Moneymaker’s Top 10 Squatch Spots
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on December 16th, 2012
10 great places to walk in the shadow of Bigfoot
The search is on for a legendary character with plenty of bulk and facial hair, and we’re not talking Santa. Matthew Moneymaker, co-host of Animal Planet’s Finding Bigfoot, says the creatures have been seen in every state but Hawaii, “in places where there are enough deer to feed on.” The Bigfoot Field Research Organization president is used to skeptics but believes Bigfoot is a descendant of an Asian relative of the orangutan. He shares with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY some spots where the hominids may live.
Jedediah Smith
Redwoods State Park, Calif.
With its towering redwoods and thick forest, it’s hard to beat the atmosphere at this Northern California park. “It’s ancient looking, kind of a holdout from the Ice Age,” Moneymaker says. He recommends taking a walk along the Smith River on Howland Hill Road. “We hear of lots of different sightings and sounds in there,” he says. “I’ve found tracks crossing that road.” 707-465-7335; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=413
Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, Ore.
You don’t have to go far to find Bigfoot. This area 20 miles east of Portland in the Mount Hood National Forest is prime spotting territory, Moneymaker says. Bigfoot apparently has a sweet tooth and goes ape for huckleberries, which grow in the area. Scores of campers have been scared off by noises and have had rocks thrown at them. The creatures, Moneymaker says, “do things to make you feel very uncomfortable.” 503-668-1700; fs.usda.gov/mthood
Michaux State Forest, Pa.
Nearby Gettysburg may have Civil War fame, but among Bigfoot aficionados, this state forest is a big deal, too. The area’s apple orchards keep the deer population healthy, and that, in turn, attracts sasquatch-like creatures, Moneymaker says. On one expedition, researchers used a parabolic microphone to detect a mysterious crunching through fallen leaves. 717-352-2211; www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/michaux/index.htm
Valles Caldera National Preserve, N.M.
The high density of elk and deer attracts Bigfoot to this working ranch near Los Alamos, Moneymaker says, noting that the creatures may use the park’s mountainous lookouts to peer down on herds in the spring. Even when there’s no wind, dead trees often topple mysteriously. “They let you know that they’re there.” 505-661-3333; vallescaldera.gov
Bird Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Vt.
This prominent mountain peak outside the town of Rutland has had its share of activity, including a trail-cam picture famous in Bigfoot circles of what appears to be a female sasquatch carrying her offspring. Centuries ago, American Indians reported seeing an apelike creature and, more recently, hikers say that they have come upon a sasquatch. 800-756-8880; rutlandvermont.com
Lost Creek Wilderness, Colo.
This area southwest of Denver in the Pike National Forest has massive granite arches and boulders and is a likely Bigfoot summer habitat, Moneymaker says. During a recent visit, he spoke to several people who say they heard strange vocalizations coming from this roadless preserve. “This is another area that’s not too far from civilization,” he says. 719-553-1400; fs.usda.gov/psicc
Olympic National Park, Wash.
A temperate rain forest thick with moss and ferns makes for prime Bigfoot habitat, Moneymaker says. “It’s the sort of place you expect to see a dinosaur walking around.” Tracks are often found along the Queets River, where some believe sasquatches are drawn by the large herd of Roosevelt elk. 360-565-3130; nps.gov/olym
Fahnestock State Park, N.Y.
There’s a long history of Bigfoot encounters in this mountain park a mere 90 minutes from New York City. Moneymaker says investigators have found mysterious markings in the snow. “We did hear them respond to some of our howls, and that kind of validated the track finds. Walking the Appalachian Trail at night through the area is a good bet for an encounter.” 845-225-7207; nysparks.com/parks/133/details.aspx
Salt Fork State Park, Ohio
While some sites downplay their sasquatch notoriety, this state park has even hosted a Bigfoot conference. Researchers have been coming for decades to this area about 60 miles south of Cleveland. “It has been going on there longer than anywhere else,” Moneymaker says. “Many people have encounters there.” 740-439-3521; dnr.state.oh.us/parks/saltfork/tabid/785/default.aspx
Ponca Wilderness Area, Ark.
Moneymaker says he had several good Bigfoot moments on a recent expedition in this area along the Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas. “There were a handful of people who saw them, and just about everyone heard them at night,” he says. Most of the Bigfoot action centered on the area near Steel Creek Campground. 870-439-2502; nps.gov/buff
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
lol… this dude, unfortunately has no street cred in my book.
so if there is bigfoots there… surely they would have evidence of this….
its like saying there’s aliens and ufo’s there, but you have no proof.
who is going to believe you without proof?
Well sirree, love him, hate him, or disregard him, some of those are genuine hotspots. I think everything he says about Valles Caldera is on the, eh… money. And Salt Fork also, to name two.
LOL… genuine?
okay… show me the evidence that leads you and him to believe so.
if theres no proof to justify this, case closed.
lol im reading my comments and i swear i sound like the biggest cynic and skeptic ever… I think there is something out there…. i look at the overall body of evidence and with the whole thing as a whole, there has to be something out there. what “IT” is? I have no idea…
but to me, people are making statements they believe to be true without any supporting facts, proof or evidence to support their claim.
to me, until they provide proof, thats all these things are, claims.
Without facts, proof and evidence to support a claim, who’s to believe it?
Would a court?
Would a jury?
Would science?
Lets be real here… Its not like we’re talking about making money in the stock market… and we want proof that you’re really making 40% ROI on your money.
these people are saying there IS an animal that is not “supposed” to exist… a new animal…. this is an extraordinary claim…
with that in mind, you need the same level of proof.
Loren love the work you do…. i’m truly fascinated by it…. like i said before, i realize i sound like the biggest skeptic, i just find the level of proof within the ‘bigfoot community’ from what little I’ve seen severely lacking and the level of imagination running rampant.
dconstrukt:
In the absence of proof, all I ask for is that they follow what appears to be evidence.
From my scan of the list, these don’t appear to be places that just “look squatchy,” but places where activity is going on that hey, just might be.
If you don’t follow possibilities, you don’t get proof. (Or have any fun. Which, when science is doing what science should, it happens to be.)
@deconstruckt – What he means by “genuine” is that there have been multiple sightings in those areas since “pre colonial times” and continue to be to this day.
Never seen you on this post board before so lets get your thoughts on the below “evidence” you are challenging. Take the time to look into each one as they are fascinating.
1. Cripplefoot Cast
2. Jimmy Chilcutt analysis of casts.
3. Sierra Nevada sounds / Snohomish howl (spent my share of time in woods, I can’t ID it…can you ?)
4. Patterson Gimlin (if fake why can’t they replicate it?)
5. Over 3,000 reported sightings in modern era in USA by park rangers, former police officers, etc. (bfro has decent database) Why are people seeing the same thing year after year and not unicorns, dragons, or elves in woods? Is a big smelly ape that exciting to make up as a story? And why also would French Soldiers during the French and Indian war talk about the “hairy men” in the woods? There are also accounts by Teddy Roosevelt (ie Wilderness Hunter in case you want to check my source) and Samuel De Champlain of unkown giant hairy men who inhabit the woods. So it’s all BS?
thanks guys… ya… like… i WANT to believe… but unlike them, I refuse to believe stuff without proof… we’re talking bigfoot, not normal stuff here.
Guys…. think about this for a sec.
We’re on the internet…. look to the right… look at the google ads on the site.
Suppose there were 2 identical ads… both saying “Make $5000 a week using the internet from home.”
one had a screenshot of the guy holding a check you can clearly see…
the other had nothing.
Which one would you click?
gotta say, I applaud them and respect them for actually getting off their rear ends and following their dreams and doing something. So as much trash as I talk about them, its just because i feel like they could be doing so much better and want to see them do better. 🙂