A comprehensive list of Bigfoot sightings would take days to read and wouldn’t bring us any closer to knowing if the cryptid is real. The vast majority of sightings are not recorded in any way, and so one has to decide whether it’s fact or fiction based on trust. But there is a different kind of sighting, one with some kind of documentation. Those become much more convincing.
Below is a list of four convincing Bigfoot sightings that go above and beyond the normal eye witness event. Obviously, any such list is highly subjective. We decided to list sightings that not only had some kind of documentation but also received a level of notoriety in the Bigfoot community.
Patterson-Gimlin
We’ve covered this in a previous post, but any list of convincing Bigfoot sightings has to contain this — the granddaddy of them all. The footage is either a clear depiction of Bigfoot or a masterclass in hoaxology. Either way, it is worth close attention.
Shot in 1967 near Bluff Creek, it signifies the moment that modern Bigfoot sightings went mainstream. At just under a minute, this film changed the world, bringing a moving image of Bigfoot into the minds of the curious.
It’s not only an important moment for cryptozoologists but also the culture as a whole. The most popular way to illustrate Sasquatch, turning to look at the observer mid stride, is lifted directly from the grainy Patterson-Gimlin film.
It also makes for a good way to contextualize the rest of the list. Ever since people began taking film and video equipment into the wild, they’ve come back with images of Bigfoot. Not always clear, not always irrefutable, but always interesting. And this one started it all.
Bigfoot at Provo Canyon
A video surfaced on the internet depicting an encounter with Bigfoot at Provo Canyon. While on a hike, two young adults captured on video what appears to be two Bigfoot on a hillside (to see the second one clearly, pause around 36 seconds and look carefully).
Because Bigfoot is heavily obscured by the woods, it is difficult to get a clear look at the cryptid. However, the movement and seemingly genuine fear of the camera operators makes one pause and wonder if they are seeing the real thing. The movement of the proposed Bigfoot is also convincing, and you can’t blame the hikers for fleeing such a creature.
Skeptics will point out that the branches and leaves covering the proposed Sasquatch make it impossible to rule out a hoax. And sure, the possibility is there as it is with most any footage of Bigfoot we have or are likely to get. It should be noted that the people who filmed the video are not convinced one way or the other. They make no claim that they saw a Bigfoot, but they also insist it is not a hoax.
Still, the video is very interesting, and Provo Canyon has proven to be a place worthy of further Bigfoot investigation — as if you need an excuse to visit beautiful Utah. Combined with the area’s history of other sightings, this footage adds yet another piece of evidence.
Dr. Ketchum and Adrian Erickson
Dr. Melba Ketchum (yes, that is her real last name) says that she has found proof of Bigfoot. She’s presented what she claims is video evidence of Bigfoot, along with DNA samples collected from hair, blood, and skin samples. Along with researcher Adrian Erickson, they gave a presentation in Dallas, Texas in 2013 discussing their explosive findings.
The video clips, taken in Kentucky, include a shockingly close up peek at a sleeping female Bigfoot as well as more common grainy night time footage. Considering the proximity, this would be the best footage of Bigfoot bar none if proven to be real.
Skeptics continue to remind us that these findings were never published in any peer-reviewed journal. And so, their thinking goes, it should be considered a hoax or irresponsibly bad science — neither of which suggest evidence of Bigfoot. The usual accusations of there being some kind of Sasquatch suit have also been levelled at the team. It is troubling that the evidence, if it is so solid, has not been submitted through a peer-review process.
If you know a thing or two about DNA sequencing and are curious to look at the data yourself, the Sasquatch Genome Project has made their findings open to the public. If you paid attention in biology class, you just might crack the case wide open.
Independence Day
While little is known about the origins of this video, the footage is nevertheless fantastic. It shows a mother Sasquatch holding a cub, rushing off after being scared by the human rudely filming their quality time together. Because we don’t know who shot the video or where they shot it (some speculate it’s Yosemite National Park) any questions we have about it go unanswered.
Slowed down and in close up, the cub makes a few subtle motions, and some Bigfoot researchers claim that the gait of the mother is indicative of a Bigfoot rather than a human hoaxer in a gorilla suit. These features make it a unique sighting that is, by Sasquatch standards, well documented.
The footage is not convincing enough to silence the skeptics. They claim to be able to see a seam in the Bigfoot costume. A damning detail indeed, but it isn’t quite clear where they are seeing the seam.
The footage is particularly memorable for its peek into the life cycle of Bigfoot. And I can think of nothing cuter than a baby Sasquatch.
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