Confusion Hill
Location: Leggett, CA
Founded: 1949
Admission: $5.00/adult (free parking)
Hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Extras: Gift Shop, Food, Restrooms
We were planning to visit to Mystery Spot (founded 1939) during our California road trip down the coast. We had intended to go there while we were camping in Santa Cruz because of the close proximity. While driving down the PCH, leaving the Redwoods, we passed a sign - in similar yellow lettering to mystery spot - that said Confusion Hill. Interested, we pulled over.
Confusion Hill (founded 1949) is a quick stop, you could be in and out in an hour depending on if you decide to take the train ride or not. We were running on a time crunch to check into our next campsite, so we only walked through the Gravity House, which was super cool. The house is on a slant on the hill, making it difficult to walk up right. Everything is leaning south, although you feel like you are being pulled North. There is a chair inside that you can sit in, downhill, and try to get out of without using your arms. It’s not impossible, but definitely a fun challenge. They have a ball and little ramp that you can swing or roll a golf ball down, and interestingly, the metal ball and the golf ball do in fact swing uphill (North) or roll up hill.
I did feel a little weird just being in the house, like my center of gravity and balance we’re thrown off. There was a family inside playing with their children and the kids looked like they were having a blast. Contrary to Mystery Spot, there was no tour guide with us and we had an unlimited amount of time to play in the gravity house and take photos. We visited the gift shop on our way out and purchased a sticker for $1.99. There is also no one to tell you what’s going on at Confusion Hill… but if you go on a little scavenger hunt, you might just find a sign like I did, explaining a theory behind it…
Confusion Hill
Location: Leggett, CA
Admission:
$5.00/adult (free parking)
Hours: 9:00am - 6:00pm
Extras: Gift Shop, Food, Restrooms
We were planning to visit to Mystery Spot (founded 1939) during our California road trip down the coast. We had intended to go there while we were camping in Santa Cruz because of the close proximity. While driving down the PCH, leaving the Redwoods, we passed a sign - in similar yellow lettering to mystery spot - that said Confusion Hill. Interested, we pulled over.
Confusion Hill (founded 1949) is a quick stop, you could be in and out in an hour depending on if you decide to take the train ride or not. We were running on a time crunch to check into our next campsite, so we only walked through the Gravity House, which was super cool. The house is on a slant on the hill, making it difficult to walk up right. Everything is leaning south, although you feel like you are being pulled North. There is a chair inside that you can sit in, downhill, and try to get out of without using your arms. It’s not impossible, but definitely a fun challenge. They have a ball and little ramp that you can swing or roll a golf ball down, and interestingly, the metal ball and the golf ball do in fact swing uphill (North) or roll up hill.
I did feel a little weird just being in the house, like my center of gravity and balance we’re thrown off. There was a family inside playing with their children and the kids looked like they were having a blast. Contrary to Mystery Spot, there was no tour guide with us and we had an unlimited amount of time to play in the gravity house and take photos. We visited the gift shop on our way out and purchased a sticker for $1.99. There is also no one to tell you what’s going on at Confusion Hill… but if you go on a little scavenger hunt, you might just find a sign like I did, explaining a theory behind it…
Mystery Spot
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Founded: 1939
Admission: $8.00/adult ($12 parking)
Hours: 9:00am - 8:00pm
Extras: (Free Stickers!), Food, Restrooms
Mystery spot is a little more developed than Confusion Hill, which may be why it’s marginally more expensive. There are cute, well kept outdoor seating with umbrellas for shade where guests can sit and wait for their tour time. We waited in line for our tour at 6:33pm (if you get Jeff, he is an awesome tour guide and very enthusiastic about his job). We were then guided through a 45 minute tour of Mystery Spot, stopping for little demonstrations and explanations along the way about what makes Mystery Spot so special and some theories behind why the funky stuff that goes on there does, like the trees growing 2ft per year, the gravitational pull being off and similar to Confusion Hill, everything (including you) being pulled North.
We did get to see another house, but unlike our experience at Confusion Hill, we had nine minutes with our tour group to play around in it and take photos. That being said, it was very very similar to Confusion Hill. At the end of the mystery spot guide, your tour guide will offer you four different explanations as to what makes so remarkable. You’ll have to visit for yourself to see what they are!
Mystery Spot
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Admission:
$8.00/adult ($12 parking)
Hours: 9:00am - 8:00pm
Extras: (Free Stickers!), Food, Restrooms
Mystery spot is a little more developed than Confusion Hill, which may be why it’s marginally more expensive. There are cute, well kept outdoor seating with umbrellas for shade where guests can sit and wait for their tour time. We waited in line for our tour at 6:33pm (if you get Jeff, he is an awesome tour guide and very enthusiastic about his job). We were then guided through a 45 minute tour of Mystery Spot, stopping for little demonstrations and explanations along the way about what makes Mystery Spot so special and some theories behind why the funky stuff that goes on there does, like the trees growing 2ft per year, the gravitational pull being off and similar to Confusion Hill, everything (including you) being pulled North.
We did get to see another house, but unlike our experience at Confusion Hill, we had nine minutes with our tour group to play around in it and take photos. That being said, it was very very similar to Confusion Hill. At the end of the mystery spot guide, your tour guide will offer you four different explanations as to what makes so remarkable. You’ll have to visit for yourself to see what they are!
And the Winner is...
Honestly, it depends which one is closer to you since they are so similar! They are about 260 miles away from each other, with Confusion Hill being closer to Mendocino National Forest in Northern California and Mystery Spot being in Central California in Santa Cruz. If you’re looking for something more original and field trip friendly for larger groups, consider Mystery Spot as Confusion Hill was founded a decade later and admits on their website that the founder, “George Hudson… was intrigued with the idea of finding his own "special" place similar to the Oregon Vortex and the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. He believed that there were more than just a few places in nature that defied its own laws
If it’s a more intimate and slower experience you are craving, with less crowds and plenty of space and time to take photos, Confusion Hill is your best bet!
And the Winner is...
Honestly, it depends which one is closer to you since they are so similar! They are about 260 miles away from each other, with Confusion Hill being closer to Mendocino National Forest in Northern California and Mystery Spot being in Central California in Santa Cruz. If you’re looking for something more original and field trip friendly for larger groups, consider Mystery Spot as Confusion Hill was founded a decade later and admits on their website that the founder, “George Hudson… was intrigued with the idea of finding his own "special" place similar to the Oregon Vortex and the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot. He believed that there were more than just a few places in nature that defied its own laws
If it’s a more intimate and slower experience you are craving, with less crowds and plenty of space and time to take photos, Confusion Hill is your best bet!