Backwoods Bigfoot Stories

In the early 1980s, a Florida family of four set out on a camping trip to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area—and never returned. According to legend, they were attacked by a large, wolf-like creature. The father was found dead outside the RV, the mother mutilated nearby, one child torn apart inside the camper, and the other discovered high in a tree. No official reports confirm this event, but the story has taken root as one of the most unsettling pieces of American cryptid folklore.This episode explores one version of that story—possibly the most detailed acco...

On September 12, 1952, a group of children in Braxton County, West Virginia, witnessed something that would shatter the quiet of their mountain town—a 10-foot-tall creature with glowing red eyes and a helmet-shaped head. What followed wasn’t folklore. It was one of the most thoroughly documented and chilling cryptid encounters in American history.

In this episode, we unravel the full story of the Flatwoods Monster: a case supported not only by eyewitnesses, but by physical evidence, medical records, and official investigations. From the initial sighting of a fiery object streaking across the sky to two close encounters that left...

What begins as a quiet weekend camping trip for two off-duty Air Force servicemen spirals into one of the most disturbing and credible alien abduction accounts in modern history.

In this episode, we explore the chilling true story of Terry Lovelace—an attorney, veteran, and former Assistant Attorney General—who has spent decades coming to terms with what happened to him in the summer of 1977 at Devil’s Den State Park.Terry and his friend had set up camp in a remote clearing, expecting nothing more than a peaceful night under the stars. But as darkness fell, the forest...

A Vietnam War helicopter mechanic named Frank vanishes in 2024. Left behind: a handwritten account spanning 50 years. It starts with “foo fighters”—strange lights pacing U.S. aircraft in Vietnam—and ends in the Oregon wilderness, where similar lights appear at a remote fishing spot called Devil’s Elbow. Frank returns decades later with a drone enthusiast named Chris. They pick up disturbing electromagnetic readings. Then Chris disappears too. Frank’s technical eye and military background give weight to his account—he wasn’t imagining things. The question is: what’s watching us, and why?


Story 2: The Hitchhiker Beyond the Truck S...

In this episode, we explore one of the most disturbing and unforgettable stories ever told on Coast to Coast AM. A man calling himself “Bugs” phoned in with a confession that sounded more like a campfire ghost story—except he claimed it really happened.Back in the early 1970s, Bugs and a fellow hunter were out spotlighting illegally in the dense woods of Texas when they spotted what they first thought were bears.

But as the figures stepped into the light, it became clear they were looking at something else entirely: two tall, broad-shouldered creatures walking upright, covered in hai...

For years, mainstream researchers insisted Sasquatch existed—if at all—only in the Pacific Northwest. But the witnesses in this episode know better. From Georgia’s Blue Ridge to the Florida swamps, these firsthand encounters, spanning over fifty years, reveal a hidden population thriving in the American South.Tonight, you’ll hear stories of a hunter who faced down an eight-foot creature shaking his tree stand, a ginseng picker who stumbled into a remote valley where intelligent beings debated his fate, and a solo hiker systematically stalked through the Appalachian wilderness.

You’ll also hear the chilling account of a veter...

These aren't your typical Bigfoot stories.
No grainy photos. No stomping footprints. No overpowering stench.These five encounters go deeper—into something far more unsettling: the intelligence behind the presence.Jake was driving home from the paper mill when his headlights caught a figure by the roadside. It didn’t flinch. Didn’t even look his way. It stood there, still and distant, like it belonged—and Jake didn’t.At a remote campsite, Sarah and her friends joked and laughed until something in the woods began echoing them with eerie precision.

Each response came with a ten-second...

What if the monsters from your worst nightmares were real? What if there was an entire hidden war being fought in America's wilderness areas that the government will never acknowledge?

Tonight's episode features an extraordinary firsthand account from someone calling himself  
"Marcus" - a soldier who claims to be part of an elite military unit that doesn't officially exist. According to Marcus, his team handles the situations that are too dangerous, too weird, or too embarrassing for regular military and law enforcement to touch.In this chilling email confession sent exclusively to our show, Marcus d...

Welcome to a spine-chilling collection of ten real paranormal encounters that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about reality. Tonight's episode features firsthand accounts from ordinary people who found themselves face-to-face with the extraordinary, from the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest to the historic streets of Salem, Massachusetts.Our journey begins in Washington State where a solo hiker encountered something with burning red eyes that stalked him through the wilderness and followed him home to the city.

We then travel to Vermont where a woman inheriting her grandmother's house discovered that warnings about an...

On Christmas Day, 1985, bestselling author Whitley Strieber was staying with his family at a secluded cabin in upstate New York. What happened to him that night would change his life—and ignite one of the most controversial and chilling conversations in modern American history.He claimed he was taken.
By beings he could not describe.
To a place he could not understand.In this episode of Disturbing History, Brian unpacks the story behind Communion, the book that launched a cultural obsession with alien abduction and introduced the world to the now-iconic image of the gray alien.

Wh...

In 1924, Albert Ostman set out to find gold in British Columbia’s rugged backcountry. What he found instead was something far stranger—and far more terrifying.Ostman, a hardened outdoorsman, claimed he was abducted in the night by a towering creature and carried miles into the wilderness. When he came to, he was trapped in a hidden mountain valley—face to face with a family of sasquatch.Over six days, he studied them.

They weren’t animals. They had structure, language, even hospitality. But that strange kindness came with a darker purpose: Albert suspected he’d been taken as a mate...

Welcome to another spine-chilling episode where we delve deep into one of America's most enduring supernatural legends. Tonight, we explore the terrifying tale of the Jersey Devil, a creature born from desperation, blasphemy, and a mother's curse that echoes through nearly three centuries of American folklore.Our story begins in the winter of 1735, deep within New Jersey's Pine Barrens, a vast wilderness that has always been different from other forests. The Lenape Native Americans spoke of this place in hushed tones, calling it a land of shadows where spirits dwelt in the deepest groves.

When European settlers arrived...

In this gripping and unnerving episode, Brian shares a story from a 63-year-old. A lifelong resident of rural Louisiana, who recounts a chilling chapter from his childhood that has haunted him ever since. The summer of 1972, when he was just ten, brought an unimaginable horror to his small community outside Marksville—a season when an unknown predator seemed to rise from the swamps and target the people living on the fringes of civilization. What began as bizarre livestock mutilations—a few chickens torn apart, their wire enclosures twisted unnaturally—soon spiraled into a full-blown crisis. 

Massive, unidentifiable tracks appeare...

Before there was Bigfoot, before the screams in the woods and things that go bump in the night… there was history. In this special episode, Brian shares a sneak peek into his brand-new podcast, Disturbing History—a show that explores the dark, strange, and forgotten corners of our past.

 From government coverups to lost civilizations, haunted obsessions to unexplained crashes, Disturbing History is where the stories they hoped we’d forget finally get unearthed. And as a little holiday bonus, Brian is sharing one of the most talked-about episodes from the new series—The Roswell UFO Mystery.On July 8, 1...

National Park Nightmares – Volume 11: “The Vanished” 

In this episode, we examine two disappearances—separated by 78 years—that continue to confound families, search teams, and anyone who tries to make sense of what happened.

It was a typical summer day in the Colorado wilderness when 4-year-old Alfred Beilhartz disappeared during a family outing. He was walking just behind his parents along a trail near a stream—then suddenly, he wasn’t. What followed was one of the first large-scale search efforts in the park’s history, involving over 150 people, bloodhounds, and aerial surveillance. But no trace of Alfred was ever f...

On October 20, 1967, two cowboys rode into a remote California creek bed and emerged with 59.5 seconds of film that would divide science, captivate the world, and spawn a mystery that endures to this day. Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin claimed they encountered and filmed a massive, hair-covered, bipedal creature that would become known as Bigfoot.

Their brief, shaky footage—particularly the iconic Frame 352 showing the creature looking back over its shoulder—has become the most analyzed, debated, and controversial piece of film in cryptozoological history.In this deep dive into one of America's most enduring mysteries, we explore the comp...

In this special 100th episode, we delve into six first-hand accounts from individuals who experienced something extraordinary in the remote forests of the Pacific Northwest.

Each story disturbing features encounters with an intelligence that seems to exist at the periphery of our understanding, observing us from the shadows between the trees. What makes these accounts uniquely compelling isn't just what was seen, but the unsettling patterns of behavior described by witnesses from completely different backgrounds and professions. From security guards to scientists, photographers to surveyors, these individuals share a common thread: the deep conviction that something intelligent was s...

Tonight we explore two mysterious disappearances in America's most challenging wilderness areas—two men who ventured into remote landscapes and vanished without a trace, leaving behind only questions and abandoned vehicles.Case 1: Walther H. Reinhard - Lost in YosemiteThe Basics:
Walther H. ReinhardDisappeared: September 30, 2002Location: Yosemite National Park, CaliforniaNo additional details available in public recordsWhat Happened: On September 30, 2002, Walther H. Reinhard disappeared in Yosemite National Park. Beyond this basic information, details about his case remain limited in publicly available records. Like many who vanish in Yosemite's vast wilderness, Walther simply disappeared, joining the park's long list of unsolved missing pe...

What happens when curiosity becomes obsession—and the wild starts watching back? In this episode, we journey deep into the heart of cryptozoological mystery, where strange creatures aren’t the only things lurking in the dark. From remote mountain ranges to disaster zones veiled in smoke and secrecy, we follow the breadcrumbs left by researchers, explorers, and locals who claim to have seen the impossible—and sometimes paid the price for speaking out.

You’ll hear accounts that defy easy explanation: humanoid figures glimpsed in fog-draped valleys, fieldwork that ends in silence and blood, and eerie patterns of vanishin...

In this bone-chilling first-person story, an experienced hunter heads into the remote wilderness, eager to test out his pricey new thermal scope. But what starts as a night of solo adventure quickly spirals into something far more sinister.As he scans the tree line, excitement turns to unease. The forest goes unnaturally still. Something is out there—watching. Then, from the darkness, a voice calls for help. It sounds human, but wrong. Off. And it doesn't match the movements of the shadowy figure now pacing the edge of the clearing.

What follows is a heart-pounding chase through pitch-black wo...

National Park Nightmares: "The Vanishing at White Wolf"Peter Jackson was 74 years old the day he disappeared without a trace in Yosemite National Park. A veteran hiker in excellent physical condition, Peter had spent decades exploring America's wilderness areas with methodical precision. He never took unnecessary risks. He never strayed from his planned routes. And he never, ever failed to return when expected.September 17, 2016. Peter sends a simple text to his son: "On my way to Yosemite." It would be the last anyone ever heard from him.

He checks into campsite #58 at White Wolf Campground, a remote facility...

Tonight I share  five extraordinary encounters with unexplained forest beings across five decades and thousands of miles of American wilderness, told by witnesses who never met yet describe remarkably similar experiences.

Olympic Peninsula, Washington - 1968 & 1973 A fire lookout witnesses a massive bipedal creature investigating a log in the remote Olympics. The witness describes intelligence in the being's eyes and the sensation of being observed. Years later, while hunting, he encounters multiple creatures communicating through wood knocks and territory marking with strategically broken trees.

Adirondack Mountains, New York - 1976 & 1988 A biology graduate student conducting acid rain research e...

Tonight week on Backwoods Bigfoot Stories, I share five compelling firsthand accounts from professionals who encountered something unexplained in America's remote wilderness areas.From a National Park ranger in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to a hunter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a search and rescue coordinator in Oregon's Cascades to a wildlife photographer in California's redwoods, and finally an environmental scientist in New Hampshire's White Mountains - each witness describes encounters with intelligent, bipedal beings that demonstrated complex communication patterns, territorial awareness, and deliberate avoidance of documentation.

Most striking are the consistent elements across these independent accounts: rhythmic wood...

Vanished in the Sierra - The Mysterious Disappearances of Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel ThomazinIn this haunting eighth installment of National Park Nightmares, we delve into two perplexing disappearances that occurred just fourteen months apart in the rugged wilderness of California's Sierra Nevada mountains. Join your host as we explore the baffling circumstances surrounding Sandra Johnsen Hughes and Joel Thomazin, two experienced outdoor enthusiasts who entered the wilderness and seemingly vanished without a trace.

Our journey begins in the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when 54-year-old Sandra Johnsen Hughes sought solace in the pristine...

Step into the ancient forests of the Olympic Mountains as we present a riveting first-person account that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the natural world. In this episode, we follow Mike Calloway, an experienced hunter whose annual elk hunting trip with his father transforms into something extraordinary—an encounter with an intelligence not recognized by science.Mike's journey begins with the familiar ritual of preparation—checking gear, studying maps, and making the long drive into increasingly remote territory.

Having hunted these woods for fifteen years alongside his father Jack, a former Forest Service ranger, Mike know...

In this week's bone-chilling episode, we explore a multi-generational encounter with the unknown deep in the backwoods of Limestone County, Alabama. Our story follows young James Earl Wilkins, who at age 12 in the summer of 1976, experienced a series of terrifying encounters with what locals referred to as "the forest folk" or "wild men" on his family's 80-acre farm.

The saga unfolds through James' now 62-year-old perspective as he recounts how his peaceful rural childhood was forever changed when strange howls began echoing from the nearby Cypress Bottom—a foreboding stretch of swampland that locals had long avoided. What be...

On April 12, 1966, a family picnic in America's first national park turned into one of the most baffling missing persons cases in American history. Eight-year-old Dennis Johnson was visiting Yellowstone with his parents William and Betty and his three sisters when his seven-year-old sister Mary wandered off. Dennis and his father split up to search for her. William found Mary quickly, but when he returned to the Cascade Picnic Area, Dennis had vanished without a trace.

What followed was one of the most intensive search operations in Yellowstone's history – spanning 100 square miles, employing helicopters, bloodhounds, and dozens of searchers. De...

Tonight, Brian shares the never-before-told story of Thomas, a fur trapper whose life was forever changed after a terrifying encounter with sasquatch in the remote Canadian wilderness during February 1987.This first-hand account challenges everything we think we know about these mysterious creatures. What Mercer experienced reveals them to be intelligent, communicative, and potentially dangerous beings with complex social structures and territorial behaviors. His haunting experience raises profound questions about what these creatures truly are and our responsibility toward them.

The story begins as Thomas, a third-generation fur trapper, flies his bush plane to his remote family cabin in...

In this episode, Brian shares encounters with mysterious creatures and unexplained phenomena from remote wilderness areas. From Whisper Creek in Montana's Glacier National Park, Iron Ridge ghost town, and Dead Man's Hollow in Kentucky to Black Hollow and Widow's Crag, each story recounts experiences with eerie sounds, inexplicable footprints, and terrifying sightings of Bigfoot-like creatures.

 These tales serve as haunting reminders that some places are meant to be left alone and that not everyone who ventures into the unknown makes it back the same. Also, hear about unexpected sightings on Idaho's notorious Broken Antler Pass and forthcoming adventures i...

In today's special storytelling episode, I'm thrilled to share an original tale I've created called "The Unlikely Guardians:  Bigfoot Saves Easter. This heartwarming adventure follows Bartholomew, the last Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest, whose carefully isolated life is upended when he discovers a set of unusual footprints in the late winter snow. Following them leads to an encounter with none other than Edmund Cottontail, the Easter Bunny himself, who is in desperate need of help. The magical Egg of Renewal has been stolen by Jack Frost, threatening to trap the world in endless winter and prevent Easter from happening at a...

In this haunting episode, we delve into one of Yellowstone National Park's most perplexing cold cases — the 1991 disappearance of Dan Campbell and his loyal dog Freckles. Our journey begins with Dan Campbell, a 42-year-old Montana man whose life had reached a crossroads by the spring of 1991. Living in Big Timber and struggling with mounting financial troubles, Campbell was looking for a way out. Standing 5'8" and weighing about 165 pounds, with the weathered face of someone comfortable in the outdoors, he had recently begun making plans to relocate to White Sulphur Springs, but needed money to finance the move.

Ac...

In this chilling episode, we dive deep into the mysterious Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, where moonshine and monsters collide in a story that spans generations. Join us as we unravel the tale of Jim, a master moonshiner whose knowledge of the mountains led to prosperity—and ultimately, his mysterious disappearance in 1972.This haunting narrative, told from the perspective of his grandson, explores how Jim used the feared presence of Sasquatch creatures to keep revenue agents and competitors away from his illegal stills in an area locals called "Booger Holler." But as we'll discover, nature always collects its debts, and so...

In this bone-chilling episode of "Into the Unknown," Brian narrates the extraordinary firsthand account of a man who survived multiple encounters with Sasquatch in the remote Alaskan wilderness. Brian brings to life the story of a former architect who abandoned city life in Anchorage to build his dream home on a hundred-acre property in the Kenai Peninsula, only to discover he had unwittingly entered territory claimed by creatures most believe exist only in legend. Through meticulous research and exclusive interviews with the survivor, Brian reconstructs this harrowing tale of territorial conflict and survival. Listeners will hear how the man's experience...

Deep in the shadows of Mount St. Helens, five gold prospectors experienced a night of terror that would forever mark their lives and give birth to one of America's most enduring wilderness mysteries.In this episode, we transport you to July 1924, when Fred Beck, the steady leader of a small mining operation, fired three shots at a strange, towering figure glimpsed across a canyon. Little did he know that as darkness fell, his cabin would become a fortress under siege.Join us as we follow Fred, Gabe Lefever, John Peterson, Marion Smith, and his son Roy through their harrowing ordeal—ro...

This week, we journey into the heart of two of America's most magnificent national parks to unravel mysteries that have confounded investigators for decades. Two young men, four years apart, both vanished without a trace while hiking alone on well-established trails. Their disappearances share disturbing similarities that suggest these weren't simply cases of lost hikers, but perhaps something far more inexplicable.

The Story of Timothy Barnes takes us to the crystalline waters of Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. On July 5, 1988, 25-year-old Timothy "Tim" Barnes set out on what should have been a routine day hike. Standing 6'3"...

Today, Brian brings you the chilling first-person account of Jack, a former farm owner whose family experienced a series of terrifying encounters with what can only be described as a Dogman.
Jack describes how the encounters began with mysterious livestock disappearances and strange predator tracks that were "too big for a wolf, shaped wrong for a bear"The family's increasing terror as the creature progresses from killing animals to stalking their home, including a hair-raising incident where it was seen looking through their 10-year-old son's second-story windowVivid descriptions of the entity: standing 7-8 feet tall with canine features, possessing...

In this episode Brian shares a remarkable story from a man named Dale who had an extraordinary encounter in the North Georgia mountains back in 1983. As teenagers, Dale and his friend Brad embarked on what they thought would be a routine fishing and camping trip down the Chattooga River, only to experience something that would change their lives forever.

Episode Highlights:
Dale recounts how he and Brad, just 14 years old, set out on a seven-day journey down the Chattooga River in a flat-bottom aluminum boatThe boys' initial encounters with strange sounds and wood knocking that couldn't be...

Welcome back to National Park Nightmares, the podcast that explores real-life disappearances, survival stories, and unexplained events from deep within America's most iconic wilderness areas. In Volume 4, we dive into some of the most chilling—and unforgettable—cases yet. We begin with a rare story of survival. Christy Perry, a seasoned hiker, vanished in Big Bend National Park in Texas in November 2023. For eight days, she endured freezing temperatures, rain, and isolation with no food and only rainwater to drink. Most feared the worst.

Then, against all odds, she was found alive. Her story is a reminder that some...

Five people. Five remote regions. Five encounters that leave more questions than answers. In this chilling episode, we dive deep into the raw, first-person accounts of individuals who came face-to-face with something impossible—and survived to tell the story.From a veteran park ranger in Olympic National Park who locked eyes with a towering, silent figure by a remote creek, to a hiker in northern Minnesota who stumbled across an eerie structure and felt something watching from just beyond the trees… these aren't blurry photos or secondhand stories. These are firsthand moments where fear met something real in the woods.We’l...

In this gripping episode, we explore four true stories of seasoned hunters whose lives were changed forever deep in the wilderness. These are men who spent their entire lives in the woods, men who knew every sound, every shadow, and every sign the forest had to offer. They were confident, experienced, and prepared for anything—until the day they weren’t.From the dark pine forests of northern Minnesota to the remote wilderness of central Oregon… from the dense hollows of northern Alabama to the endless thickets of East Texas… each of these men came face-to-face with something they couldn’t explain...