This post may contain affiliate links. When clicked, I may receive a small percentage of each sale. This does not affect your price in any way. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. See our full disclosure policy and privacy policy for more details.

Centralia is one of those places that, as a road tripper, there’s NO WAY I could come within 100km of it and not make a detour. It’s somewhere I’d been reading about for a couple years already, and it just sounded so damn interesting!

As far as abandoned towns go, Centralia is pretty high on the list of cool places to visit. Its claim to fame is a mile long stretch of highway that used to run right through the center of town, but is now blocked off at either end- making it a rather creepy piece of American history.

At last count, there’s still 5 people living in the ‘town’… but I use that term loosely because the government actually took away its zip code and street signs in 2002, so it’s technically no longer even a town. It’s actually government property through eminent domain which basically means that those who still live there own their homes and property until they die or move out, but everything else belongs to the state of Pennsylvania and no one new is permitted to move in. But the reason WHY this has happened is what really has me (and many other travellers/tourists) dying for the chance to explore the area.

The fire that’s been burning for 57 years

Once home to 5 mines and over 2000 residents, Centralia’s ultimate decline began in 1962, when (as the story goes) a couple of city workers set fire to the town dump, hoping to clean it out in time for Memorial Day. The fire somehow spread to a coal seam under the dump, allowing the fire to access mining tunnels and make itself at home underground. This set off a half-century long chain of events that ultimately ended with the towns demise.

At first there were attempts to contain the fire and put it out. But once it became clear that these expensive attempts weren’t going to stop the fire, everyone pretty much backed away and let it do it’s own thing. Turns out that wasn’t such a great idea… It wasn’t until 1980 that residents started figuring out that something bad was going on beneath their feet. In 1979 the owner of a gas station found the temperature of his gas tanks to be nearly 80C (80 higher than it should be!), and residents were starting to report health issues that could be tied to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and low oxygen- all byproducts of fires.

Then in 1981 when a 10 yr old boy fell through a 150ft deep sinkhole that opened under him- only saved because he managed to hold onto a tree root until his 14 yr old cousin could pull him to safety- Centralia’s residents finally started to take notice to the chaos burning beneath them.

But by then, it was too late.

The fire had been burning for 15 years and it was impossible to know exactly how big it had grown.

In 1984 the government started making moves to buy out all residents in a bid to clear out the town and move everyone to safety. They reasoned that this would be cheaper than any excavation effort to put out the fire. Once nearly everyone had been moved out and their homes leveled, a few holdouts managed to fight the government for an agreement that they could live out their life in their home, rather than move away. But this came with the stipulation that no new people could move in or take over their home, and that once they left their homes would be turned over to the government. At last count (early 2018) there were only 5 residents left in Centralia.

Save this post to Pinterest for your next road trip!

Directions to Centralia

Centralia is located an hour northeast of Hershey, PA, so it’s an easy side trip if you’re planning on a day trip to the Chocolate City. It’s 20 min north of I-81 and 40 min south of I-80. Whichever direction you come from, your only option is to arrive with your own vehicle. There are no tours or public transportation that stop in Centralia.

Read more: Use this guide to plan your ultimate summer road trip!

Exploring the Ghost Town of Pennsylvania

Pulling into town, I’m not really sure what I expected. I was picturing a regular abandoned town with empty houses and overgrown lawns. But this couldn’t have been further from the truth!

In reality, the town only has maybe 5 houses left- everything else had been destroyed as people moved out. The current highway drives right through the middle of the abandoned town but if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t even know you had passed through. Most of the signs in town and leading to it have been removed making it difficult to pinpoint unless you’re staring at the map as you drive in.

We’ve explored a few abandoned places while road tripping Route 66, but this was the first whole ghost town I’ve been in. Driving up and down streets that used to be full of houses and people is so eerie! Seeing breaks in the streets where driveways used to lead, old brick walls that are the only signs of a former family home and pathways leading to nowhere paints such a surreal picture of the former lives that were lived here.

How to find the entrance to the graffiti highway of Centralia

It’s pretty easy to miss the entrance to the graffiti highway because while it’s marked on Google maps, there isn’t exactly a neon sign pointing the way to the entrance. At one point the highway was actually privately owned and no trespassing signs were erected. The highway has since been acquired by the state of Pennsylvania and while the signs are still present, no one seems to enforce the rule.

Both ends of Centralia’s graffiti highway are covered in a mound of dirt so it’s not visible from the main road at all. If you’re not sure where to stop you’ll end up driving up/down the big hill before you even realize. More than likely you’ll see a couple other cars parked at the beginning or either end of the graffiti highway, but if not just look out for the big yellow arrows pointing at the turn in the road. I came at it from the top of the hill since I was driving in from New York, but I did miss the stop and ended up taking a detour to the bottom of the hill first.

Pull over before the signs, as soon as you pass the cemetery on your right. If you have to turn around to park on the other side, be careful because cars come up the hill pretty fast.

Once you’re parked you can climb the dirt berms or walk through the woods for a minute to get to the highway. Trust me, you’ll know it as soon as you see it!

Read more: Travelling through upstate New York? Visit Corning, NY and eat at these amazing restaurants

Walking the graffiti highway in Centralia

Stepping onto the graffiti highway from the little path through the woods was a surreal experience. I felt like I was stepping into another world! The trees are tall and overgrown along the sides, and the piles of dirt blocking the entrance dulled any sounds from the roadway. The further I walked the more abandoned it felt.

The day I visited the abandoned town was quite overcast and by the time I finished driving around town and got onto Centralia’s graffiti highway, the sun was starting to set already. Not wanting to get caught walking this creepy stretch of abandoned highway alone, I didn’t really dawdle at all. In hindsight I wish I’d had another hour so I could have walked the entire mile or so stretch of closed highway.

The old highway leads from a high area to a low one if you enter where I did (there is another entrance at the lower end if you’d rather start there), so you’ll walk downhill the whole way, then uphill when you turn around. On my way down I only encountered 2 other groups of people, including a family with kids out for a fun day of exploration!

The sides of the road are sadly littered with garbage and empty spray paint cans. It always bothers me that people have no problem carrying that stuff in, but don’t have the respect to also bring it out with them. If you can, bring a grocery bag and gloves and make your dent in the world!

Walking the graffiti highway in Centralia isn’t without some risk though. Since the fires are still burning underground and it’s impossible to know where, there’s always a possibility that the ground may become weak. If you see smoke rising from any area, stay back because that’s an indicator that the burning is close.

Centralia’s Graffiti highway has some pretty great messages!

Pennsylvania’s graffiti highway is completely covered with spray painted names, phone numbers, pieces of artwork and messages to strangers. It was hard not to take photos of every inch that I walked! I think the most interesting part is knowing that most of these pieces will eventually be covered with something else one day- maybe they already are!

Here’s a few of the best messages I found:

And some fun drawings

Along with messages to strangers along the highway you’ll find TONS of amazing (and maybe not so amazing..) drawings and pieces of artwork. On the day I visited there was a couple heading back up from the bottom of the hill that told me about an awesome piece of (literal) street art, but I didn’t make it down far enough to see it.

These drawings will probably change almost daily, but here are a few cool ones I found on my walk along the graffiti highway:

Read more: The perfect checklist for packing for a summer road trip

Off to Hershey, Pennsylvania!

As I finished up my walk along Centralia’s graffiti highway it was starting to get dark so I decided it was time to move along. One last drive around town to reflect on the history of Centralia and what it might have been like to live through sink holes, underground fires and a mass exodus from the town that many called home.

If you’re making a stop in Centralia, chances are you have plans to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania before or after. If not, you definitely should! This road trip had me travelling on my own, without Seth along to push me into the more family-friendly activities, but I was intent on visiting the City of Chocolate anyways. I ended up spending half a day exploring the grounds and taking the trolley tour around Hershey and highly recommend it for any age!

Tips for visiting Centralia, Pennsylvania

Give yourself 2-3 hours of daylight, or more.

Don’t bug the residents! They’re likely tired of answering questions and seeing people investigating their town

If you bring it in, take it out. There is more than enough trash flying around so be respectful of the area

Though spray painting is the theme here, it’s not actually legal. So you might want to leave the spray paint can at home.

Bring snacks. There really isn’t anywhere around to grab a bite if you get hungry

Wear good shoes. If you decide to walk the whole highway, you’ll be happy to have comfortable footwear

Bring a friend. Some photos are easier to get with a partner to help, and the graffiti highway can feel creepy when you’re alone!

What to pack for a visit to the graffiti highway in Centralia

• A tripod to get some great photos
• Good shoes for the walk down the highway
• Lunch- there’s nothing around for miles!
• Bottle of water
• A google map with points of interest marked

Time to plan your visit!

A stop at the graffiti highway in Centralia, Pennsylvania might not be at the top of your road trip must-visit list, but you won’t regret making a stop here! It’s a seriously cool place to spend an afternoon, no matter the age of your group.

When you pass through send me some photos of the updated graffiti art! I’d love to see how it’s changed since I was there!

Is Centralia on your map yet? Save this post to Pinterest for when you start planning!