What is the Trail to Terror? The Route and the 5 Haunted Locations

Technically, Trail to Terror is a documentary from Dakota Laden, but in one of the opening scenes, he says, “I’m already on edge. Okay, Trail to Terror. Let’s do it. Let’s do the trail.”

I’m not sure “the trail” was a real thing or had a name before Dakota came up with it. But now that he has, let’s take a look at the route Dakota, Chelsea, Tanner, and Coalin took and the five haunted stops they made along the way.

The Trail to Terror Route

One of the questions I asked Dakota during our chat about the documentary was what route did they take? Specifically, did they take the faster, most direct route to each location or did they try to avoid tolls and such?

He explained that since they were operating on a budget and only had five days in the camper and really filmed five consecutive nights in five of America’s most haunted places, they went the fastest way.

That’s what I needed to know to map out the Trail to Terror route.

From the start at the Ashmore Estates in Illinois to the end at the Pennhurst State School and Hospital in Pennsylvania, they logged 20 hours on the road and over 1,300 miles.

Speaking of stops, let’s take a look at the locations and the distances from one to the other.

The Trail to Terror Haunted Locations

Stop 1: Ashmore Estates – Ashmore, Illinois

A former poor farm turned psychiatric hospital with, as they said in the show, “a death-filled history.”  Disembodied footsteps and voices, full-bodied apparitions (including a little girl), and shadow people were some of the reports of paranormal activity they documented in their pre-investigation interviews.

Stop 2: Randolph County Infirmary – Winchester, Indiana

This was also a poorhouse once upon a time. People who were sent there, including single moms, the elderly, and the mentally and physically disabled were called “inmates.” Shadow people, apparitions, unexplainable voices, footsteps and doors slamming were some of the reports of paranormal activity they documented in their pre-investigation interviews.

Stop 3: Hill View Manor – New Castle, Pennsylvania

This location was the site of thousands of deaths and suicides, which may or may not explain why many believe a dark entity lives there called The Creeper. Chilling first-person accounts included one of the tour guides describing a creepy skeleton-looking thing that she saw grimace and wave at her and her tour group. Another woman described seeing something crawling on the ceiling, down the wall, and come toward her before evaporating into a black mist. 

Stop 4: St. Albans Sanatorium – Radford, Virginia

St. Albans sits on land steeped in history, from Native American battles to the Civil War. And then there are the suicides and deaths it’s seen as a sanatorium. In addition to full-bodied apparitions and shadow people, people have reported violent attacks and demonic beings.

This is also the alleged home of a red-eyed entity called the Goat Man because he has the legs of a man but the head of a goat. Upon learning about it, I think it was Tanner, who declared, “Dude, that’s the Devil.” (I should’ve included that among the laughable moments.)

Stop 5: Pennhurst State School and Hospital – Spring City, Pennsylvania

In a pre-investigation interview, Dakota spoke with James W. Conroy Ph.D, Co-President of Penhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance. He worked at Pennhurst when it was still open. His first-hand accounts of how mentally ill patients were once treated there were heart-wrenching and stomach-churning. Thanks to the picture he painted, it was easy to understand why it was called “the shame of Pennsylvania and shame of the nation.”

Here’s how they described the paranormal activity in this location: “A visitor at Pennhurst today can expect a wide array of unsettling experiences from child voices, ghostly apparitions, slamming doors, poltergeist activity, and evil presences.”

Trail to Terror Distances Between Locations

One difference I failed to note when I examined the similarities and differences between Destination Fear episodes and Trail to Terror was that there was no mileage noted in the documentary like they do in episodes.

Curious about it, I mapped out the miles between each stop.

1. Ashmore Estates to Randolph County Infirmary: 206 miles

2. Randolph County Infirmary to Hill View Manor: 327 miles

3. Hill View Manor to St. Albans: 371 miles

4. St. Albans to Pennhurst State School and Hospital: 404 miles

For More Info

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Check-In

Would you ever follow the Trail to Terror route for a haunted road trip?