Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A skeleton on display contemplating its own mortality.
Kid Mai Death Awareness Cafe
This classic London pub has a surprising history behind it.
John Snow
The beef, Guinness, and oyster pie sports a rich, flaky crust.
The Guinea
Welcome to one of the only floating pubs in the world.
Tamesis Dock
This may be the oldest pie in the world.
St Helens 'Oldest Pie' at The Turks Head
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
12 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
16 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
22 days ago
“There may be a collective sense of a dark loneliness,” Dahl says, referring to Norway’s natural landscape.
In Norway, Easter Means Tucking Into Crime Stories
22 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Pennsylvania Archbald Archbald Pothole

Archbald Pothole

It would take 35 firetrucks to fill this enormous glacial pothole.

Archbald, Pennsylvania

Added By
Chris Kudrich
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Chris Kudrich / Atlas Obscura User
  Chris Kudrich / Atlas Obscura User
Archbald Pothole   Chris Kudrich / Atlas Obscura User
  Chris Kudrich / Atlas Obscura User
Pothole viewing platform   Chris Kudrich / Atlas Obscura User
Panoramic view of the pothole at Archbald Pothole State Park   Clint, stitched and cropped by Ruhrfisch
  GardinersBay / Atlas Obscura User
  GardinersBay / Atlas Obscura User
  GardinersBay / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

All too often potholes can result in your car getting a busted tire or a lost hubcap. However, there is a pothole along Route 6 in Pennsylvania that could swallow your whole car and still have room for dessert.

Back in 1884, a coal miner by the name Patrick Mahon was setting off explosives to extend a mine shaft when suddenly stones and water began to flood the area. Mahon and the other workers fled the mine so as not to get killed. Once almost 1,000 tons of debris was cleared from the hole, the miners realized they discovered an enormous pothole.

The pothole is believed to have been formed around 15,000 to 20,000 years ago by whirling glacial waters combined with sand and stones. In 1884, geologist John C. Branner determined that the pothole formed as a plunge pool at the base of an incline waterfall that fell through a crack in a glacier. In 1886, another geologist by the name of Charles Ashburner hypothesized that there was no waterfall and that the pothole had been carved mainly by subglacial meltwater. 

Regardless of its formation, this glacial pothole is a geological wonder: At 38 feet deep and 42 feet by 24 feet wide at its largest diameter, it could hold up to 140,000 gallons of liquid and would take 35 firetruck tankers to fill. 

The pothole was used briefly as a ventilation shaft for the mine, acting as a chimney for a large mine fire burning under the ground. In 1887 Colonel Hackley, the landowner, constructed a retaining wall and fence around the pothole, allowing tours to be given to tourists and geologists. The land was obtained by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1961, and the state formally opened Archbald Pothole State Park in 1964.

Although the Archbald Pothole is often referred to as the world's largest glacier-formed pothole, a second pothole was discovered roughly 1,000 feet northeast of the first. Unfortunately, due to lack of funds it was never cleared out, but it is believed that the second pothole may be even larger.

Related Tags

Glaciers Geology Geological Oddities

Know Before You Go

The park is open daily and is located off of US Business Route 6 in Archbald, Pennsylvania. The sign can be seen clearly from the road, and there is a large viewing platform overlooking the pothole.

Community Contributors

Added By

Chris Kudrich

Edited By

erjeffery, Meg, GardinersBay

  • erjeffery
  • Meg
  • GardinersBay

Published

August 23, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.archbaldboroughpa.gov/pothole.htm
  • http://www.stateparks.com/archbald_pothole.html
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbald_Pothole_State_Park
  • https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2002NE/finalprogram/abstract_30902.htm
  • http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1985-04-14/travel/0290130063_1_pothole-archbald-shaft
Archbald Pothole
801-859 US-6 BUS
Archbald, Pennsylvania
United States
41.511748, -75.574075
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Olde Good Things

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Nay Aug Park

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Scranton Iron Furnaces

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Nearby Places

Olde Good Things

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Nay Aug Park

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Scranton Iron Furnaces

Scranton, Pennsylvania

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

United States

Places 417
Stories 28

Related Places

  • Pyramids of Euseigne

    Hérémence, Switzerland

    Pyramides d'Euseigne

    These spindly, stone-capped formations are the product of glacial deposits and thousands of years of erosion.

  • Brady’s Rocks are the southernmost surface exposure of the massive Niagara Escarpment.

    Eagle, Wisconsin

    Brady's Rocks

    These modest Midwestern formations are kin to Niagara Falls' impressive cliffs, more than 600 miles away.

  • The window through which the giant’s kettle can be seen.

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Haga Tingshus Jättegryta (Haga Courthouse Giant's Kettle)

    This building, previously used as a courthouse, has an unusual geological feature in its basement.

  • Precariously perched.

    North Yorkshire, England

    Norber Erratics

    A group of glacial erratic boulders are improbably balanced on white limestone pedestals.

  • Carcross Desert

    Carcross, Yukon

    Carcross Desert

    This tiny square mile of Canadian sand was once considered the world's smallest desert.

  • Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

    Glacial Potholes

    Over 50 whirling pools left behind from the glacial age.

  • Russia

    Ulakhan-Sis Range

    A remote Arctic mountain range is home to "granite cities" found almost nowhere else.

  • A beach on the island with distinctive rock formations.

    Malpe, India

    Thonsepar

    These four small islands contain unique hexagonal rock formations.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.