Gurdon, Arkansas - Gurdon Spook Light

There is a ghost light that appears on a railroad track outside of Gurdon, Arkansas. There are actually two entrances to the tracks. The easier of the two: Exit I-30 to Highway 53 toward Gurdon. As you are entering the city on 53, you will see a set of railroad tracks. There is a dirt road on the right (to the west) before the tracks. Turn right on the dirt road and follow it until you see a little circle where you can leave your car. The tracks are right in front of you. Follow the tracks to the right (west). You will need to go over at least four trestles (the wooden bridges that hold up the track).

WARNING: The first trestle is starting to get rotted out, so bring a flashlight and watch your step! The first two trestles are pretty close to each other, but there is a large gap between the second and third. I would say it took us about 25 minutes to get past the fourth trestle.

A couple of notes: bring strong flashlights, as it is really dark out there and the trestles could definitely be dangerous. Wear bug spray. And plan to camp out for a while if you really want to see the light [Laura, 07/10/2009]

I've been to see this spook light about three or four times in the past few months. I can say for a fact that it is real, and that the walk is definitely more than 3/4 of a mile. For an almost guaranteed spotting, you need to walk nearly (if not more than) 2.5 miles. We've usually seen it between the fifth and sixth trestle. There are rumors (we haven't tested this yet, but are planning on it this weekend) that, if you make it to the seventh trestle (it's an hour or two hike to the seventh trestle...we stopped last time at the clearing between the sixth and seventh) and see the light, it can possibly hurt you.

Now, like I said, we don't know if this is true or not, but we're going to test it out. [Brian, 04/18/2009]

I was down there very recently and I'll tell you that the walk is more than 3/4 of a mile. The terrain is very rugged and rocky, so wear shoes with some thick soles and bring water and a flashlight. Also be prepared to be scared! Those woods are spooky at night.

Be committed to seeing them. For us to walk down there, hang out and watch and walk back, it was about three hours. [Tyler, 04/08/2006]

The town of Gurdon Arkansas has a mystery light which was profiled a few years ago on "Unsolved Mysteries". If you go to the railroad tracks on the outskirts of town at night, then walk about 3/4 mile down to where there is a slight slope of the tracks and wait, a ball of yellowish light will almost always appear, hovering over the tracks. The light seems to be about the size of a basketball, and around fifty yards away. If you walk toward it, the light will receed away from you or disappear, sometimes reappearing behind you. I myself have seen it, and believe me when I tell you that it is not a hoax, a mirage, or "reflected light"... something very strange is going on in Gurdon. A great "X-files" style road trip destination. [David Koon, 11/23/2000]

[RA: Tipster Robert Nunnally adds: "I grew up in Gurdon, and have seen the light many times. It tends to appear as a colored spherical light, hovering in a ghostly or space alien way in mid-air. The legend surrounding the light is that a headless railroad man, victim of a revenge murder, hunts for his head with a lantern. The phenomenon transcends the legend, though, as the experience of seeing the Gurdon Light is both frequent and unusual -- a natural roadside attraction of the highest order." ]