The Nada Tunnel is a 900-foot passage carved straight through a sandstone ridge in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. This one-lane tunnel is the subject of local ghost stories, and residents claim it’s one of the most haunted spots in the state. While it’s not well known nationally, a recent viral clip brought it to the attention of many supernatural devotees.
There’s nothing supernatural about how the tunnel got there. The Dana Lumber Company blasted it through the rock between 1910 and 1911 so trains could haul timber out of the Gorge to a sawmill in Clay City, the Red River Historical Society says. The road drivers use today is the old railroad bed, which is why it is barely wide enough for a single car.
The tunnel takes its name from Nada, a long-gone logging town nearby. Workers cut it using dynamite, steam drills, and hand tools, leaving a rough passage about 12 feet wide and 13 feet high. Because there is only room for one vehicle, drivers have to stop at the mouth, check for oncoming headlights, and take turns easing through the dark.
While a long dark tunnel is spooky enough on its own, the legends of its haunting have grown over the years. A recent Kentucky for Kentucky clip presented it as one of the most haunted tunnels around and claimed you have a 50% chance of a ghost hitching a ride with you during your journey.
Of course, the statistics are probably a bit off there, but the claim has turned the tunnel trip into a viral dare.
Where the Nada Tunnel Ghost Story Comes From
The ghost story starts with a death during construction. As it’s usually told, a worker tried to thaw a frozen stick of dynamite by setting it near a fire, and the blast killed him, according to Red River Gorge Vacations. Some say it’s that man who never quite left.
That’s not the only version, either. Other accounts trade the dynamite story for a rock climber who fell to his death from the cliff above the tunnel. However it started, the legend settled into the same reputation, which is that something lingers in the 900 feet of darkness.
What People Say They See Today
Visitors continue to keep the legend alive with new tales of ghostly sightings. The most common detail is green glowing orbs drifting in the dark of the tunnel, like those seen in the clip. It’s not that big of a leap to think a ghost might make its way into your car as you pass through the eerie tunnel.
Regardless of your beliefs about the supernatural, the Nada Tunnel is an eerie and fascinating Kentucky landmark worth visiting if you’re in the area. And if you’re looking for additional scares in the area, you’ll find them dotting the Bluegrass here and there.
It’s a state with a variety of hauntings to explore, no matter your fright threshold.