Bigfoot is a legend known around the world.
Sightings take place every year in different locations, and the rural Pennsylvania Wilds is no exception.
As the largest block of green space between New York City and Chicago, the PA Wilds is perhaps an obvious home for a cryptid thought to prefer rugged mountainous terrain with lower populations of people. Our region takes up approximately a quarter of the Commonwealth’s landmass and is home to more than 2 million acres of public lands — that’s land that is available to all of us for free, and it is managed by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. That’s a lot of territory for Bigfoot to enjoy!
And of course, some of the people and communities in the region uplift and celebrate the hairy bipedal creature that seems to elude us all!
Indulge in Bigfoot Libations
When you are taking a rest from your Sasquatch hunting, be sure to pick up some of Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery’s Squatch N Berry! PA has the third-highest sightings of Sasquatches at nearly 1,300 sightings in 2019, according to a Penn Live article. This wine allows you to celebrate Sasquatch and support a good cause. A portion of the proceeds from wine sales will benefit the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, and the nonprofit’s mission to advance conservation and economic development efforts in the rural PA Wilds region.
Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery, located on 13 acres in Clearfield County, produces over 40 varieties of our handcrafted wines for perfect moments. Ken Starr, president of the winery, learned the art of making wine by his father’s side in 1952. In 1994, he purchased the property in Curwensville, Pennsylvania, and planted 12 vines. By 1998, there were 3,000 vines. Starr built a winery in 1998 and started making wine again. The wine was good, prompting him to go commercial in 2005.
Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery is located in the I-80 Frontier Landscape and is open to visitors. Learn more by visiting Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery, and be sure to pick up a Squatch N Berry wine during your next adventure!
Attend a Bigfoot-themed Event!
There are two events now taking place in the Allegheny National Forest & Surrounds landscape of the PA Wilds that celebrate Bigfoot!
The Forest County Bigfoot Festival
This new festival is a family friendly event with something fun for everyone. This event will feature a virtual bigfoot hunt, crafters, food vendors, guest speakers, live bands, family activities, geocaching event, a 5 K fun run, and games sponsored by the Forest County Business Alliance.
The 2022 event is slated for Friday, June 10 beginning at 6 p.m., and festivities will take place through Sunday, June 12th at 4 p.m. It takes place on Main Street in downtown Marienville, PA. Learn more here.
Squatchfest
Held at the Kane Family Drive-In in Kane, PA, the event typically features five incredible bands, fireworks, food, games, contests, and prizes!
Annual event information to be announced! Learn more here
Get your PA Wilds Bigfoot gear!
Celebrate your love for Bigfoot with some PA Wilds gear! Whether you’re looking to don a t-shirt, promote your Bigfoot love on your other gear with a sticker, or to share details with your loved ones — we’ve got you covered!
Visit the Bigfoot statue!
Visit the Depot at Doolittle’s
Along the I-80 Frontier landscape of the PA Wilds, you’ll find Depot at Doolittle’s, a special place in the PA Wilds! Featuring a series of independent train cars with unique experiences inside each one, the site is also home to a fun statue of Bigfoot!
The Depot at Doolittle’s offers creative ventures to draw visitors from all over the country, including five restaurants — four housed in train railcars — that feature fine or regular dining, a brewery, and brick oven pizza; railcars that have been converted into beautiful B&Bs; and a large animatronic dinosaur exhibit, possibly the largest in Pennsylvania.
The Depot won the 2019 PA Wilds Great Places Champion of the Year Award due to the innovative asset development and promotion that have worked together to create a unique tourism destination within the PA Wilds.
Learn more about Bigfoot in the Wilds
Visit Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center
One of the more popular exhibits of the Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitors Center is the Myths and Legends cabinet, which shares testimonials, information, and artifacts about a number of myths and legends surrounding the Kinzua Bridge. Take a trip to the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the PA Wilds to take in all the details in person!
One of seven of these myths, Bigfoot is featured on a postcard that you can mail out to friends and family to share the story behind Bigfoot sightings in the Kinzua Bridge area. Each myth and legend is printed on card stock paper with some having rounded corners while supplies last. Is it fact or fiction? We’ll let you decide. (See above for a link to the postcard, available for purchase on the PA Wilds Marketplace and at the PA Wilds Conservation Shop.)
