According to paranormal observers, reports of mysterious events on one of America’s spookiest roads are increasing. Gravity Hill is located in Southern California and is known for a phenomenon that has baffled onlookers: uphill rolling cars. Dozens of YouTube videos show the mystery in action, with one featuring a man who puts his car in neutral on the bottom of the hill and sits in the vehicle recording while rolling uphill in reverse. Others say the road is home to disembodied voices and ghostly apparitions.
Paranormal investigator Susan Slaughter has investigated Gravity Hill on behalf of the TV show Paranormal Caught on Camera. Slaughter reported the same experience but conceded that just because she experienced it does not necessarily mean it happened. For instance, some people believe the uphill rolling phenomenon is merely an optical illusion prompted by a distorted view of the horizon. In other words, what appears to be uphill is actually downhill. Others say unseen magnetic forces are responsible, while some believe ghostly figures are pulling the vehicles one way or the other.
According to a local urban legend, many of the spirits said to inhabit the unusual stretch of road are those of children who died in a bus crash on an unknown date. Skeptics, however, note that no such accident is officially recorded.
Gravity Hill in Sylmar is one of several “haunted” roads in America, some with fascinating and inexplicable tales attached. According to similar urban legends, Prospector’s Road in California is home to a single ghost—a gold hunter reportedly murdered at the site. The ghost reportedly walks out of bushes and says, “Get off my claim.”
The Devil’s Promenade runs east from a small Oklahoma town toward the Missouri state line. Witnesses have reportedly seen a strange light while traveling toward the Show Me State, which popular legend contends is the combined spirit of two Native American lovers. Scientists, however, think it’s more likely caused by geological activity.
Route 2A in Haynesville, Maine, is considered one of America’s most dangerous and has a long record of accidents and fatalities. Local legend holds that the spirits of the dead remain on the road, and many motorists have reported seeing a young woman plead for help and then mysteriously disappear.
Clinton Road in New Jersey is said to be a mob burial ground and the scene of a young boy’s drowning. Legend says that throwing a coin into a well near the site will prompt the boy’s ghost to throw it back.
Finally, Highway 666, which runs through Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, was renamed Route 491 because of the Satanic links to its original name. Hounds are said to demolish car tires, but the famous roadway also has more tangible dangers, including high levels of drunk driving and animal crossings.
Haunted States
It is perhaps fitting that Gravity Hill is considered one of America’s spookiest roads because it is situated in the country’s most haunted state. Paranormal experts say the Golden State has the highest number of ghostly encounters in the nation, with Utah in second place.
