Tracking the Elusive Sasquatch in the Adirondacks
Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, no matter what you call it, this enigmatic creature knows its way around the ADK.
The mysterious Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, has been spotted across the Adirondacks.
The first time I heard about the legendary Bigfoot was from the 70s TV show, "In Search Of." In each episode, Leonard Nimoy, the OG Dr. Spock from "Star Trek," would narrate stories investigating mysterious, controversial and paranormal subjects. The Bigfoot episode focused on sightings in the Pacific Northwest. As a kid who still slept with the hall light on until my pre-teen years, I found it comforting that there were at least 3,000 miles between Sasquatch and me.
Little did I know that there had already been sightings of a mysterious creature lurking in the Adirondack woods. There are several recorded sightings in the Adirondacks, and Whitehall is the most famous (or infamous?), known as the Bigfoot capital of the Northeast.
The Abair Incident: A Bigfoot sighting sparks a movement.
Over many years, Whitehall residents have reported numerous sightings of a mysterious, alarmingly large creature. According to an article in The Daily Gazette, one of the most credible sightings in modern times occurred in August 1976, when three teenagers reported seeing a strange creature in a field off of Abair Road in Whitehall.
Bryan Gosselin, a Whitehall police officer, responded to the call and witnessed an unexplainable creature on Abair Road, making it one of the most credible sightings ever in the area.
And he wasn't alone; over several days, some of Gosselin's fellow officers, his father Wilfred, and brother Paul also saw something they couldn't fully explain.
Giant tracks were found on the river's edge near the field where it was spotted. The descriptions include accounts of the animal standing between 7-8 feet tall and weighing 400 pounds.
Award-winning short documentary about Sasquatch sightings in Whitehall
Great, glowing, big red eyes.
Bigfoot spotters frequently describe the creature as having red eyes and emitting a terrible scream. One witness even claimed to have seen the creature standing still, staring at her, with its eyes glowing, for several minutes before disappearing.
These incidents sparked a surge of interest in Sasquatch and led to an influx of sightings and reports in the Whitehall area.
Stay in the canoe! A sighting in the High Peaks region.
Whitehall isn’t the only place in the ADK to report Bigfoot encounters. For example, in the summer of 1996, a group of friends camped in the Pine Pond area at the base of Ampersand Mountain, not far from Saranac Lake. In the late afternoon, two campers were fishing from a canoe, casually chatting, taking in the scenery, when one of the boaters spied a strange shape on the edge of the wood line 50 yards away.
Alerting their fellow paddler, they caught sight of a creature that bore a striking resemblance to a black bear. With caution, they began rowing towards it. In a calm tone, one friend whispered, "It's a bear." However, the figure suddenly rose on two legs.
As the creature rose to its feet, it revealed a towering height of at least seven feet and a coat of dark brown hair. Its face boasted a fleshy upper cheek area and piercing, reflective eyes. The paddlers watched as the creature shifted its head and gestured with its hands, studying them for several seconds, maybe even up to ten. Its head tilted upwards as if inhaling the surrounding air.
The sound of snapping twigs some fifty feet behind it made the creature spring into action. It turned to its side, then glared back at the canoe before spinning completely around, "darting into the wood line like a cat."
The canoers deliberated whether to paddle toward the shore to look for tracks or other evidence to corroborate their sighting. Even though one of the friends was eager to flee the scene, the other camper’s curiosity won out. Eventually, they stumbled upon two distinct imprints on the shoreline made by the creature's twisting and turning.
Visit Whitehall to celebrate Sasquatch.
Sasquatch calling contest in Whitehall, NY.
Given the high number of Sasquatch sightings in Whitehall, it's no surprise that the town has become a magnet for Bigfoot enthusiasts. Each year, the "Sasquatch Festival and Calling Contest" is held in the village, drawing in believers and skeptics alike to celebrate and discuss the mythical creature. The festival also features a Bigfoot calling contest, where participants try to mimic the howls and grunts attributed to Sasquatch.
This year’s event is scheduled for September 28, 2024. For the most updated information, visit their Facebook page.
Giving new meaning to the term “forever wild” in the Adirondack Park.
To this day, Sasquatch remains a topic of conversation and intrigue in Whitehall. The town has even declared itself "the official home of Bigfoot" and proudly displays its likeness on its town seal.
While skeptics may scoff at the idea of a giant, hairy humanoid living in the woods of Whitehall or elsewhere in the Adirondacks, there is no denying the impact that Sasquatch has had on the area.
And who knows, maybe we'll finally have definitive proof of its existence one day. Until then, the legend – and the sightings – will continue to captivate us. So next time you find yourself in Whitehall, keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready – you never know when you might catch a glimpse of the elusive Sasquatch.
Listen to recent episodes of the ADK Talks podcast to hear more paranormal tales from the Adirondacks.
In this episode of our ADK Talks podcast, we are privileged to host a fascinating conversation with Paul Bartholomew, a distinguished Sasquatch expert renowned for his meticulous research and study of Bigfoot in New York and the New England states.
Paul is joined by Barbara Spoor, who, for the last five years, has organized the enormously popular Sasquatch Festival and Calling Contest in Whitehall, NY, a place that has seen a remarkable number of credible Sasquatch encounters.
This fall, we discussed some of our favorite haunted places and sites for paranormal activity, including the lovely Hotel Saranac, which is consistently named to lists of the best haunted hotels in America. We covered several places around Lake George, which is a hotbed for ghost sightings. And we also discussed the legendary Champ, the Lake Champlain’s mysterious aquatic beast.
