This small WA city’s unexplained phenomenon, Gravity Hill, has stumped experts for decades

For people living around the Columbia Basin, driving past the ever-so-familiar Prosser water tower is a common routine. For many, it’s a marker of how much longer it will be until their final destination. That’s commonly the only connection people have to Prosser, and they never venture within city limits.

But did you know that one of Prosser’s most iconic features is actually just outside of the city, and you don’t even have to get out of your car to experience it?

Next time you embark on a journey through Prosser, make a pit stop at Gravity Hill.

What is Gravity Hill?

Located on Crosby Road, the place known as Gravity Hill has been an unexplained phenomenon for years. Or an over-explained phenomenon, depending on how you look at it, since several theories have been posited.

To try it out, find the spray paint reading “Start” that’s on Crosby Road. In maps, this is around 101204 N. Crosby Rd.

It’s worth warning that there is a false “Start” as well. That one is all white -

Put your car in neutral and take your foot off the gas. Sit back as your car rolls uphill, seemingly on its own. Depending on your success, you might even pass the false start.

You’ll move toward an old building that some believe is haunted.

Theories and legends about Gravity Hill

Gravity Hill has been attributed to numerous supernatural forces. Some even say that you should cover the back of your car in flour, baby powder or something similar before attempting the hill. Then, after you’re up the hill, check for handprints in the dust. Some claim to see handprints, an indication of ghost children pushing the car.

Others argue that mineral deposits underground could throw off magnetic forces enough to pull the car forward.

Science behind Gravity Hill

Unfortunately, there are other so-called “Gravity Hills” and related phenomena across the world, so Prosser’s is not a total anomaly. In scientific communities, it’s largely considered an optical illusion caused by personal perspectives of slopes without a view of the horizon.

This explanation posits that what looks like an incline is actually part of a larger decline, situated among uphill slopes.

A paper published by three scientists in 2003 tested this theory by recreating a scale model of the general explanation, which was able to duplicate the results seen at gravity hills around the world.

But this is argued by people who have tested elevation at both ends of the hill, and report disproving this explanation. They say the optical illusion might be an explanation for other gravity hills, but not Prosser’s.

No official explanation has ever been identified for Gravity Hill.

This story was originally published May 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "This small WA city’s unexplained phenomenon, Gravity Hill, has stumped experts for decades."