Thirteen Steps to Hell: A Listener’s 1980s Encounter in Maltby, Washington

Back in the mid-1980s, before cell phones and GPS, urban legends weren’t something you Googled. They were something you heard about from a friend… and then dared each other to try.

That’s how one of our listeners — we’ll call him John — began his story when he reached out to share his experience with the infamous 13 Steps to Hell in Maltby, Washington.

In those days, the legend was already whispered among teenagers in Snohomish County: deep within the Maltby Cemetery, there was a hidden staircase. Descend those steps, and you wouldn’t find a basement or a crypt — you’d find a doorway straight to Hell.

The Dare

It was the summer of 1985. John and three friends had just left a late-night showing of The Goonies in Everett. The air was cool, the streets mostly empty, and the perfect atmosphere for a teenage thrill. Someone mentioned the cemetery.

They piled into a beat-up Chevy Nova and drove down winding country roads until the headlights caught the weathered cemetery gates. No security cameras back then, no chains on the entrance — just an old iron fence and the weight of the legend hanging over them.

The Steps

John swears he saw them — a moss-covered stone stairway partially hidden behind a family plot. “They looked ancient,” he said, “like they’d been there for a hundred years.”

The group descended together, counting each step out loud. By the ninth step, the air felt heavy, like being underwater. By the twelfth, one friend said he couldn’t breathe right. And when John’s foot hit the thirteenth step, the world around him seemed to fall silent — no wind, no crickets, no distant traffic.

Then came the sound.

Low at first, like a faint rumble, it grew into something deeper… almost a growl. “It was like it was coming from under the stairs,” John said. That’s when the group bolted back up, not daring to look behind them.

The Aftermath

The next morning, they returned in daylight — but the staircase was gone. “I know what I saw,” John insists. “It was right there the night before. In daylight? Just grass and dirt.”

Locals have told us similar stories: some say the steps appear only at night, others claim they were demolished decades ago. What’s certain is that the Maltby Cemetery has since been chained shut and is strictly off-limits to the public. Trespassing is not only illegal, it’s enforced.

The Legend Lives On

The 13 Steps to Hell may never be proven, but the stories keep coming — whispers of sudden cold spots, strange sounds, and disappearing staircases. Whether it’s an old cemetery quirk, an overactive imagination, or something far darker, the legend still haunts Snohomish County lore.

Have you had your own 13 Steps encounter?

Share your story with us at US Phenomenon — we might feature it in an upcoming episode.