People love telling stories about some of the scariest places in America. It's a tradition at campfires and sleepovers all over the country. 

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While some tales, like Bigfoot, have become part of popular culture on a national scale, others have remained local, like the Nebraska poisoned girl at Centennial Hall. Read the spookiest urban tale from your state by scrolling down.

ALABAMA: Hell's Gate Bridge

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The 1950s are where the widely acknowledged history of Hell's Gate Bridge begins. One night, a young couple crossing the bridge accidentally drove their car off the edge, and both of them perished in the water. There are two urban legends surrounding Hell's Gate Bridge. The first states that if you park your car in the middle of the bridge and turn off the lights, a married couple will appear inside, leaving a wet spot on the seat. The other, and the reason for the bridge's name, is the idea that if you drive over the bridge and glance back halfway through, the view behind you will change into a fiery doorway to hell.

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Hell's Gate Bridge is closed to cars and in such bad shape that walking across it is strongly advised, possibly to deter ghost hunters and bored youths.

ALASKA: The Kushtaka of the Alaskan Triangle

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The tale of the Bermuda Triangle is well known, but you might not be familiar with that of the Alaskan Triangle. According to the LA Times, 5 out of every 1,000 individuals in Alaska go missing on average, making it simple to get lost in the woods even if nothing extraordinary is happening. The wicked spirits known as the Kushtaka are the Tlingit tribe's theory for the large number of missing individuals in Juneau. The Kushtaka are shape-shifters who prey on women and children by using false cries to draw them to bodies of water where they can steal their human spirit and drown them.

ARIZONA: The ghosts of Slaughterhouse Canyon

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The Gold Rush is the setting for Slaughterhouse Canyon's tale. There was a family who resided in the canyon below during the 1800s. The father would travel into the canyon to find food for his family because they were so destitute. As you would have imagined, the father disappeared one day, leaving his family to hunger and eventually go insane. The woman dressed in her wedding dress, killed her children, and then dumped their bodies into a nearby river because she could no longer endure to hear their cries. The next day she succumbed to starvation herself.

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The legend states that if you go down to Slaughterhouse Canyon at night, even now, you will hear the loud, anguished cries of the mother who lost her mind.

ARKANSAS: The Boggy Creek Monster

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The Sasquatch of Arkansas is known as the Boggy Creek Monster of Fouke. He is typically said to be between seven and eight feet tall, with a thick mane of hair. He is believed to prowl the rural Arkansas waterways. In 1834, when individuals reported seeing a "wild man," he was first discovered.

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The Boggy Creek Monster has been the subject of five full-length movies, including 1972's "The Legend of Boggy Creek," and people still claim to have seen him today.

CALIFORNIA: The Char-Man

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The horrible genesis tale of The Char-Man involves a father and son who were both terribly burned in a house fire in 1948. After the fire, the son's mental instability led him to hang and flay his father. The son fled before the authorities could apprehend him for the murder of his father because he was so badly burned when they discovered him that they had no idea he was still alive.

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Since then, the Char-Man has occasionally been seen prowling the woods near Ojai, creeping up on unwary campers' tents or posing as a hitchhiker before attempting to attack them.

COLORADO: The many legends of Riverdale Road

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There are not just one, but eight unsettling tales on Riverdale Road. The stretch of road is indeed eerie, with everything from a Hell Gate to the ghosts of slaves hanging from the trees. The phantom jogger's tale, though, is the spookiest. One day, a vehicle struck a jogger, lost his cool, and left the man for dead. Now, it's alleged that if you park near the collision scene, you'll hear ghostly footsteps moving ever-closer to your vehicle. Numerous people have reported hearing banging noises outside their windows and seeing handprints on their panes.

CONNECTICUT: Hannah Cranna

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In the 19th century, Hannah Cranna, sometimes known as the "Wicked Witch of Monroe," had a reputation as a witch after her husband inexplicably fell from a cliff and locals allegedly thought she had charmed him. Those around her also thought that she would use spells to harm those she didn't like.

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Hannah was alive until she was 77 years old, but just before she passed away, she requested that her coffin be transported to the cemetery on foot rather than by wagon. The residents of Monroe attempted to roll her coffin down the hill when she passed away, but they were unable to do so because the coffin kept falling off, so they were forced to carry it. When the villagers went back to Hannah's house, they discovered that it was on fire, cementing Hannah's image as a witch.

GEORGIA: The ghost town of Lake Lanier

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There are cities, ferries, a racetrack, and numerous cemeteries in the bottom of Lake Lanier that are (nearly) completely unaltered. After receiving Congressional clearance in 1946, the government, determined to build Lake Lanier, purchased entire villages to make way for the lake. Instead of destroying the towns, they chose to simply let the water engulf them. 

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Now, Lake Lanier exudes a somewhat sinister aura. On the lake, there have been an unusually high number of freak incidents and fatalities; in 2011, there were 17 fatalities in all. Many of the drowning victims have been found. People have said they have felt arms and legs in the water but were unable to immediately locate them, which has led some to assume that ghosts still prowl the lake.

ILLINOIS: Homey the Clown

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In the 1990s, a persistent myth circulated among primary schools all across the Chicago suburbs: there was a spooky man driving around in a white van, pretending to be Homey the Clown (yep, from "In Living Color"), luring children inside with candy and cash.

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In some variations he was a kidnapper, in others he was a rapist. But in all variations, Homey left a mark on young Chicago kids in the '90s.

INDIANA: The 100 Steps Cemetery

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Though the precise location of the 100 Steps Cemetery is contested, it is in the town of Brazil. There are gravestones that date back to the 1860s, though it's unclear exactly when the rumors' about the cemetery being haunted first surfaced. According to the fable, if a person finds oneself in the cemetery at midnight, they must up the stairs while counting to 100. At this time, an undertaker's ghost will make an appearance and give the person a vision of their demise. The visitor is instructed to count their steps on the way back down; if they total the same number of steps, the vision was erroneous.

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Previous visitors to the cemetery have made an effort to thwart the paranormal powers in 100 Steps by avoiding the steps entirely. They have claimed that an invisible force pushed or knocked them to the ground.

IOWA: The Black Angel

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The Black Angel, which is nearly eight feet tall and ominously black from oxidation, is located in Iowa City's Oakland Cemetery. Numerous legends have developed around her, most likely as a result of her gloomy complexion. A pregnant woman is supposedly not supposed to walk under her because she would miscarry. Others assert that you will pass away within six months if you touch or kiss the statue. Whether haunted, cursed, or completely harmless, the statue is definitely a somber sight to see.

Did you find these urban myths intriguing? Let us know in the comments.