The Highway To Hell
U.S. 491 is a 193-mile highway which runs through the Four Corners region of the Southwest United States. The area is so-named because it is where the northeastern corner of Arizona, the southwestern corner of Colorado, the northwestern corner of New Mexico, and the southeastern corner of Utah touch, with most of it belonging to the Hopi, Navajo, Ute, and Zuni Nations. Now an innocuously named offshoot of U.S. 191, the road once went by a far more ominous name: U.S. Route 666.
The highway was designated in 1926, as the 6th branch of the iconic U.S. Route 66, and the stretch of road originally ran from Gallup, NM to Monticello, UT. It passes through both the Navajo and Ute Mountain Ute reservations and along the way, one can see sites sacred to both.
Shiprock is a 7,100-foot peak lying just southwest of the New Mexico town bearing its name. The Navajo call it Tsé Bitʼaʼí, meaning "rock with wings" or "winged rock." Its name is a reference to the legend of the great bird which brought the Navajo to the lands they currently inhabit. Ute Mountain (just under 10,000 feet) is located in the southwest corner of Colorado.
Shiprock
Sleeping Ute Mountain
Legend holds that the peak (also known as Sleeping Ute Mountain) is the sleeping form of the Great Warrior God who laid down to heal from battle wounds.
Travelers and locals soon began calling the road “The Devil’s Highway” or “The Highway to Hell” for a number of reasons. For one, Christian belief holds that the number 666 is the Number of the Beast, so many feel that the highway is cursed. There have also been a significant number of fatal accidents along the road, which was named one of the 20 most dangerous in the United States in 1997. The New Mexico portion is particularly treacherous, with close to 400 sharp turns in one 60-mile stretch. However, the former Route 666 is perhaps best known for the various paranormal phenomena which allegedly occur along the deserted blacktop.
The Ghosts of Route 666
Travelers have reported being run down or charged by a flaming semi truck that disappears at the moment of impact. Legend holds that the semi is driven by the spirit of some long-dead serial killer.
Another spectral vehicle is known as Satan’s Sedan, a black car said to be driven by the Devil himself. Drivers who pull over to avoid the sedan report seeing it speed by, while others look up to see that it has disappeared completely. Similar to the mad trucker, the car tries to run drivers off the road and approaches them both from behind or head-on.
Packs of demon dogs or hellhounds, with yellow eyes and huge teeth dripping with saliva, stalk the highway, awaiting their next victims. They are said to be able to run supernaturally fast, keeping pace with cars no matter how fast they’re moving. Their teeth are sharp enough to shred tires and they will supposedly jump through car windows to maul the occupants.
Drivers have also reported UFOs, phantom hitchhikers and what appears to be the ghost of a little girl, dressed in white. Mechanical failures, mysteriously running out of gas with a full tank, and losing large chunks of time are common.
However, all these specters pale in comparison to Route 666’s most infamous and evil residents, which--out of respect for Navajo ways and forces I do not understand--I will not name. If you can read between the lines, look it up, but I will *not* invoke it here and I request that you don't either. However, I will say that its Navajo name translates to “by means of it, it goes on all fours.”
These entities are not mere scary stories. They have cultural significance and are not well understood outside of Navajo circles, as tribe members are rightfully reluctant to discuss it with outsiders. Legends maintain that they will show up in front of cars, often in the form of a coyote, with the intent to cause accidents. Even more chillingly, some versions hold that the creature will appear in the interior of the car and attempt to steal the souls of the occupants.
Whether one believes the lore or not, it might not be a bad idea to ensure that there are no empty seats in the car for dark passengers.
Proceed with extreme caution if you ever decide to take a trip down the Highway to Hell.
