El Paso has its fair share of supposedly haunted places. From creepy old buildings to schools with ghost stories, there’s no shortage of places around the Sun City that are rumored to have a few spirits hanging around.
But what if I told you that one of El Paso’s creepiest urban legends doesn’t involve a haunted building at all? It involves a road.
And according to local folklore, this particular road is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of children who have a very unusual way of making their presence known.
If you’ve never heard of El Paso’s Gravity Hill, you’re in for a pretty creepy story!
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Where Is El Paso’s Gravity Hill Located?
Gravity Hill is located on El Paso’s West Side, along a stretch of Thunderbird Drive between Twin Hills Drive and Singing Hills Drive.
At first glance, there’s really nothing unusual about the road. In fact, I’ve driven through that area a handful of times because I went to Western Hills Elementary School, which is nearby.
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But despite hearing the legend plenty of times, I’ve never actually gone out there to see if the rumors are true.
So what exactly makes this ordinary-looking road so creepy?
According to the legend, cars stopped along a particular section of Thunderbird Drive will mysteriously begin moving uphill when placed in neutral.
And supposedly, gravity isn’t responsible for the movement: ghosts are!
The Creepy Urban Legend of El Paso’s Gravity Hill
Like most urban legends, the story of Gravity Hill has a few different versions, and depending on who tells it, the ghosts might actually be trying to help you.
One version claims that a mother and her young children were tragically killed in an accident along the road. Their spirits supposedly remain there, pushing cars away from danger to prevent other families from suffering the same fate.
Kind of sweet, right? Well, as sweet as a ghost story involving a tragic accident can be.
But there’s another version that’s a whole lot darker.
In that telling, the ghosts are children who died in a school bus accident. And instead of pushing cars to safety, they’re supposedly pushing unsuspecting drivers toward the same tragic fate.
So depending on which version you’ve heard, the ghost children are either looking out for you or trying to take you with them.
And then there’s the whole baby powder story!
According to the legend, people who sprinkle baby powder on the back of their vehicles may discover tiny handprints afterward, supposedly left behind by the ghostly children pushing their cars.
I don’t know about you, but the thought of finding little handprints on the back of my car is probably creepier than the car moving on its own!
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Is El Paso’s Gravity Hill Really Haunted?
As much fun as it is to imagine ghost children pushing cars along Thunderbird Drive, there is a scientific explanation for the strange phenomenon.
Gravity hills are actually found in different parts of the country, and the unusual movement is generally caused by an optical illusion.
Because of the surrounding landscape and the way the road slopes, what looks like an uphill climb is actually a slight downhill slope.
The mountains can also obscure the horizon, making it harder for your eyes to recognize the road’s actual incline.
In other words, cars aren’t defying gravity- they’re following it!
As for those mysterious handprints? A much less supernatural explanation is that the powder simply reveals prints already left on the vehicle.
But even knowing all of that, I still think Gravity Hill is one of El Paso’s more entertaining urban legends.
I’ve heard the story plenty of times, along with the explanation for why it happens, and I still love the idea of a mysterious road where ghost children might be trying to help you.
Or, depending on which version you believe, maybe they’re trying to make sure you share their fate.
Either way, it’s a creepy little piece of El Paso folklore that’s fun to pass along.
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