Top Creepy Tunnels in the World

Moonville Tunnel

Moonville Tunnel Back in the 1800s, Moonville was a booming a mining town in Ohio with a population in the hundreds. Today, it is known more of a ghost town surrounded by poison ivy, wild rose, and Greenbriar. The graveyard of Moonville is now full of unmarked or missing graves. Moonville tunnel is now more famous for its ghost stories, ghost sightings, and legends than coal mining. Reportedly, about 25 people between 1889 and 1986 were killed in the Moonville Tunnel, many of them because of the railway. According to newspaper reports, James Hood died from breaking his neck after jumping off a train. However, not all the reported deaths are due to train accidents. A four-year-old child died due to choking, and a man in 1899 had a heart attack in the tunnel. The most common scary story of Moonville Tunnel is comes from visitors who have seen a man with a lantern in the tunnel. When they go toward the light to see who it is, he disappears. This disappearing man is believed to be a brakeman who fell off the train and died. However, according to reports, there were at least four brakemen who were known to have died in the tunnel, leaving any one of them, or all of them, to be the disappearing man. There are ghosts everywhere! 

Church Hill Tunnel

Church Hill Tunnel is an old Chesapeake and Ohio Railway tunnel built in the early 1870s. The tunnel extends about 4,000 feet under the Church Hill section of Richmond, Virginia and has been causing problems since construction started. It has been extremely dangerous and in October of 1925, the Church Hill Tunnel collapsed, entombing several of the rail crew trying to widen it. Most of the crew were able to run the thousands of feet to safety, however, four crewmen were killed. Furthermore, the collapse trapped a steam locomotive and some cars. The rescue attempt instead of helping made the tunnel collapse even more. Eventually, the tunnel was closed for safety reasons. Today, the tunnel is still considered dangerous. The part of the tunnel that is still open today is filled with safety hazards like flooding water and quicksand. In fact, the tunnel is said to be filled with about 14 million gallons of sandy water that could weaken the ground and cause a catastrophe at any moment. 

Shanghai Tunnels

Historically, the Shanghai Tunnels are known for dangerous and illegal behavior. The Shanghai Tunnels of Portland Underground consist of tunnel passages linking Portland’s Old Town (Chinatown) to the central downtown area of Portland. During the 19th century, both men and women had to be aware of these tunnels, and everyone was warned to stay away from them or them might be drugged or kidnapped for prostitution or slave labor. Now it is known as “shanghaiing.” The unfortunate individuals who were taken were kept in the underground tunnels until they could be taken to their final destination or sold. Today, the Shanghai Tunnels are known as one of the most haunted locations in America and has been the interest of several paranormal investigations, including the TV show Ghost Adventures. Many people who have taken the tours say they have heard unexplained noises, such as moans, screaming, and talking. Other people state they have seen an apparition, which is believed to be the ghost of Nina, a woman who was shanghaied. If you would like to check out the Shanghai Tunnels yourself, there are now guided tours available.

Chi Chi Tunnels

The Chi-Chi Tunnels were built with hand tools, by the Vietcong before and during Vietnam War. The Chi-Chi tunnels are thousands of miles long. While they were used during the Vietnam War, they were considered extremely dangerous tunnels. In fact, it is said that the battle underground in the Chi Chi tunnels were just as bad as the battle above ground. And we all know how violent and brutal that was. At the time, the Chi Chi tunnels were loaded with soldiers who were waiting for a sneak attack and traps, which consisted of tripping wire and explosives. Of course, the Vietcong utilized trap doors and other practices as well. They would sharpen bamboo shoots designed to pierce whoever was unfortunate enough to fall into the trap. Today, the tunnel is a tourist attraction and houses a new set of dangers. While the days of traps and sneak attacks by soldiers are over, if you plan on visiting, you of course have to bring your own insect repellent. Besides being creepy and haunted since it was an underground warzone with many untold horrors, you could get bitten by an insect carrying a disease. Inside the tunnels, you must watch out for bats and if you are bitten or scratched by one, you should immediately see a doctor, as bats may carry rabies.

Screaming Tunnel

The Screaming Tunnel is located in the Northwest corner of Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. It is known as one of the top 20 haunted roads in the world. The tunnel itself measures about 16 feet high by 125 long and is named the Screaming Tunnel for a very clear reason. It is said that if you light a match in the tunnel, the match will go out and you will hear the screams of a dying girl. The story goes that this girl was caught in a house fire. She ran to the tunnel while trying to beat out the flames of her nightgown. Unfortunately, the girl met her death in the screaming tunnel. While there are other adaptations as to how the girl caught on fire, there is one thing everyone agrees on with the story: she died screaming. If you cannot make it to Canada and still want to see the Screaming Tunnel, you can check out David Cronenberg's 1983 film adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel The Dead Zone, as the tunnel if featured in the film. 

Gold Camp Road Tunnels

Gold Camp Road is a highly scenic dirt trail from Colorado Springs with a length of 8.6 miles one way. There is an old “Keep Out” from the original Gold Camp Tunnel collapsed decades ago. However, not only is this sign a warning for visitors to keep out due to obvious dangers, but many believe it is a warning of the Gold Camp tunnel ghosts. These tunnels are said to be home to the spirits of children who were trapped in the third tunnel when it collapsed on their school bus. Visitors report hearing laughter and finding tiny handprints on their fogged windows. I would NOT want to see that! Because so many visitors come to the Gold Camp Tunnels in order to try to experience paranormal, this has created even more dangers for the tunnels. Visitors are told not to turn off their lights because the roads are only wide enough for one car. Turning off your lights in a dark tunnel to experience the paranormal will probably cause a car accident. Just saying...

Blue Ghost Tunnel

The Blue Ghost Tunnel, which is more formally known as the Merritton Tunnel, is located in southern Ontario, Canada, and has been creepy since construction. The tunnel was named the Blue Ghost Tunnel after the strange blue mist people have reported coming out of the tunnel. The tunnel, which was originally a railway the tunnel was abandoned in the early 1900s, a little over a decade after tragedy struck. In order to make room for the pondage area near the tunnel, a little under 1,000 graves in an old Lutheran cemetery needed to be relocated. Well, at least the bodies which were claimed were relocated. The other bodies were swept away by the flooding, which means that there are hundreds of bodies buried underneath the tunnel grounds. Furthermore, it is believed that there were over 100 deaths during the construction of the Blue Ghost Tunnel. Then, there were the horrific train accidents which, according to reports, occurred in 1903, killing both of the firemen on the train. One of the firemen was pinned and so mangled that when he was freed, both his arms and legs became detached from his body. Several visitors have heard many noises coming from the tunnel, such as crying, talking, and whistling.

Hoosac Tunnel

The Hoosac Tunnel is a four to five-mile active the railroad tunnel in western Massachusetts. The nickname of this tunnel, which started during construction, is the bloody pit. This nickname started because deadly accidents during construction killed almost 200 workers. One of the deadliest accidents happened in October of 1867 when workers were digging the tunnel's over 1,000-foot vertical exhaust shaft when a candle in the hoist building ignited. The ensuing explosion set the hoist on fire, and it collapsed into the shaft, trapping about 13 men who were working over 500 feet down. Today, you can go see the tunnels and trains still pass through, about 12 a day. This also brings its own set of dangers because the trains are not on any set schedule for the one track. Ride at your own risk.

Steam Tunnels at Virginia Tech

The majority of college students at Virginia Tech know there are steam tunnels under the campus that used to lead from one building to the next. However, because they are so dangerous, and illegal for students to go into, they remain a bit of a mystery. In fact, these tunnels are so dangerous that you could face a fine of $2,500 or even a year in jail if you are caught. It’s for your own good. Steam tunnels are called that for a reason. Besides getting caught, the tunnels have a temperature of over 200 degrees F, which means you could be burned. You can also be electrocuted in the tunnels because there are power lines that might be exposed. As a bonus, the steam tunnels are filled with asbestos which can cause all sorts of lung problems. Overall you should avoid them at all costs! 

Atlantic Avenue Tunnel

The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, more officially known as the Cobble Hill Tunnel, is an abandoned railroad tunnel underneath downtown Brooklyn in New York City. Fun fact, it is the oldest railway tunnel beneath a city street in North America that was fully devoted to rail. Construction started in 1844. The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel is a half-mile long and accommodated two standard railroad tracks. While this tunnel closed in the mid-1800s with some controversy, the biggest debate about the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel for decades was the urban legend of a long-lost locomotive. Tons of people were trying to find it! A man named Robert Diamond, and engineering student started giving tours of the tunnel in 1980 and told stories about the missing train. However, he was shut down suddenly in 2010 due to the city viewing the tunnel as unsafe for tourists. Unfortunately, Diamond was never able to fully find the locomotive but somehow he identified a large 20-foot long metallic structure. Many believe this to be the missing locomotive. It is said that this locomotive broke down in 1861 while pulling dirt from one end of the tunnel to fill it up so it could be closed. Once the locomotive broke down, the decision was made to bury it. Tunnel tours are now available 6 feet under.