Bigfoot sightings spike in Northern Utah during pandemic

For years, Cache Valley believers of Bigfoot have felt alone in their experiences. But the COVID-19 pandemic — and a Facebook group — has brought together these people with unusual encounters.

Jon Marshall — the author of “Cache Valley Bigfoot” and a founder of the Facebook group of the same name — said he has received an increased number of messages and posts to the group this fall.

They all have one big, hairy thing in common. And it's not just Bigfoot.

“I know people were always up in the mountains at that time,” Marshall said. “I have lots of friends who were always camping or hiking around that time. So, the more people out there, the more chance there will be sightings and experiences.”

The “hot spots” for these recent sightings are the White Pine and Tony Grove campsites, according to Marshall. The majority of those who have had encounters at these places have had very similar experiences.

“This certain one likes to throw rocks or other things at them,” Marshall said. “He’ll never hit them, but he throws softball-sized or bigger rocks toward them.”

Marshall’s Facebook group, established in 2020, has helped witnesses of this “sasquatch” feel less alone in their experiences.

“Ninety percent of the people that have joined my page in the past two months have seen it,” Marshall said. “They have had an experience, or they have heard firsthand from someone that has had an experience.”

Utah State University wildlife specialist Nicki Frey said the spike in sightings has piqued her curiosity — though she said a bear is the likely cause for these encounters.   

“They are surprisingly humanistic,” Frey said of the black bears that sometimes roam Utah's wilderness. “Especially when you combine their behavior with a human imagination fueled by fear, that is already suspicious that there might be a Bigfoot.”

It is very likely there is a bear den in these Bigfoot “hot spots.” Frey said a bear’s protective nature and their wish to stay hidden might be the cause of these encounters and sightings.

Though this may be a likely answer, Frey is not dismissing the sightings.

“Maybe they are seeing something unique – one never knows,” Frey said. “Animals are adapting to humans in novel ways all the time.”

Frey likes that people are documenting new behavior — for whatever it is they are encountering.

“The scientist in me wants footprints, scat, and hair samples, though,” Frey said laughing. “Or a photo at the very least.”