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| Maltby Cemetery’s 13 Steps to Hell |
The Stairs Beneath the Earth
The night air is thick with fog.
Moss clings to the stones, slick and green under a pale slice of moonlight. Between the pines, headstones lean like tired sentinels—names almost lost to rain and time.
And then you see them.
Thirteen stone steps leading down into the ground.
You can’t see the bottom. The air feels colder there, heavier. Each step hums faintly, like the earth is breathing.
Local legend says if you walk all thirteen, you’ll see Hell itself.
If you make it back out, you’ll never be the same.
Welcome to Maltby Cemetery, Washington’s most forbidden graveyard—and home to one of America’s most terrifying urban legends.
Part Forty-Eight of Our Series
This is Part Forty-Eight in our series: The Scariest Urban Legend from Every State.
Last time, we explored Oregon’s Crater Lake, where an ancient god sleeps beneath the water and the lake itself seems to watch from the abyss.
Now, we travel north into Washington’s mist-shrouded forests, where a hidden staircase is said to lead somewhere no living soul should go.
A place locals once called The 13 Steps to Hell.
The Cemetery in the Woods
The legend begins in the quiet town of Maltby, about 30 miles northeast of Seattle.
Tucked away on the edge of the forest sits Paradise Lake Cemetery, a small rural burial ground surrounded by towering evergreens and narrow dirt roads.
To most, it looks peaceful—just another moss-covered cemetery typical of the Pacific Northwest. But those who grew up nearby tell a darker story.
For decades, locals whispered that somewhere within the cemetery grounds, hidden behind brush or a crumbling gate, lay a set of 13 concrete steps descending into the earth.
Nobody knew where they came from—or where they led.
Some said the steps belonged to an old crypt sealed long ago. Others claimed they led to a church basement destroyed by fire, its congregation lost in a blaze that turned sacred ground into cursed soil.
Whatever the truth, one thing was certain: those who found the stairs never forgot what they saw.
The Legend of the Thirteen Steps
The rules were simple.
If you were brave enough—or foolish enough—to enter Maltby Cemetery at night, you could test yourself against the legend.
You had to find the stairs. You had to walk down all thirteen. And when you reached the bottom, something would happen.
Some said you’d see a vision of Hell—flames, faces, the tortured screaming of lost souls.
Others claimed you’d black out completely, only to wake at the top of the stairs with no memory of climbing back.
A few never made it out at all.
Teenagers in the 1960s and ’70s told stories of people vanishing underground, or of returning with hair turned white and eyes hollowed by fear.
The most disturbing account said that if you looked down from the top of the stairs, you could see a faint red glow pulsing at the bottom—like embers waiting to breathe.
Forbidden Ground
By the 1980s, the legend of the 13 Steps had spread far beyond Snohomish County. The cemetery became a rite of passage for local teens, thrill-seekers, and self-proclaimed ghost hunters.
Visitors reported everything from flickering lights to whispers carried on the wind. Some swore they heard church bells chiming deep beneath the earth.
Others felt something grab their ankles as they tried to climb back up.
Over time, the stories grew—and so did the vandalism. The property owners, tired of constant trespassing and damage, sealed off much of the land. The steps, if they ever existed, were reportedly buried in concrete or covered by new graves.
But that only made the legend stronger.
To this day, people insist the steps are still there—hidden, waiting.
Firsthand Encounters
Though the cemetery is now private property and strictly off-limits after dark, stories of encounters continue to surface.
A former Maltby resident recalled sneaking into the cemetery with friends in the early ’90s:
“We never found the stairs, but the air changed when we got near the middle of the cemetery. It went silent—no frogs, no crickets, nothing. My flashlight started flickering. Then something touched my shoulder. When I turned, no one was there.”
Another visitor described hearing faint chanting in the distance, though no lights or people were visible.
A retired deputy who once patrolled the area said strange things happened there even in daylight:
“Radios would cut out for no reason. We’d hear footsteps behind us, but nobody was there. The trees make you feel closed in, like you’re being watched.”
More recent ghost-hunting groups claim that EVP recorders pick up faint voices near the supposed site of the stairs—whispers that say “down” or “leave.”
Theories and Explanations
Like many urban legends, the 13 Steps to Hell has countless explanations—some plausible, others supernatural.
1. The Hell Gate Theory
This is the most famous version: that the steps are literally a gateway between worlds.
Each step represents a level of descent—into madness, death, or Hell itself. The further down you go, the less of you returns.
2. The Church Fire Theory
Many locals believe the stairs once led to an underground chapel or crypt belonging to a small church that burned in the 1940s. The structure collapsed, burying the entrance and leaving only the stairs.
If true, it would explain why the area feels cursed—sacred ground turned to ash.
3. The Energy Vortex Theory
Paranormal researchers who’ve visited the site claim it lies on a geomagnetic anomaly—a natural “power spot” that amplifies emotion, fear, and electrical interference.
Compass needles spin. Cameras malfunction. People feel dizzy or disoriented, as if the ground itself is pulsing.
4. The Local Myth Theory
Skeptics believe the entire legend grew from a mix of teenage dares and the eerie atmosphere of a neglected cemetery.
The Pacific Northwest’s deep woods, frequent fog, and decaying architecture do the rest.
But even skeptics admit—something about Maltby feels off.
The Cemetery Today
Paradise Lake Cemetery still exists, but it’s no longer open to nighttime visitors. The grounds are fenced and patrolled, and locals urge outsiders to respect the property.
Yet even from the road, people say the air feels different. The forest seems darker. The silence heavier.
Some claim the steps still appear to those “the cemetery chooses.”
A few ghost hunters insist they’ve seen the outline of stone beneath the moss, or heard a hollow echo when they stomped on certain patches of ground.
Whether buried, destroyed, or hidden by time, the steps remain—if not in stone, then in memory.
And in Washington, that’s enough to keep the legend alive.
Similar Legends
The 13 Steps to Hell isn’t unique—but its story resonates across America’s most haunted grounds.
Stull Cemetery (Kansas) –
Said to contain one of the world’s seven gateways to Hell. Local lore claims the Devil himself appears there twice a year. The church that once stood on the grounds collapsed mysteriously, and now even Google Maps blurs its location.
The Devil’s Tree (New Jersey) –
A gnarled oak near Bernards Township rumored to be cursed by death. Locals say those who touch it feel heat like a heartbeat beneath the bark, and that anyone who harms the tree meets a violent end.
Helltown (Ohio) –
An abandoned area of Summit County with stories of cult rituals, government coverups, and ghosts on the road. Once evacuated by the EPA, the empty houses and buried church foundations still attract thrill-seekers who swear they’ve seen glowing eyes in the woods.
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery (Illinois) –
A small, overgrown graveyard outside Chicago known for its spectral “White Lady” and a vanishing farmhouse that appears only under the full moon. Paranormal teams have captured some of the clearest ghost photographs ever taken there.
Each of these places shares a haunting theme:
Somewhere on Earth, the veil is thinner.
And some doors, once opened, never close again.
Honorable Mentions: Other Washington Nightmares
The Lady of Lake Crescent (Olympic National Park) –
In 1940, a body floated to the surface of Lake Crescent—perfectly preserved by the lake’s minerals. The locals called her “The Lady of the Lake.” Since then, people have reported ghostly apparitions drifting across the water or appearing in mirrors at nearby lodges.
Manresa Castle (Port Townsend) –
Built in 1892, this gothic hotel is said to be haunted by two tragic spirits: a nun who leapt from the attic after her lover died, and a soldier who took his life in despair. Guests hear footsteps pacing above empty rooms and doors locking on their own.
Hotel Sorrento (Seattle) –
Home to the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, who roams the halls in a flowing gown. Staff have reported elevators moving by themselves and music playing from empty ballrooms.
Washington is full of haunted places, but none capture the imagination—or the fear—quite like Maltby Cemetery.
Because this haunting doesn’t just linger—it invites you in.
Why It Still Terrifies
The Maltby legend endures because it touches something primal—the fear of what lies beneath us, and the forbidden thrill of crossing a line we were never meant to see.
Maybe the stairs never existed. Or maybe they were destroyed decades ago. But the fear remains because it could exist.
And the woods around Maltby feel like the kind of place where reality frays a little. The kind of place where the night itself feels alive—watching, listening, waiting for footsteps on the stone once more.
Locals say that on quiet nights, if you listen closely, you can still hear the faint sound of footsteps on stone—descending slowly, one by one.
Thirteen in all.
Final Thoughts
The legend of Maltby Cemetery isn’t about proof—it’s about temptation.
The human need to look, to know, to step closer to the forbidden. And in that sense, maybe the stairs were never the real danger. Maybe it’s the question they ask:
Would you go down?
Because once you start counting, it’s already too late to stop.
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Urban Legends, Mystery, and Myth explores the darkest corners of folklore—from haunted cemeteries and cursed towns to the legends that refuse to die.
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Because some steps were never meant to be climbed.
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