This Drone Went Into Mel’s Hole… And What It Saw Can’t Be Explained!

Deep in the rugged, forested hills of eastern Washington lies a place shrouded in mystery and whispered legend—a pit so strange and inexplicable that it has captivated the imaginations of locals and paranormal enthusiasts alike for more than two decades. Known simply as Mel’s Hole, this enigmatic chasm first emerged from obscurity during a chilling late-night radio broadcast in 1997, when a man named Mel Waters called into Art Bell’s iconic paranormal show, Coast to Coast AM, to share an astonishing tale.

According to Mel, the hole was located on his rural property, a seemingly ordinary patch of land hiding an extraordinary secret. The hole itself appeared as a simple, round opening in the ground, but its nature was anything but simple. Mel described the hole as “bottomless” — claiming that no matter what he dropped into it, he never heard a sound of impact or anything hitting the bottom. Over the course of the broadcast, he recounted dropping everything from rusty car parts and old appliances to weighted fishing lines that extended over 80,000 feet deep — the equivalent of more than 15 miles — yet no sound, no echo, no sign of a floor was ever detected. It was as if the hole opened into an infinite void.

But the hole’s strangeness didn’t stop there. Mel told Art Bell about a series of bizarre phenomena associated with the pit. Compasses placed near the opening would spin uncontrollably, defying the Earth’s magnetic field. Electronic devices malfunctioned or shut down entirely when brought close. Even animals seemed to sense a dark presence, with Mel’s own dogs refusing to approach the edge. These eerie effects suggested the hole disturbed the very fabric of reality in its vicinity.

Local legends added an even darker layer to the story. Native American tribes in the region spoke of “spirit holes”—natural portals or doorways connecting the physical world to the spiritual or supernatural realm. These holes were said to be entrances to other worlds, places where lost souls or mysterious energies might pass between dimensions. Many speculated that Mel’s Hole was one such portal, an unexplainable gateway where objects, and perhaps even people, could vanish without a trace.

Over the years, the tale of Mel’s Hole grew into a cult phenomenon. Curious adventurers and paranormal investigators journeyed to eastern Washington, hoping to locate the hole and uncover its secrets. Armed with the latest technology — including drones to peer down the abyss, thermal cameras to detect heat signatures, and GPS devices to map the area — they tried to get to the bottom of the mystery. However, they reported strange and frustrating setbacks: drones lost signal, cameras malfunctioned, and GPS readings became erratic when near the site. Some claimed to experience an unsettling sense of dread or even hear strange noises coming from the pit’s depths.

Government officials reportedly took an interest as well, with rumors swirling that access to the site was restricted, and that investigations were conducted in secret. This only added fuel to the fire for conspiracy theories suggesting that Mel’s Hole might conceal something too dangerous or too extraordinary for public knowledge.

Despite the intrigue, the scientific community remains highly skeptical. Geologists point out that the geological conditions in eastern Washington make a bottomless hole virtually impossible. The earth beneath the region consists primarily of basalt and other solid volcanic rock formations, which would not allow for a natural void of infinite depth without collapse. Most scientists consider the story to be an elaborate hoax or a local folklore that spiraled out of control after the initial radio broadcast.

Yet, whether truth or legend, the story of Mel’s Hole has never faded. It persists in the collective imagination, a chilling reminder of the unknown lurking just beneath the surface of our everyday world. For some, it is a gateway to alternate dimensions; for others, a cautionary tale about the dangers of meddling with forces beyond human understanding. Mel’s Hole remains a bottomless mystery — a shadowy pit that refuses to yield its secrets, quietly awaiting those brave enough to peer into its infinite depths.