Where To Find A Bigfoot In Washington State

It's really no secret to most of the world that Washington State is Bigfoot country. And now there are some actual metrics being released to assist those who are seeking to have an encounter with the illusive cryptid here in the Pacific Northwest or anywhere around the globe.

According to ongoing data collection efforts by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), Pierce County has the most reported credible sightings of sasquatch in all of Washington, with 84 over roughly the past century.

Other well-timbered counties in the Evergreen State also rank high on the list, including Skamania with 65 credible sightings; Snohomish with 59; Lewis with 54; King with 47; and Grays Harbor with 45.

Yakima County, which features a mixture of flatland and mountainous, wooded terrain is seventh of the list with 27 sightings, while the similar topographical confines of Okanogan County rank eighth overall at 26 credible reports, and three counties are tied out for ninth place, including Chelan, Jefferson, and Kittitas - all with 25 each.

The BFRO says there has been at least one credible Bigfoot sighting in 31 of the state's 39 counties, and their research backs up the fact that all sasquatch apparently prefer the cover of a dense forest over the wide open spaces of farm- and rangeland, since no one has ever made a credible report about seeing Bigfoot in Adams, Douglas, Franklin, Grant or Whitman Counties. Plus, there obviously aren't enough trees for Bigfoot to hide behind in Asotin or Garfield Counties, since no reports have ever been made there. And it would seem sasquatch aren't much for swimming either, as San Juan County also has no recorded sightings of the legendary creature.

As for specific areas of the state where one might run into these big, hairy mysteries more often, there are several to consider, including Ape Canyon Trail near Cougar; the Olympic Peninsula's Hoh Rainforest; Beacon Rock State Park in Stevenson; and an area known as the Dark Divide in the Southern Cascade Mountains. Researchers also say there have been a growing number of recent sightings in Clallum County and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

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Reports of Bigfoot activity are categorized into three separate classes by researchers. Class A sightings are often termed as the most reliable and feature clear visual evidence from at least one witness with a high degree of certainty. Class B sightings are slightly less reliable due to a variety of factors like distance and visibility which can make identifications difficult. Class C sightings almost always pre-date the turn of the century and are often based on second-hand reports or stories with untraceable sources.

The BFRO keeps a detailed log of all credible sightings and encounters in its data banks. Here are the all of the ones from Chelan County that have been reported over the past 25 years:

- June 2022 (Class B) - Recent activity heard over three nights at a cabin near Plain.
- May 2021 (Class B) - Possible Sasquatch howls north of Leavenworth, east of Lake Wenatchee
- April 2021 (Class B) - Cabin renters report wood knocks and rock throwing near Leavenworth
- October 2016 (Class A) - Motorist has daytime sighting along the highway near Coles Corner
- December 2014 (Class B) - Snowplow driver has possible night-time sighting near Coles Corner
- September 2014 (Class B) - Hikers hear "weird vocal exchange" from unknowns near Lake Ann
- June 2014 (Class B) - Dirt bike riders hear possible knocks north of Lake Wenatchee
- September 2012 (Class B) - Possible nighttime encounter at a couple's campsite near Plain
- August 2008 (Class A) - Man startles creature while mountain biking near Chelan
- August 2007 (Class A) - Daylight sighting by boaters where Holden Creek flows into Lake Chelan
- November 2005 (Class B) - Train engineer reports track find and vocalizations on Stevens Pass
- July 2005 (Class B) - Possible Late Night Encounter Outside Chelan
April 2005 (Class B) - Turkey hunters surprised by loud vocalizations near Wenatchee
August 2004 (Class A) - Driver has road cross sighting on Highway 2, north of Leavenworth
August 2004 (Class B) - Two neighbors hear mournful screams from nearby Nason Ridge
October 2002 (Class B) - Man hunting deer finds unusual feces and hears strange animal sounds
July 2000 (Class B) - Campers hear vocalizations near Clear Lake

Expert "squatch" trackers say if you decide to go searching for Bigfoot, be prepared to wait a long time before ever seeing, hearing or finding any potential evidence of one, so bring your patience and galvanize your nerves before heading out - since any face-to-face encounter with the creature could tip your ticker on its end.

Of course, don't forget your camera(s) and be sure to run the audio recorder on your phone or use another device for recording, since some of the best evidence that's been gathered over the years is actually audible and not photographic or otherwise tangible.

As for what to do if you feel threatened by a sasquatch, no one really has a book for the proper survival etiquette on this one, although many folks say you should practice similar strategies to those when confronted with a bear. One of those, however, is not to run away, which I'm not sure anyone could blame you for doing - and as fast as you possibly can at that.

Many Bigfoot experiencers report the creatures are actually quite docile and diffident, in spite of their towering height and hulking size. With this in mind, chances are a sasquatch is quite similar to a black widow spider or a poisonous snake, in that they want about as much to do with you as you do with them.

Of course, we can't forget that the actual existence of Bigfoot has yet to be empirically proven, but with so many amazing and unexplainable videos, audio recordings, footprints, and other evidence now emerging, it's getting more difficult all the time to think that something isn't truly "out there" waiting to be discovered.

As for me personally, I'm a "do unto sasquatch as they would do unto you" kinda guy, so I'm not about to go rustling around in the woods looking to stir up trouble, even though I'm admittedly as curious and fascinated with the phenomena as anyone.

All I can honestly recommend is to be kind to Bigfoot if you happen upon one. I mean, after all, you really have no reason not to, right?