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Gravity Hill in Sonoma County

My original post about Gravity Hill has generated more comments than any other post. The requests for directions have gotten to be more than I can handle one at a time, so I am posting instructions on how to get to the Gravity Hill that I know about here. Briefly, what happens here is that cars placed in neutral in a trough in a road back rapidly up a hill.

This is not a unique phenomenon; such are reported all over the world. Some people say that all such phenomena are optical illusions, and that may be true for some. In this case, however, this is a for-real Gravity Hill, not an optical illusion. If you stand near the top ‎of the road, and a car is in the trough of the road, you will find yourself looking down on the ‎top of the car. This would not be so if it were an optical illusion, unless ‎somehow light is being bent in funny ways, in which case there is still a ‎mystery here.‎

Please note that this is the only Gravity Hill I know about. If you know of others, feel free to post directions in a comment. Thanks!

The directions assume you are already in the Rohnert Park area; Rohnert Park is on 101 just south of Santa Rosa.

Take the Rohnert Park Expressway east to Petaluma Hill Road.

Take Petaluma Hill road south to Roberts Road.

Take Roberts Road East to Lichau Road.

Take Lichau Road east for a while. At the very crest of a hill, where there is an iron gate with a ranch name on it (something San Antonio), you are at the start of the Gravity Hill section.

Drive down to the bottom of the trough you see in the road. If you start climbing up again, you've gone too far. The circled spot in the map shows roughly where this is.

What I do when I reach this point: I stop my car, but leave the engine running and the car in neutral. I keep my foot off (but near) the brake pedal. My car is facing east. At this point, it starts to roll all the way back up the hill toward the something San Antonio gate. Of course, I am careful to look in the direction in which the car is rolling, keeping an eye out for other cars, as this is a narrow road.

Enjoy the spookiness!

Circled  spot showing Gravity Hill in Sonoma County

DISCLAIMER This is in no way a recommendation for unsafe driving. Always be cautious when driving, and watch out for other drivers. Take care of yourself and others in the car, always wear seatbelts, always have your child safely seatbelted or in a car seat as appropriate, obey all traffic laws and the rules of common sense, and drive safely.

Comments

Hi i was just wondering what state your in? Because I'm in PA and I know of a "Gravity Hill" and it's somewhere around here, but i have no clue how to get there. Seems to me like there are alot of them because I just went on yahoo! to see if there was anything about it and maybe driections, but the one i found is like 3 hours away, and I know that the Graity Hill kids around here are talking about is MUCH closer than that. I really want to go, but i cannot find out where it is and it's really starting to bug me! Umm. so anyway, what state are you in? Could you email and let me know? XxRogue8669xX@netscape.net Thanks!

CRAZY... I was to see some videos... I heard this Gravity Hill was by a Cemetery, is that true?

PLEASE SEND ME DIRECTIONS TO GRAVITY HILL IN CORONA!

there is a gravity hill in whittier ca in SPY GLASS estates by rose hills. try pouring water down the hill and it will flow up.

I am visiting california, and my cousin brought me to "gravity hill" I t was amazing. I made her drive to the bottom 2 times and PROVE her car was in neutral. I can say i DO NOT think that it is an optical illsion. maybe it has something to do with the pressue within the hills??

can someone tell me where gravity hill is cali? I live in OC and i heard there was one near cabazon but is there another one?

For a couple of years now, I have been going to a gravity hill located in Antioch,Ca. But there is a story behind this one. A school bus crashed around a cliff with several children in the bus. They all burned to death back in the late 1800's. When I go through that road with my car in nuetral, I can hear little children talking. My car goes up to speeds of 50! Thats pretty fast. One time my whole window turned pitch black when it stopped and something jumped off my car. I usually ride on top of the car. There is also a slaughter house there. It's very creepy. A man killed his wife and children in there and there are still blood stains. Also located there is an old burned insane asylum when you walk through hells gate. People have been pused away from the door by a strong force telling them to keep away. I suggest coming here at night because I have heard and seen many strange things. This place is gauranteed to scare you. I will never go back after the last time. Cops don't even want to patrol out there.

""A school bus crashed around a cliff with several children in the bus. They all burned to death back in the late 1800's.""

A school bus in the 1800's?

i heard there was a Gravity Hill in Rose Hills, CA. is that true? if so where is it?

JP: Yes, I agree. It reminds me of a book I just read in which the author reprints many letters she's recieved from people speaking of their ghostly encounters. In one of the letters, a person says that there was a person in her room but the door was locked, so there was no possible way for there to be a living person in her room. A few paragraphs later, she says her mother also heard something and checked in on her and saw her sleeping, so there was no possible way for her (the letter writer) to have been making the noise. Well, either her room was locked or her mother looked in on her and saw her sleeping, but not both. How this missed the eyes of the author and editor, I don't know. Same goes for the school bus.

Great site you have here. I grew up in L.A. not far from our own Gravity Hill, in Sunland, just down the road from two graveyards. It's been a long time but I was reminded of it by talking to an old friend - problem is I don't remember exactly where the stretch of road is - I know it's along Kagel Canyon on the way up to the graveyards. We want to go up there, so does anyone know what spot it is?
Peace to all.

I hate to debunk the entire school bus incident(in regards to the antich gravity hill) but any one with half a brain would know that they was not way that happened. There is no cliff, only a small hill. There is no way that a school bus ever crashed out there. I have talked to several people who have lived in antioch for their entire lives (there are in their 80's now) and no one know about a school bus. Oh yeah the slaugher house, no it was a dairy. My grandfather knew the man who ran it. I am not saying that gravity hill does not work, it does. The was never any kind of asylum there. Sorry to ruin all hte fun. It is neat to put your car in nuetral and see how fast you can go.

I live in Southern California and there is a "Gravity Hill" in Moorpark. The story goes that a group of kids were on a schoolbus going on a field trip when the bus suddenly broke down. Some of the kids decided to get out and push the bus up the hill but when they did it rolled back and crushed them killing them instantly. Now when you park your car there supposedly the kids push you up the hill. Has anyone else heard a story like this?

re: confused

You didn't actually read this page before you posted, did you?

We live in Simi Valley CA and heard there was a gravity hill in Moorpark.. Does anyone know where it is???? What about one off of DeSota Ave in the Valley????

hi i have comment for pricilla......there were no cars in the 1800!!! asspecially not school busses....yeah just wanted to say that... oh yeah kool sight!!

HI IM THINKING ABOUT GOING TO THE GRAVITY HILL IN ANTIOCH. IM FROM STOCKTON AND I WAS WONDERING IF SOMEONE COULD GIVE MY DIRECTIONS TO IT....HOPE SOMEONE CAN....THANKS MUCH!!

Thanks, Jessica. I already pointed that out.

And macy, try www.mapquest.com.

The Gravity Hill in the Pasadena area is not in Pasadena at all. It's actually Altadena. Lake Avenue turns into Loma Alta and turns East at the base of the Mountains. Just about 1/4 mile down that road, is gravity hill. It's actually Loma Alta and is paved.

The abandoned Insane Asylum is supposedly beneath the Colorado Street Bridge (or Suicide Bridge)... very close to the Rose Bowl area.

I've actually been to the place were gravity hill is at in Antioch! Have heard many storys about it, who really knows what the real truth is...thats what makes it so scary to go there! With stories or not I think the whole road in general is spooky, its long, curvy and narrow! I have also seen the one building that is on this road, an old abandon house! Indeed it looks spooky and there must be some kind of story behind it! Why only this one house on this road? How come it hasent been torn down? One will never know!

Anyone know of the gravity hill on Patterson Pass Rd betweem Livermore and Tracy? I've seen mention of it on the net, but haven't seen any specific explanations as to where it really is. I read mile marker 157, but there is no marker 157 on Patterson Pass. Help would be appreciated.

Hey. I live in Simi Valley, Ca and have been to gravity hill in both sylmar and moorpark. The one is sylmar is right near the cemetary and the one in moorpark is just in between farms and out of the city. I went to both just to check them out during the day so it never worked. Im pretty sure i got the moorpark one right.. but does anybody know where it is exactly just incase?? i can give ya'll directions if ya like. thanks a bunch

My roommate and I went there last night, as a matter of fact. Aside from it being very dark--around midnight--on a windy road, I would have to say the creepiness factor is relatively low. However, when we came to the trough I think you are talking about, put the car in neutral, it really did roll uphill at a relatively high speed. It was odd, but not any great revelation or anything. No visions or spookies of any sort (thankfully) but thanks for the info, it was an interesting experience!

Hi everyone can someone give me directions to gravity hill in Cali.I heard there is one in pasadena is that true? If yes? please give me...directions to it.

hey i was wondering if anyone could give me directions to any of the gravity hills in southern california...preferably the one near rose hills cause it is closer to where i live...just e-mail me. thanx

There are 26 hills listed in the International Directory of Magnetic & Gravity Hills www.Eureka4you.com/gmagnetichillworldwide/index.htm

I went to a place called gravity hill in los angelas california area.It was at a cemetary a friend took us there we turned off the motor he took his foot off the brake and it started rolling forward toward the top of the hill.I have asked this person where it was at 28 years later and he keeps telling me he don't remember wher it was at...

well ive heard all the stories about gravity hill but im researching all these local urban legends.. like suicide bridge, gravity hills, enchanted forest, and the insane asylum in pasadena. all of these places im sure most of you have heard of, and i want to know anything you guys might of heard. this project is my for my final at school for my english class. all these urban legends are all around the L.A. county area and im hoping that someone would give me some actual facts as to what hapened at these places [prefereably gravity hills, insane asylum in pasadena, and the enchanted forest in pasadena as well on lake ave [or street dont remember]. well yeah personal accounts are good but having actual historical facts [maybe newspaper archives you might of stumbled across] would be great.. i just cant go by the stories you hear by random people unless they got the evidence to back it up. if any of you guys got what i need i would be very grateful... [be sure to e mail me alphaconex@hotmail.com or just reply to this post]

-peace

-peace

i know where it is, go south to the 10 west, exit beach blvd, head north till you come to a foutain, then turn left on grand, keep going up the hill until you get to the school. put it in park no?
then say im fucked.

I was just at another gravity hill in Casper, Wyoming a few weeks ago. I am from Denver and my son-in-law took us there so unfortunately I don't know the directions. You would have to ask some of the locals there. I had never heard of such a thing before so at first I thought he was pulling my leg, but no it really did happen. Strange experience.

"hey david i know were your friend took you. he took you to a place in whittier, ca its called turnbull canyon if you need directions here they are"
the main street is beverly boulevard once your on beverly youll see the place its kind of near rose hills cemetary. good look finding it

Jay, I went to the Gravity Hill in Livermore, Patterson Pass about an hour ago.

We taped it, and we also did the legend with putting flour on the bumper and finger prints appear. I'll be posting it on http://www.therealwalkercreek.com/ later tonight, or tomorrow morning. Look for it if you're still around!

Ok, a friend that I showed this comment to told me to tell the legend, since most people not living in the Livermore, CA area know it.

Not so long ago, there was a bus filled with 5th graders on the way down Patterson Pass to drop off a child at his house down the road. Their bus got stuck going up the hill, so the kids got out to push. The gravity forced the bus backwards, and before the kids knew it, they were crushed.

There is a road farther down named after the children, the road name is "Don't Forget Us." You can check that out, too.

That is the reason we put flour on the bumper. Legend has it that the children still push on the bumpers of cars to this day. In the video, you can also see the windows fog up, and the temperature suddenly sink down, even when it wasn't cold out before getting on Patterson Pass. Marker 157 is also near Hell's Gate, another mysterious place on Patterson Pass. That may have been the cold air source.

And to whomever was the one that could not find Marker 157, it looks like someone pulled it out, but tonight we saw numbers 139, 151, and 179. If you go a bit past 151 and turn around and Cross Road, past marker 179, until you're facing the main city going down Patterson, that's the way you should be going. If you stay in neutral, it'll push you up the hill then you'll just roll down the other side.

"For a couple of years now, I have been going to a gravity hill located in Antioch,Ca. But there is a story behind this one. A school bus crashed around a cliff with several children in the bus. They all burned to death back in the late 1800's. When I go through that road with my car in nuetral, I can hear little children talking. My car goes up to speeds of 50! Thats pretty fast. One time my whole window turned pitch black when it stopped and something jumped off my car. I usually ride on top of the car. There is also a slaughter house there. It's very creepy. A man killed his wife and children in there and there are still blood stains. Also located there is an old burned insane asylum when you walk through hells gate. People have been pused away from the door by a strong force telling them to keep away. I suggest coming here at night because I have heard and seen many strange things. This place is gauranteed to scare you. I will never go back after the last time. Cops don't even want to patrol out there."

Looks like I missed this before.
The road near Patterson Pass is named "Don't Forget Us." It's named after the children that were in the bus.
The bus didn't crash, it couldn't make it up the hill (it was gravel), so the kids got out to push it. The bus was in neutral and it rolled down and crushed the children. This wasn't too long ago.

Some people claim to hear chlildren talking, but I didn't hear anything, except for faint footsteps and gravel moving. And yes, cars can go up to 50mph there, uphill.

Our window fogged up, but it didn't turn black, and no one jumped off of it.
The slaughter house has a story, too. You can see the human blood stains there, and the legend says that if a group of people go there, one of them dies sometime later that year. If someone stays in the car and doesn't go in, they die later on, also.

Hell's Gate is scary, too. That's our next destination for the Real Walker Creek. There are suposedly invisible walls there to keep people out. There are guard gates with lights on near it, though.

Just wondering if anyone can give me directions to gravity hill by rose hills cemetery. I went by there but couldn't find it. The help would be appreciated thanks!

Brenda, this looks like it has directions!
http://paranormal.about.com/library/blstory_december02_08.htm

the gravity hill in antioch is pretty creepy. i was there on 5-27-04 with my best friend. our car rolled up hill and stopped at the top. and the story with the slaughter house is the KKK used to go up there and kill people and its haunted by all the people that were killed there. the cops DO patrol there because the guy that owns it complains everytime he catches someone there.

ive seen alot of talk about the gravity hill in livermore. can someone tell me the directions? ive been to the one in antioch but i want to go to a different one.

Gravity Hill in Altadena is a Fake!

Who said that cars roll uphill? The uphill they talk about is actually DOWNHILL!

It is amazing that many kids believe that cars roll uphill, against gravity.
To some, it is so scary that they go on looking for ghosts as an explanation.
Would you think anyone will you consider the following explanations? I doubt it.

Experiment #1: Pouring water into a PVC pipe laid flat on the pavement, clearly shows water going DOWNHILL, toward the light pole away from the bridge and the driveways. So, the street is going DOWNHILL away from the Bridge.

Experiment #2: A laser construction level placed on the ground, anywhere south of the mailbox , making sure the air bubble is very level, the laser beam spot would clearly project on the light pole about 4 feet above ground level. That means that at the light pole, the street level is 4 feet lower, DOWNHILL, from the mailbox under the oak tree.

Experiment #3: Professional aerial survey (or USGS contour maps) show that the street is going DOWNHILL away from the bridge. The street drops 3 feet from the mailbox under the oak tree to the light pole.

Experiment #4: A picture taken from the Debris Basin, 400 feet away, making sure that the camera is very level. Shows the street slanting from the bridge, downward, yes, the street goes DOWNHILL away from the bridge. Compare the level fence and the vertical light pole. To the slanting street at the bottom of the picture.

So what is so amazing about cars rolling DOWNHILL?
Optical illusion? See a geometry book.

Hey gravity hill in Corona, CA is real!!! I went there when I was like 17 (24 now). It's on the SW side where all the new homes are built, not sure exactly where but I can find out if anybody needs me to. Park the car in nuetral facing uphill and your car will travel up!!! There was also a rumor that if you put powder all over on the trunk of your car little hand prints will appear.

I just read the previous comments about the fingerprints and I think that the rumor about the one in Corona is probably not real. I do remember that road being freaky as shit though, even during the day.

ok so i went to the gravity hill in rosehills cemetary but it wasn't freaky at all cause you have to go in the day. the gates are locked at night so u cant get in. but it seemed to work my friend thought it was an optical illusion. the hill wasnt steep at all but the water did roll up.

so, i'm Brenda's doubting friend. The steepness of the hill is so slight, its impossible to tell if you are actually uuphill or not. Also the road is slightly curvy and not level, which could also add to the optical illusion. That being said, the water did appear to be rolling up the hill.
Hey, Daryl, where is Hells Gate at?

Hi,
I live in Corona and was wondering if someone can post or send me directions to gravity hill in corona, CA

thanx!

send me stories about gravity hill. ive heard sooo many and i really want to go! but ive heard the paranormal isnt something to joke around about.

hey
id love to here any storys about gravity hill that any one has. ive heard some hella cool ones. i really want to go!!!!!my friend lives right beside the entrance and some really weird shit has happened...

Hi...
I live in the San Fernando Valley and I've heard of a Gravity Hill around Simi Valley or something,and I just wanted to know Exactly where it's at.So if you know where it is..please let me know.Thank you.

hey i also live in corona and i dont know what to believe if these r fake or real. Well you never know until you see for yourself so i would like it if someone would give me the directions to the gravity hill in corona.

Well i have just a few questions
1.What exactly are these?
2.What are the children having to do with it?
3.Gravity hill???? hmm so shouldn't that be caused by the earth whats up w/ all the freaky illusions and children and all that stuff!
4.if you visit the hills can u expect to see any spirits? or any strange illusins?
please let me know i would very much appreaciate it being sense i live in corona. thanx for your time and effort

Dude... I went to Gravity Hill in Lewisberry, PA and it is definately an incline. I used a level to come to that conclusion. We were going uphill at about 55 mph. I have actual video footage of our trip. If you live in Pa check it out.

Directions: 1 Take route 30 west to I 83 North
2 Take the Lewisberry exit.
3 Turn right onto route 171.
4 follow the route 171 for about 5 minutes and you will come to a hill.
5 look for pleasantville road and turn right.
6 Turn your car around and pull up to the white line at the stop sign.
7 Put your car in nuetral and have fun.

I went to rose hills to see for myself if gravity hill really was there. I got some directions from this web site but I couldn't find it. My friends and I were looking for it everywhere. We went to alot of hills but it was no where to be found. Can some one give me spacific directions. That would really mean alot! I really want to experience the phenomena of difying gravity. please hit me back up. THAX!

I had the chance to visit the one in Altadena. Was such an odd feeling to look out and see that you were going uphill.

I jumped out of the car to look and sure enough, I was not seeing things.

What I enjoyed the most out of the situation that as a child I had a book called "The Big Book of Amazing Facts" and I remember the page on those hills. Never thought I would have actually been to one.

According to the page it stated that it had something to do with the formations of the rock under the hill that alters gravity. Don't exactly remember more about it

hey david s...if you're still looking for the rosehills spot all ya have to do is ask someone at the information booth. They actually give you a map( we told them we were researching for a class project, but she didn't seem to care).

TORC-do you have exact directions to the one in Altadena? I'd be interested in going to that one

Hey, i know the gravity hill just perfect in Corona, CA if you're lookin' for it. go up on magonial street, and make sure to be in the center lane. then when you get to meet rimpau, make sure the light is red. park in neutral and the car will stay still, since it's kinda goin uphill! woahhh!! nah.. you're actually savin' "nafta" as my friend would say. But ya, just tonight i went to gravity hill in Corona. but my other friend was so scared that he didn't wanna pull into the road. you take rimpau and go all the way up where all the new homes are built (by the way, nice houses, i was amazed) then there's this really dark lil' road goin up hill, and there's a house, with a lot of land around it that is a little spooky, anyway, you pull in there and keep goin until you're up on the hill. i heard about the hand prints too though and it seems like it's true. but my friend was too scared as to do it. Since it was friday the 13th. Oh! jason's coming for us!

**Only read if you want to know the truth about gravity hills**

As cool as gravity hills are, they are not real. I enjoy visiting them as much as anyone else and rolling backwards "up" a hill is a pretty spooky feeling, but it has nothing to do with violating the laws of physics or your car being pushed by little children that died in a horrific accident.

The truth is that gravity hills are nothing more than optical illusions. I know of absolutely no gravity hill that has ever been proven to be genuine, and every gravity hill that I've visited "works" because of its unique geography and location. Earth's gravitational pull varies from place to place, but so far no place has been discovered where the laws of gravity are completely violated.

Gravity hills work because the layout of the land tricks your senses. Nearly every gravity hill occurs on a narrow, windy road where a clear view of the horizon is obstructed. What you perceive as an uphill is actually a very slight downhill. Your perceptions are tricked because of the roads surroundings...usually trees on the side of the road that grow at particular angles. If the same gravity hill happened to be on a straight road, unlined by trees, and with a clear view of the horizon, your mind wouldn't be tricked...but with those elements even the biggest skeptic can be tricked by this optical illusion.

When you put your car into neutral, no matter what it looks like, you are rolling down a slight incline. Many people claim it is for real because they test the hills by pouring water on the road and watching it flow uphill. However this test proves nothing, except that the water is moving in the direction of the pull of gravity...downward.

Many gravity hills are very believable...oftentimes I visit them and have trouble not believing in the supernatural because they look and feel so darn convincing...alas they're not and any cartographer or elevation map could prove it.

As for the stories of fingerprints on your car proving that spirits of dead children pushed your car uphill, these are just urban legend. Check out http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/hndprint.asp for more info on this urban legend. (any fingerprints that do show up on your car are most likely your own. If you throw powder on your car and then drive around some, the excess powder blows away leaving you with your now visible prexisiting fingerprints.

I don't write all this to be a party pooper. I beleive in spirits and the supernatural just as much as anyone...I've had many such experiences. However, we shouldn't automatically decline natural explanations and seek supernatural ones.

Gravity hills are a blast, and I'll still bring my friends to them to freak them out. So enjoy them, but just remember what makes the place freaky is the preconceptions you go to the place with...not the place itself.

(By the way, gravity hills are a very common occurence. There are hundreds worlwide and probably hundreds more to be discovered. What's interesting is that these above posts talk about the Altadena gravity hill, but there are three separate sets of directions...because there are at least 3 gravity hills in the Altadena area...and probably another half-dozen that haven't been discovered. Remember all it takes is a curvy, windy road, with the right configuration of roadside features to make a downhill look like an uphill.)

Have gravity hill hunting!

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