Bigfoot · Local Legends ·

Colorado's Captivating Bigfoot Sightings

By Wade Beaumont, Cryptozoologist

There's something about the legend of Bigfoot that grabs hold of the imagination and won't let go. Maybe it's the idea that in this modern age of satellites and smartphones, there could still be a creature out there that's managed to elude us. Or perhaps it's the tantalizing possibility that the world is a little wilder, a little more mysterious than we give it credit for. Whatever the reason, Bigfoot has captured the hearts and minds of folks across the globe—and nowhere more so than in the rugged mountains and dense forests of Colorado.

Now, I've been tracking Sasquatch sightings for the better part of two decades, and let me tell you, the Centennial State is a veritable hotbed of Bigfoot activity. With over 130 reported encounters on record, Colorado ranks as one of the top states for Bigfoot sightings in the entire country. From the remote wilderness of the San Juan Mountains to the suburban fringes of the Front Range, Coloradans have been witnessing strange, humanlike creatures lurking in the shadows for generations.

But what's the truth behind these sightings? Are they merely the product of overactive imaginations and misidentifications, or could there really be an undiscovered species of primate roaming the Colorado wilderness? That's what I aim to find out. In this article, we'll dive deep into the most intriguing Bigfoot encounters in Colorado history, explore the passionate community of researchers and enthusiasts dedicated to unraveling the mystery, and examine the theories, debates, and ongoing search for proof that defines this captivating phenomenon. So sit back, grab a mug of coffee, and join me on a journey into the heart of Colorado's Bigfoot country.

The Bigfoot Hotspots of Colorado

If you're looking to increase your chances of a Sasquatch sighting, there are certain parts of Colorado that seem to be particularly attractive to our elusive, hairy friends. Take Park County, for instance. Nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, this rugged slice of wilderness has seen a whopping 13 reported Bigfoot sightings—more than any other county in the state.

One of the most notable encounters took place in 2018 at the Kenosha Pass Campground. A mother and her 21-year-old daughter were enjoying a peaceful evening when they suddenly heard strange noises coming from the woods. Moments later, they found themselves under a barrage of rocks, hurled by an unseen assailant. As they fled to the safety of their car, they caught a glimpse of a dark, hulking figure lurking in the treeline, watching them with eerie intensity. The incident left them shaken and convinced that they had encountered something far beyond the realm of normal human experience.

Just to the east of Park County lies Teller County, another Bigfoot hotspot with nine reported sightings to its name. The Pike National Forest, which covers much of the county, has been a hub of strange activity for decades. In 2013, a couple spotted a seven-foot-tall creature walking near the Skaguay Reservoir, while other witnesses have reported hearing bizarre vocalizations and finding massive, humanlike footprints in the area.

But it's not just the remote wilderness that's playing host to Bigfoot. Larimer County, home to the popular tourist destination of Estes Park, has seen eight reported sightings over the years. In 2019, a couple hiking on Storm Mountain near the town of Drake captured what they believe to be a "blobsquatch"—a blurry, indistinct image of a Sasquatch-like figure—on camera. And in 2014, a guest at the YMCA of the Rockies had a possible sighting and reported hearing strange vocalizations echoing through the night.

Other notable hotspots include Lake, Conejos, El Paso, Eagle, Pitkin, Routt, and Summit counties, each with a handful of sightings to their name. It seems that no matter where you go in Colorado, you're never too far from a potential Bigfoot encounter.

Legendary Sightings and Encounters

While Colorado may not have the same reputation as a Bigfoot hotspot as, say, the Pacific Northwest, the state has still played host to some truly remarkable and well-documented sightings over the years. Perhaps the most famous of these is the 1962 "Colorado Mystery" film.

The story goes like this: A family was on a camping trip in the Rawah Wilderness, a remote and rugged area along the Colorado-Wyoming border. As they were exploring the area, they spotted a large, bipedal creature moving swiftly across a rocky hillside. The father quickly grabbed his 8mm camera and managed to capture several seconds of footage of the creature before it disappeared from view.

For decades, the "Colorado Mystery" film remained a closely guarded secret, known only to a handful of Bigfoot researchers and enthusiasts. It wasn't until the early 2000s that the footage was finally made public, and it quickly became one of the most intriguing and debated pieces of evidence in the Bigfoot canon. The grainy, black-and-white images show a large, humanoid figure striding purposefully across the landscape, its gait and posture unlike anything in the known animal kingdom.

But the "Colorado Mystery" film is far from the only legendary sighting in the state's history. In 1971, a future doctor had a close encounter of the Bigfoot kind in the Rawah Wilderness, stumbling upon a set of massive, humanlike footprints in the backcountry. The tracks were far too large to belong to any known animal, and the sighting helped cement the Rawah Wilderness as a true epicenter of Bigfoot activity.

Moving closer to civilization, the Pikes Peak region has also been a hotbed of Sasquatch sightings over the years. In the early 1990s, a sign was erected along the Pikes Peak Highway warning drivers of a Bigfoot crossing—a testament to the frequency of sightings in the area. And in 2006, a soldier stationed at Fort Carson had a heart-stopping encounter while on a turkey hunting expedition. Through his binoculars, he spotted a six-to-seven-foot-tall creature moving swiftly through the brush, its dark brown fur and humanoid shape unlike anything he had ever seen before.

But perhaps the most intriguing sightings in recent years have come from the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. In 2008, a hiker near Durango spotted a "large, hairy figure" walking on two legs through the forest, while in 2023, a couple riding the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad claimed to have seen a Sasquatch-like creature striding across a mountainside. The video they captured went viral, sparking intense debate and speculation about the authenticity of the footage.

Interestingly, Colorado's Bigfoot sightings aren't limited to the remote wilderness. In 2016, a family in the suburban town of Windsor, just north of Fort Collins, reported finding massive, humanlike footprints outside their home near the Poudre River. And in 2014, a guest at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park claimed to have had a possible sighting and heard strange vocalizations, blurring the line between the wild and the civilized.

The Sasquatch Outpost and Colorado's Bigfoot Community

With such a rich history of Bigfoot sightings, it's no surprise that Colorado is home to a thriving community of Sasquatch enthusiasts and researchers. And at the heart of this community lies the Sasquatch Outpost, a one-of-a-kind museum and research center located in the small mountain town of Bailey.

Founded in 2012 by Jim and Daphne Myers, the Sasquatch Outpost has become a true mecca for Bigfoot believers from across the country and around the world. The museum boasts an impressive collection of artifacts, exhibits, and information related to the Sasquatch phenomenon, including casts of alleged Bigfoot footprints, photos and videos of purported sightings, and even a sighting board where visitors can mark the locations of their own encounters with the creature.

But the Sasquatch Outpost is more than just a roadside attraction or a repository of Bigfoot memorabilia. It's a hub for serious research and investigation into the Sasquatch mystery, a place where experts and enthusiasts alike can gather to share their knowledge, compare notes, and plan expeditions into the Colorado wilderness in search of evidence.

The Myers host regular meetings and events at the Outpost, bringing together some of the most prominent names in the Bigfoot research community. They also work closely with organizations like the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), which has a strong presence in Colorado, as well as local groups like the Sasquatch Investigation of the Rockies and the Native Oklahoma Bigfoot Research Organization.

But it's not just the serious researchers who are drawn to the Sasquatch Outpost and the broader Colorado Bigfoot community. The town of Silverton, located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, has a long history of playfully engaging with the Bigfoot legend. Over the years, locals have been known to don Sasquatch costumes and stage pranks for the benefit of unsuspecting tourists, adding an element of whimsy and mischief to the state's Bigfoot lore.

This playful spirit is emblematic of the passion and enthusiasm that defines Colorado's Bigfoot community. Whether they're hardcore researchers or casual believers, the people who are drawn to the Sasquatch mystery share a deep love for the wilderness, a sense of adventure, and a willingness to embrace the unknown. They are the keepers of the legend, the ones who refuse to let the mystery die.

Theories, Debates, and the Search for Proof

Of course, for all the passion and dedication of Colorado's Bigfoot community, the fact remains that there is still no definitive proof of the creature's existence. No body, no bones, no DNA evidence that can conclusively say, once and for all, that Sasquatch is real.

This lack of hard evidence is the primary ammunition for the skeptics and debunkers who dismiss the entire Bigfoot phenomenon as a mix of hoaxes, misidentifications, and overactive imaginations. They point to the fact that, despite decades of searching, no one has ever managed to capture a clear, unambiguous photo or video of a Sasquatch, let alone produce a physical specimen for scientific study.

But for those who believe in Bigfoot's existence, the absence of proof is not the same as proof of absence. They argue that the sheer volume and consistency of sightings over the years, coupled with the vast and rugged wilderness of Colorado, make it entirely plausible that an undiscovered species of primate could be lurking in the shadows, just out of reach of modern science.

Some even go so far as to suggest that Bigfoot may possess supernatural or extraterrestrial qualities, able to camouflage itself or even move between dimensions at will. These more esoteric theories add an extra layer of intrigue and speculation to the ongoing debate, even if they strain credulity for many mainstream researchers.

But regardless of where one falls on the spectrum of belief, the search for Bigfoot in Colorado continues unabated. Organizations like the BFRO and local research groups regularly organize expeditions and investigations into the state's wilderness areas, scouring the landscape for any sign of the elusive creature.

Over the years, these efforts have yielded a wealth of anecdotal evidence, from alleged footprints and strange vocalizations to blurry photos and shaky video footage. But the holy grail of Bigfoot research—a clear, unambiguous sighting or physical evidence—remains frustratingly out of reach.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Colorado Bigfoot phenomenon is the sheer diversity of the reported sightings. While the classic image of Sasquatch is that of a creature lurking in the deepest, darkest corners of the wilderness, Colorado's sightings suggest a more complex and adaptable being, one that is just as comfortable on the fringes of suburbia as it is in the heart of the backcountry.

This raises fascinating questions about the nature of Bigfoot and its place in the natural world. Could it be that these creatures are more intelligent and resourceful than we give them credit for, able to navigate the boundaries between the wild and the civilized with ease? Or are the suburban sightings merely the product of misidentification and urban legend, a sign that the Bigfoot mythos has taken on a life of its own in the popular imagination?

Unique and Surprising Findings

As I've delved deeper into the world of Colorado Bigfoot research, a few particularly intriguing and surprising findings have emerged. Perhaps the most striking of these is the apparent significance of the Rawah Wilderness as a true epicenter of Sasquatch activity.

This remote and rugged area along the Colorado-Wyoming border has been the site of some of the most compelling and well-documented Bigfoot encounters in the state's history, from the 1962 "Colorado Mystery" film to the 1971 discovery of massive, humanlike footprints by a future doctor. The isolation and abundant natural resources of the Rawah Wilderness make it an ideal habitat for a creature like Bigfoot, and the consistency of sightings over the years suggests that there may be something truly special about this particular corner of the Colorado wilderness.

Another surprising finding is the prevalence of Bigfoot sightings in suburban and urban areas of the state. While the classic image of Sasquatch is that of a creature of the deep woods, Colorado's sightings paint a more complex picture. From the 2016 discovery of large, humanlike footprints outside a home in Windsor to the 2014 sighting and strange vocalizations at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, these encounters challenge our assumptions about Bigfoot's preferred habitat and raise intriguing questions about the creature's adaptability and intelligence.

The existence of the Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey is another unique and fascinating aspect of Colorado's Bigfoot landscape. This one-of-a-kind museum and research center serves as a hub for serious investigators and casual enthusiasts alike, providing a space for the community to gather, share knowledge, and plan expeditions into the wilderness. The depth and passion of Colorado's Bigfoot research community is truly remarkable, and the Sasquatch Outpost is a testament to the enduring power of the Sasquatch legend to capture the imagination and inspire dedicated pursuit of the truth.

Finally, the playful and mischievous Bigfoot tradition in the town of Silverton adds a delightful and unexpected dimension to Colorado's Sasquatch lore. The sight of locals dressing up in Bigfoot costumes and staging pranks for unsuspecting tourists may seem like a silly diversion, but it speaks to the deep and abiding fascination that the Bigfoot legend holds for so many people. In a world that can often feel cold and cynical, the whimsy and wonder of the Sasquatch mystery is a reminder of the enduring power of myth and imagination to enrich our lives and bring communities together.