Spooky season is knocking on the door — and West Virginia wants you to drop your comforting pumpkin spice latte for a tour of the state’s freakiest locations. Launched in 2024, the state’s Paranormal Trail links 21 eerie stops into one epic, choose-your-own-adventure road trip. The route weaves together haunted history, ghost lore, and small-town charm into an unforgettable experience where you can check in at paranormal hotspots with a free digital passport and earn prizes along the way.
Last fall, the Paranormal Trail attracted travelers from 45 states and four countries — including Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia — who explored haunted landmarks across West Virginia and redeemed more than 2,000 prizes. West Virginia’s tourism secretary, Chelsea Ruby, tells Matador Network the response revealed just how strong the appetite is for spooky travel, adding that the department is eager to build on that success with new locations and fresh prizes for 2025.
How the Paranormal Trail works
So what can you expect this year? To get started, sign up online for a free digital passport that tracks your progress. The official site also has an interactive map to help plan your route and find nearby paranormal points of interest. Expect a mix of playful cryptid lore and genuinely unsettling locations — from lantern-lit ghost walks to the infamous Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, often called one of the scariest places in the country. Whether it’s haunted theaters or subterranean caverns, you’ll uncover some of West Virginia’s most fascinating and eerie legends.
What you’ll find along the route
The itinerary winds through the state, connecting under-the-radar towns with some of West Virginia’s most iconic sites. It covers everything from river towns like Harpers Ferry to mountain communities in Mercer County, offering an itinerary that spans the state’s geography.
In Weston, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is often considered one of the most haunted buildings in America. The psychiatric hospital opened in the 1860s and once housed thousands of patients. Though it closed in the 1990s, tours today explore both its medical past and the ghost stories tied to the building. People report unexplained sounds, flickering lights, and even encounters with the spirit of a young girl named Lily who’s rumored to still play inside.
Farther north in Moundsville, the West Virginia Penitentiary is a Gothic-style prison that opened in 1876 and remained in operation for more than a century. It housed some of the state’s most violent inmates, experienced riots and executions, and earned a brutal reputation before shutting down in 1995. Now open to the public, the site draws paranormal investigators and curious travelers alike. Many claim to have seen a shadowy, human-like figure known as the “Shadow Man” lurking in the old cell blocks.
In Mercer County, the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park looks like it was plucked straight from a horror movie. Built in the 1920s on land with a violent past dating back to settler-Indigenous conflict, the park saw several tragic accidents — including the deaths of two children — before closing in the 1960s. Today, rusting swings and a Ferris wheel overtaken by weeds remain. The grounds are often described as unnaturally still, with some visitors reporting hearing laughter or glimpses of figures near the rides.
Not every stop on the trail is steeped in tragedy. In Lewisburg, Carnegie Hall still hosts performances — and maybe a few ghosts backstage. Cathy Rennard, president and CEO of the historic venue, tells Matador Network that staff have grown used to doors slamming after hours and elevators running with no one inside. At 123 years old, it’s worth visiting as much for its architectural beauty as for the ghost stories.
In Shepherdstown — the oldest town in West Virginia — the Shepherdstown Mystery Walk leads guests through haunted cemeteries and historic streets. Janet Huges, owner of the award-winning ghost tour, shares with Matador Network via email that visitors often leave talking about Civil War-era apparitions, and Cecil, a ghost cat said to appear nightly among the headstones.
Then there’s Point Pleasant, where the Mothman Museum dives into the strange sightings that took over the town in the 1960s, when locals described a tall, winged figure with glowing red eyes near an abandoned munitions site. The museum showcases original newspaper clippings, eyewitness sketches, and memorabilia from the 2002 film The Mothman Prophecies. Farther south, Sutton is home to the Flatwoods Monster Museum, which tells the story of a 1952 UFO sighting that made national headlines. The town is also home to the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum, packed with footprint casts, sighting reports, and Appalachian Bigfoot lore.
Why not plan your own paranormal road trip through the state?
Even if you’re not a believer, this is easily one of the most original and fun ways to explore West Virginia. The experience runs seasonally each fall, and remember, sign up for the digital passport is free. Some locations charge admission for tours or special events, so check the details before you go.
Seeing every stop would take a few days, but you don’t have to commit to the full circuit. You can just as easily spend a weekend exploring clusters of supernatural sites in places like Morgantown, Sutton, or Lewisburg. However you approach it, the journey promises a mix of spooky stories, local lore, and unforgettable West Virginia hospitality.
