The Ghost Highway

Deep in the forest northwest of Lake Easton lies a part of the Sunset Highway which has been abandoned for 90 years. I call it the Ghost Highway. Why? Because a road is built to get you from one place to another, and this road goes nowhere, serves no purpose anymore, and nobody lives near it. This 4 mile section of the highway was built in 1915. But in a mere 12 years this part of the road would be abandoned for the new 1927 highway which bypassed this road. The new highway diverged from the old road at the top of Easton Hill. This is where Midway Park once stood. Midway Park was a campground with a few cabins, and a Signal gas station. Today, nothing remains of this place.

The Ghost Highway is still in it's original state, except that much of the old road is choked by overgrowth which has narrowed the road. The first 1.5 miles of the highway can still be driven on without the need of a 4-wheel drive vehicle. The rest of the old road you will have to hike on foot or use an ATV.

To get there, take Interstate-90 to exit 70 at Lake Easton State Park. Take W. Sparks Rd. and go back under the freeway. This is where the pavement ends. Follow the road as it turns to the right onto the old highway. In about 1,000 feet the old highway veers to the right which is the beginning of the Ghost Highway. As you continue up this road you will begin to climb up the hill on a switchback. 

When you reach the top of the hill, you get a glimpse of the freeway in the distance. This being one of 2 places where you get a view of the area. The road continues over the hill and soon you will come to a small clearing where you can park or turn around. From here you will need to walk the rest of the way as the road begins to fade into the bush. The brush is so thick and tall that you cannot see anything but the trail in front of you. There is one spot where you do get a nice view of the valley and surrounding hills. Along the way we found quite a few side mirrors which had been torn off by the branches on those vehicles who dared to make it through.

After about a half mile the road opens up for about another half mile. This part is now used as an access road though it looks like nobody uses it much. It took a 4-wheel drive to reach this area. This part of the old highway is through the forest and it looks unchanged after all these years. The roadbed is still 20 feet wide with very little debris covering the road. The remaining mile has been abandoned since 1927, and is so overgrown with downed trees. There is no path from here, so exploring it would be difficult, having to climb over the trees and fight the brush. I didn't go any further as time was running out.