Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainA public road at the intersection of McKinney and Kummer Roads in Allegheny County's North Park where cars appear to roll uphill — a well-known optical illusion accompanied by a local legend of ghost children.
Kummer Road at McKinney Road, Wexford, PA 15090
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public road in Allegheny County's North Park.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved public road; accessible by car.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · Only documented gravity hill in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area · Located within Allegheny County's North Park, established 1927 · Documented in multiple regional travel and paranormal sources
North Park is one of the largest county parks in the Allegheny County park system, established in 1927 and spanning more than 3,000 acres in the northern Pittsburgh suburbs. The park encompasses a large lake, golf course, swimming pool, and extensive trail system, and is a major recreational destination for the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
In the northwestern corner of the park, the intersection of McKinney Road and Kummer Road is the location of a gravity hill, the only one documented in the Pittsburgh area. The phenomenon occurs because the surrounding landscape obscures the true horizon, creating an optical illusion in which a slight downhill slope appears to be uphill. When drivers stop at the stop sign on Kummer Road and shift into neutral, their vehicles appear to roll uphill on their own rather than drifting downward.
This type of illusion is found in dozens of locations across Pennsylvania and the United States. The scientific explanation — first documented by researchers studying similar sites worldwide — involves the way the human brain uses contextual cues like roads, trees, and terrain to estimate slope when the true horizon is hidden. The adjacent Kummer Road descends at a steeper angle than McKinney Road, reinforcing the perception that McKinney Road runs uphill when it actually slopes gently downward.
Sources
According to local legend documented in regional travel guides and paranormal compilations, the reason cars roll 'uphill' at this intersection is that the spirits of children push them. The most widespread version of the story suggests that if visitors coat the back of their car in baby powder before experiencing the gravity hill, they will find small handprints left by the ghost children who pushed them.
This 'ghost children pushing cars' motif is one of the most common folk explanations attached to gravity hills across the United States, and the North Park version follows the same pattern found at dozens of similar sites. Multiple sources that document the phenomenon are clear that the scientific explanation is an optical illusion: when the horizon is obscured by the surrounding terrain and tree line, the brain misjudges slope by using other contextual references. The road actually descends slightly in the direction the car rolls, despite appearing to go up.
The Duquesne University student newspaper documented the site, and regional travel writers have included it in guides to unusual Pennsylvania attractions. No documented paranormal investigation has been conducted at the site, and the ghost-children legend is widely understood as a folk explanation for an unexplained but ultimately physical phenomenon.
Notable Entities
Stop at the stop sign on Kummer Road at McKinney Road, put the car in neutral, and release the brake. The vehicle will appear to roll uphill — an optical illusion created by the surrounding terrain obscuring the true horizon.
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