The 8 Best Places to See Bigfoot Right Now
If you’re dying to get a look at one of the most notorious cryptids, the Travel Channel consulted data from The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization and found eight places where you are most likely to catch a glimpse of one of the large, ape-like creatures said to roam the woods across North America.
Discovery Inc.
A global search for the legendary cryptid has uncovered disconcerting evidence. While popularized bigfoot lore portrays a docile giant, contemporary anthropological findings suggest a much more feral creature. [via Discovery Inc.]
A combination of terrifying eyewitness accounts, recently uncovered anthropological evidence, and a possible government cover-up of a Bigfoot being held in captivity prove that we still have a lot to learn about this mysterious creature. These new findings lead to a hunt for the legendary primate using the most cutting-edge science available, which produces shocking DNA evidence of its existence.
And now, Travel Channel reveals the eight best places to catch a glimpse of Bigfoot using never-before-released data from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). This exclusive tracking information comes from BFRO’s Follow-up Log and Tracking System (FLATS) – the world’s ultimate sasquatch database of compiled sightings and testimonies.
*The below data is sourced from a report released in 2019.
After analyzing the 23,000 sightings across the country, Travel Channel has determined the eight states with the highest likelihood of having your own Bigfoot encounter:
WASHINGTON - 2,032 Sightings
Loren Coleman of the International Cryptozoology Museum displays a cast made from a supposed Bigfoot footprint that was found in Washington state in the 1980s. [Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images]
For the absolute best chance of spotting Bigfoot, head to Washington state. With a whopping 2,032 sightings and counting, this is the world’s most active region. The most popular places to catch a glimpse include the Blue Mountains, Okanogan County - or better yet, Ape Canyon - the locale of one of the most aggressive Bigfoot encounters ever recorded. In 1924, a group of miners reported being attacked by multiple sasquatch, which allegedly threw rocks at their cabin and tried to break in. Years after the notorious attacks, an experienced skier vanished near the very same locale. Making these events even more intriguing is the fact that native legend has long told of a species of ape-men living on nearby Mount St. Helens.
CALIFORNIA - 1,697 Sightings
Andrew Genzoli (left) and Jerry Crew examine the cast that Crew took of a Big Foot track. Crew’s discovery had the same effect on northern California’s wildman as Shipton’s had on the Abominable Snowman: thrusting the monster into the limelight. This picture accompanied Genzoli’s story in the Humboldt Times. [via Humboldt State University—Special Collections and the Eureka Times-Standard]
A California sighting is where the hairy cryptid got its name. In 1958, a construction worker named Jerry Crew stumbled upon massive footprints in a dirt road. He made casts using some of his construction equipment, and eventually, the story reached the media. The newspapers named this new creature Bigfoot.
PENNSYLVANIA - 1,340 Sightings
The legend of Bigfoot has baffled many people and now again, a footprint measuring 17 3/4 inches long and 7 1/2 inches wide was discovered, Sunday, August 26, 1980 at a residence in the Conemaugh Twp. area in Johnstown. A very well defined print was left behind, if indeed it was bigfoot, plus a left print was found eight feet away in a more wooded area. Along with the footprints, reports of strange noises and a very unusual but strong odor went with the account of the episode. [via AP Images]
The Appalachian Mountain range has a high number of Bigfoot sightings. With hundreds of miles of vast forests, it’s a prime space for a large animal to go undetected. One of Pennsylvania’s most interesting cases involves a resting mountain biker who thought he was watching the back-end of a bear as it rummaged through a downed tree. The biker’s curiosity turned to shock when the animal stood up. What he thought was a bear was actually a giant, 7-foot bipedal creature covered in black hair.
MICHIGAN - 1,131 Sightings
Getty Images/Manual Romaris
Michigan may be more famous for the legend of the “Dogman,” but the state also has a high number of Bigfoot sightings. Some of the highest amounts of Bigfoot activity is near the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan’s rugged Upper Peninsula. One eerie report comes from a mother who was driving with her young infant. She pulled over for the night in a picnic area, only to be awoken by a foul smell. When she opened her eyes, a large, hairy creature was staring at her child through the windshield.
NEW YORK - 1,068 Sightings
Getty Images/Heather Mitchell
Whitehall, New York, near Lake George, has long been known as the Bigfoot capital of the east coast. In fact, the area has so many Bigfoot sightings that they named Bigfoot the official town animal. It all began one night in 1976 on rural Abair Road. A few teenagers saw a giant hairy creature that they claim charged towards them. They ran back to town to get help from police, who also saw the creature. Because of the sheer number of sightings that night, it lends credibility to the legendary Abair Road incident.
OHIO - 1,042 Sightings
Getty Images/Bill Swindaman
The eastern half of Ohio is teeming with Bigfoot sightings. Locals have reported numerous sightings of what they call “the grassman”—a large ape-like creature that has been spotted in the hills and forests of Ohio’s Appalachian Plateau. The state is also home to the famous “Ohio Howl,” a hair-raising recording of a deep voice screaming and howling into the night, believed to be the call of a sasquatch. Even more intriguing, years after the first recording, the howls were heard again.
OREGON - 1,009 Sightings
Getty Images/Cavan Images
Much like neighboring Washington, Oregon is one of America’s Bigfoot hotspots. One of the most convincing accounts from Oregon comes from a psychiatrist who was vacationing with his family at Oregon Caves National Monument. As they left the caves, they began hearing strange howls coming from the forest. Soon after, they watched a sasquatch running through the trees.
TEXAS - 806 Sightings
Getty Images/RoschetzkyIstockPhoto
East Texas, especially the areas that border Oklahoma and Louisiana, is the site of countless Bigfoot reports each year. One of the most horrifying encounters comes from a hunter in Panola County. The witness claims that while he was hog hunting, he watched a sasquatch leap out of the woods and grab one of the hogs. The Bigfoot began making loud whooping noises, which were met with more howls from somewhere off in the distance. Before walking back into the woods, the creature stared directly at the hunter and growled.
Want to know more about the most infamous cryptids and their origins? Stream In Search of Monsters on discovery+.
