchers, a spokesperson acknowledged awareness of the urban legends but stated that the department could not locate any calls for service related to paranormal activity. Despite this official skepticism, Riverdale Road continues to attract thrill-seekers and paranormal enthusiasts, particularly around Halloween. The combination of the road's isolation, its dark stretches without streetlights, and the layered mythology of gates, fires, joggers, and phantom cars has made it a defining piece of Colorado ghost lore.