Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
Italy • 9 days, 8 nights
Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The exterior of the Hall of Records.
Atlas Obscura Mailbag: Urban Exploration, Illegal Carvings, and Repeat Vacations
1 day ago
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
2 days ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
2 days ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Gold Hill Oregon Vortex

Oregon Vortex

A tourist attraction founded around a slumping cabin.

Gold Hill, Oregon

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  catsypline on Flickr
  catsypline on Flickr
  bowsprit on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

In the early 20th century, a small office built for a local mining company began sliding down a hill, eventually resting at an odd angle to its foundation. From this simple accident a tourist attraction was born.

The owners, the Cooper family, say the building slid down the hill because of a magnetic force, that forms what the Coopers call a "vortex." This force, they claim, also causes all sorts of other "paranormal activity" around the hill, where balls appear to roll uphill and broomsticks seem to stand on end. The Cooper family also claims that the Native Americans thought this space was forbidden ground, and their horses would not enter it, though local Native Americans may say otherwise.

Skeptics, and those with a good pair of eyes or sense of orientation, will point out that it is the distorted building that makes the objects and people around it appear at different heights. The perceived distortions are due to a forced perspective which makes shapes appear larger or smaller due to a distorted background. A classic example of this is an Ames room in which people appear to grow in size as they walk across it.

Magnetic vortex: nope. Delightful trick of perception: unquestionably.

Related Tags

Mystery Spots And Gravity Hills

Know Before You Go

Coming on I-5 Southbound, from Eugene, Portland, or Washington:Take Exit 43 off of I-5 and turn left at the end of the offramp.At the end of the overpass, turn right onto Highway 99.Follow the road over Rock Point Bridge and continue on Highway 99 to the right.Turn left onto Sardine Creek Road a quarter mile after the billboard.Follow Sardine Creek Road for 3 miles and continue left at the fork, following the creek.Follow Sardine Creek Left Fork Road 1.3 miles to The Oregon Vortex. Coming on I-5 Northbound, from Ashland, Medford, or California:Take Exit 40 off of I-5 and turn right at the end of the offramp.Turn left at Highway 99, towards Gold Hill.Follow Highway 99 for 2 miles through Gold Hill.Turn right at the large billboard onto Sardine Creek Road.Follow Sardine Creek Road for 3 miles and continue left at the fork, following the creek.Follow Sardine Creek Left Fork Road 1.3 miles to The Oregon Vortex.

Community Contributors

Edited By

Treesandotherthings

  • Treesandotherthings

Published

August 30, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.oregonvortex.com/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Vortex
  • http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/oregon_vortex09.asp
Oregon Vortex
4303 Sardine Creek L Fork RD
Gold Hill, Oregon, 97525
United States
42.493105, -123.084731
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Bear Hotel

Grants Pass, Oregon

miles away

Arborsmith Studios

Williams, Oregon

miles away

Lithia Water Fountain

Ashland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

Nearby Places

Bear Hotel

Grants Pass, Oregon

miles away

Arborsmith Studios

Williams, Oregon

miles away

Lithia Water Fountain

Ashland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Oregon

Oregon

United States

Places 208
Stories 32

Related Stories and Lists

Essential Guide to Defying Gravity

essential guide

By Jeff Wagg

Related Places

  • Montana Vortex and House of Mystery

    Columbia Falls, Montana

    Montana Vortex and House of Mystery

    A classic mystery spot complete with spots that are said to make you shrink or grow when you stand on them.

  • Trollvägen Magic Hill.

    Älvdalen N, Sweden

    Trollvägen Magic Hill

    Gravity seems to fail at this intriguing Swedish attraction.

  • The “hill.”

    Karpacz, Poland

    Karpacz's Gravitational Anomaly

    On this Polish road, an optical illusion makes cars seem to roll uphill.

  • The gravity hill.

    Comuna Budești, Romania

    Cavnic Gravity Hill

    A spooky spot along the road where things mysteriously seem to move uphill by themselves.

  • Stone House - South wall looking towards doorway

    Halifax, Nova Scotia

    Bayers Lake Mystery Walls

    No one knows the origins of the mysterious stone ruins discovered on a hillside in Halifax.

  • Cima del Sol.

    León, Mexico

    Colina Gravitacional (Gravity Hill)

    Things roll uphill on this Mexican street that seems to defy gravity.

  • Water appears to run uphill on the magnetic hill.

    Moncton, New Brunswick

    Moncton Magnetic Hill

    A mysterious spot where the laws of gravity seem not to apply.

  • Gravity Hill starting line.

    Prosser, Washington

    Gravity Hill

    The strange phenomenon causing gravity to "work backwards" on this hill has been blamed on the paranormal.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.