An Ode to Bigfoot, America's Favorite Mythical Creature
The 2026 travel season is about to begin, and that means new opportunities to see mythical creatures and mythological monsters in the national parks!
We’ve been studying the legendary monsters and mythological creatures said to live in the national parks for years. As we’ve visited the 63 American national parks searching for inspiration for our vintage poster art and national park art, we’ve also kept our ears to the ground and our eyes in the front and back of our heads, looking for the monsters, ghosts, legends, and cryptids of the national parks.
After years of exploring, we decided to make an original art collection inspired by these national park monsters, and we called it Legends of the National Parks.
More info on Bigfoot soon, but first, check out this fun, Halloween-themed reel we made depicting the art and products inspired by national park cryptids!
The National Park Art Collection
This art didn’t just come to us in a dream. The artists and illustrators of Anderson Design Group have spent years documenting the wilderness and wonder of America’s National Park system. We’ve explored, rendered posters, written books, and photographed the nation’s most cherished public lands. During our research and adventures in the parks, we’ve also run across some pretty exciting legends. We’ve heard horror stories about strange creatures that others have seen, heard, or felt. We’ve uncovered tall tales of unexplainable events, ancient myths, and local stories passed down by Indigenous Peoples, colonial settlers, and park visitors.
Many of the legends we’ve come across are based on Native American folklore. To the best of our abilities, we’ve indicated which tribes are associated with each story, while respecting the sacred traditions of these Indigenous beliefs. As we dug deeper, we realized that cultures from every continent on the globe have their own rich traditions of mythology featuring bizarre, creepy, and quirky legendary beings. So we began exploring and depicting magical, mystical monsters and mythological creatures from all over the planet.
Of all of the legends we researched, examined, and searched for, which mythical creature of the national parks are you most likely to see in 2026?
It’s definitely Bigfoot, and it isn’t even close.
Why a Bigfoot Sighting?
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), every state in the U.S. has reported Bigfoot sightings, which is quite different from other mythological creatures, as most cryptids in national parks are said to live in just one park or one state. These spooky legends tend to keep to themselves, and they tend to stay in one area.
But not Bigfoot.
Either there is a whole species of “Bigfeet” with a population spread out across the U.S., or Bigfoot is as excited about traveling the country as we are!
And it’s not just the United States… According to BFRO, Canada has reported hundreds of Bigfoot sightings. Other countries like Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Russia have also reported sightings.
The sheer number of sightings is why we feel comfortable saying Bigfoot is the legendary creature and national parks monster you’re most likely to see this year.
Visit These Parks to Increase Your Chances of Spotting Bigfoot
While every state has reported Bigfoot sightings, the Pacific Northwest and the West Coast have the most by far, with Washington State and California accounting for more sightings than almost all the other states combined.
We’ve collected information on a few places in the states where you might, if you’re very patient, quiet, and cautious, catch a glimpse of America’s most famous mythical creature.
Mount Rainier’s Bigfoot: With about 676 recorded sightings centering around Washington’s National Parks, this neck of the woods does seem to be the preferred home and the proverbial “stomping grounds” of the Bigfoot creature. To learn more about Bigfoot sightings in Mt. Rainier National Park (like the most realistic Bigfoot footprint ever found!) check out this article at the Lewiston Tribune.
North Cascade’s Sasquatch: Bigfoot goes by many names, including Sasquatch. Sasquatch is an Indigenous Salish word that translates to “wild men.” While many U.S. states and localities claim to be the home of the elusive beast, no state has as many recorded Sasquatch sightings as Washington State. Furthermore, a significant percentage of the sightings have come from Washington’s National Parks, including the North Cascades. To learn more about frightening encounters with Sasquatch in North Cascades National Park, check out this firsthand account.
Olympic’s Sasquatch: If you’ve ever walked through an eerily quiet forest and seen a shape in the distance you couldn’t quite identify, is it possible you saw the elusive Bigfoot or Sasquatch beast? Hulking above most humans at anywhere from 6ft to 9ft tall, one would think Bigfoot would stand out in a crowd. But in the woods, this beast is particularly elusive, and though Sasquatch sightings number in the several-thousands, few have captured the creature on film. However, if there’s one place you may get a good look at Bigfoot, it’s in the national parks and heavily wooded areas of Washington State. With nine out of every 100,000 Washington residents claiming to have seen Bigfoot, and with many of those sightings occurring in or near Olympic National Park, it’s the place to be if you want to maximize your odds of spotting Sasquatch in the U.S.! Learn more about Bigfoot sightings in Olympic National Park from a local news station.
Yosemite’s Bigfoot: The word on the street is that Bigfoot likes beautiful nature areas just as much as we do, so it comes as no surprise that Bigfoot may have set up one of his many homes in the beloved Yosemite Valley portion of Yosemite National Park. Eyewitness accounts of Bigfoot in Yosemite have described the beast as standing anywhere from 6ft to 9ft tall, almost completely covered in brown and black fur, and believed to resemble an ape-like human. Eyewitness accounts from those who’ve seen the creature say Bigfoot is particularly elusive, always shying away from humans whenever spotted. However, when confronted, he’s not afraid to put forth a bloodcurdling roar! To learn more about Bigfoot sightings in Yosemite and other California wilderness areas, check out this article at the Culture Trip.
Relatives of Bigfoot
There are two other mythical national park creatures and mythological wildlife beasties that deserve honorable mention, partially because they are closely connected to the infamous Bigfoot legend:
Bigfoot Junior of Congaree National Park: Bigfoot is said to stand anywhere from 6ft to 9ft tall, to be almost completely covered in brown and black fur, and is believed to resemble something akin to an ape-like human. But he’s not alone! Some witnesses have said they’ve seen entire Bigfoot families, including Bigfoot Jr., in Congaree National Park. To learn more about this creature and so many others, check out this authoritative resource of spooky creatures and legends: Cryptids Fandom.
Swamp Ape or “Skunk Ape” of Everglades National Park: Everglades National Park has many secrets, some of which we occasionally get a glimpse of before they disappear back into the swamp. The Everglades Swamp Ape is one such mystery, an elusive creature that resembles Bigfoot but is believed to be much shorter and to have longer, lankier arms and legs. Those who have claimed to have witnessed a Swamp Ape say the creature is 5ft-7ft tall and completely covered in mottled, reddish-brown hair. The creature is also said to emit a foul odor, which is why some call it “Skunk Ape.” To learn more about the elusive Swamp Ape, check out the recordings of Swamp Ape sightings at this Wikipedia Page.
The Poster Art Inspired by North America’s Most Famous Mythical Creature
Our artists have created a standalone poster art collection dedicated to that peculiar category of elusive national parks’ wildlife that one has to get a little creative to believe in. That’s why we aptly titled it Legends of the National Parks.
We expanded the collection more recently to include mythical creatures from around the world, building on the legends and stories we uncovered about the folktales and ancient myths of beasts and beings native to various cultures all over the world.
But it all comes back to Bigfoot. We created over 20 original posters dedicated to him and his cousins and relatives, which you can view here.
A One-Stop Guide to Mythical Creatures in the National Parks
Once we finished creating over 50 posters of legends and mythical creatures, we realized we needed a way to portray all of the art and information in an accessible, pocket-sized guide that folks could easily take with them into the national parks.
Enter in: The Legends of the National Parks Guidebook. This guidebook is the one-stop repository of all the information we gathered while researching and illustrating our Legends of the National Parks poster art collection. If you’re visiting the national parks this year and you’re hoping to spot Bigfoot or another national parks cryptid, you need this guide.
This book is a wealth of cryptid information, pinpointing the various National Parks where each legend originated. Maps, captions, facts, and infographics bring these mysterious creatures to life in this handy, pocket-sized guidebook. The legends are retold and amplified with info about the powers and characteristics of each creature, along with plausible natural explanations for how each mystery may have come to be.
Legends of the National Parks is ideal for anyone who is a fan of the National Parks, mythical creatures, and creepy, unexplained phenomena. In addition to featuring 32 mythological monsters of the national parks, we have included a bonus section highlighting 19 other mythical creatures from around the world. Printed on quality paper with a sturdy metal wiro-binding, the dimensions of this handy book are 5” wide x 7” tall.
As long as you have your trusty Legends of the National Parks adventure guide, you should be fine, but we'll still wish you good luck out there, and let us know if you see a national park legend!
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer