Sasquatch in the Adirondacks: Bigfoot Sightings, Legends and the Search for Answers
From decades of reported sightings around Whitehall to mysterious encounters deep in the Adirondack Park, Bigfoot remains one of the region's most enduring—and entertaining—mysteries.
Originally published September 23, 2023; updated September 2026.
The mysterious Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, has been spotted across the Adirondacks.
For decades, people have reported Sasquatch sightings in the Adirondacks, from the forests surrounding Whitehall, NY—one of the Northeast’s best-known Bigfoot communities—to remote corners of the Adirondack Park.
There may be no conclusive scientific evidence that Bigfoot is roaming these woods. But eyewitness accounts, local legends and a surprisingly persistent trail of unexplained encounters have kept the story alive.
And in the Adirondacks, a six-million-acre patchwork of mountains, forests, lakes and wonderfully remote places, perhaps that's not entirely surprising.
Why Whitehall became New York’s Bigfoot country.
Ask about Bigfoot in the Adirondacks and sooner or later the conversation arrives in Whitehall.
Located between the Adirondack Mountains and the Vermont border, the historic Champlain Valley community has become synonymous with Sasquatch in New York, largely because of a remarkable series of reported encounters during the 1970s.
The best-known occurred in August 1976 near Abair Road, when several teenagers reported seeing a large, hairy, humanlike creature. The incident drew local law enforcement and became part of a cluster of sightings reported around Whitehall during that period.
Among the witnesses was Whitehall police officer Brian Gosselin, whose reported encounter became one of the defining stories in the town's Bigfoot history.
Decades later, Whitehall hasn't run from its strange claim to fame.
Quite the opposite. Sasquatch has become part of the community's folklore and identity—and given visitors one more reason to look a little more carefully into the woods.
The Beast of Whitehall and the sightings that started a legend.
The 1976 encounters eventually inspired The Beast of Whitehall, a documentary short exploring the sightings and the people who experienced them.
The Beast of Whitehall examines the reported 1976 Bigfoot encounters around Whitehall, NY, one of the Adirondacks' best-known Sasquatch stories.
The accounts remain intriguing precisely because they didn't begin as a tourism campaign or carefully constructed legend. They came from local residents—including people whose jobs generally required them to notice what was happening around them.
Whether that adds up to Sasquatch is another question entirely.
Great, spooky legends.
The Adirondacks have always been fertile territory for stories about things that can't quite be explained.
That shouldn't be terribly surprising. The Adirondack Park covers roughly six million acres, much of it heavily forested and sparsely populated. There are places where roads disappear, mountains swallow the horizon and nighttime arrives with remarkably little artificial light.
Add generations of hunters, hikers, paddlers, loggers and residents spending considerable time in the woods, and stories inevitably follow.
Some encounters can undoubtedly be explained by bears, shadows, distance, weather or the remarkably creative things the human brain does when confronted with an unfamiliar noise after dark.
Others are harder to dismiss.
That's the sweet spot of a good Adirondack legend: somewhere between absolutely impossible and,well, that's odd.
Remote Adirondack ponds are often surrounded by miles of forest with relatively little development. Anyone who has paddled one at dawn or sat beside one after sunset understands how quickly the familiar Adirondacks can become something altogether more mysterious.
That doesn't prove Bigfoot lives there.
But it certainly gives him plenty of room to hide.
Experience Sasquatch country in Whitehall.
Whitehall has done something rather wonderful with its unusual place in Adirondack folklore: it has embraced it.
Each year, the community hosts the Whitehall Sasquatch Festival & Calling Contest, bringing Bigfoot researchers, enthusiasts, families and the cryptid-curious together for a celebration that mixes serious investigation with an appropriate amount of fun.
Sasquatch calling contest in Whitehall, NY.
The 2026 festival is expected to include researchers and presentations, live music, vendors, food trucks, a beer garden, a Bigfoot cruise, and the wonderfully self-explanatory Sasquatch Calling Contest.
Full details are still emerging, but interest in the event is already building.
For visitors interested in Bigfoot events in New York, Whitehall offers something more interesting than a convention built around a legend. This is the place where many of the stories actually happened.
Listen: Tracking Legends — Sasquatch in the Adirondacks.
For those who want to go considerably deeper down the Bigfoot rabbit hole, ADK Talks sat down with researcher and author Paul Bartholomew to examine the history of Sasquatch sightings in the Adirondacks.
Bartholomew has spent decades researching unexplained encounters, particularly those associated with Whitehall. The conversation explores eyewitness accounts, regional folklore and the enduring question of what—if anything—people have encountered in the Adirondack woods.
The episode became one of ADK Talks' most-listened-to conversations, suggesting Adirondack visitors are just as curious about what might be wandering the woods as they are about where to hike through them.
The search continues with ADK Bigfoot.
The Adirondack Sasquatch story isn't confined to encounters from decades ago.
ADK Talks continues the investigation in September 2026 with John Sheridan of ADK Bigfoot, exploring what it means to actively research possible Bigfoot activity in the Adirondacks today.
Sheridan brings the conversation into the present: beyond legendary sightings and campfire stories and into the methods, experiences and questions surrounding contemporary Sasquatch research.
Coming September 7: ADK Talks with John Sheridan of ADK Bigfoot.
Editor's note: This section will be updated with the complete episode and conversation after its September 7 release.
Why does the Sasquatch legend endure in the Adirondacks?
Perhaps because the Adirondacks leave room for uncertainty.
Modern life doesn't offer much of that anymore. There are satellites overhead, cameras in pockets and an answer to almost every mundane question a few taps away.
The Adirondacks can still feel different.
Walk far enough into the backcountry and the roads disappear. Cell signals fade. Forests stretch beyond sight. At night, familiar sounds become surprisingly unfamiliar.
None of that constitutes evidence for Bigfoot.
But it helps explain why stories of mysterious creatures have persisted here for generations—and why even committed skeptics can enjoy wondering what might be standing just beyond the tree line.
19th Century depiction of Bigfoot.
Frequently asked questions about Sasquatch in the Adirondacks.
Are there Bigfoot sightings in the Adirondacks?
Yes. People have reported alleged Bigfoot or Sasquatch encounters in several parts of the Adirondack region. Whitehall, NY, is particularly well known for a series of reported sightings during the 1970s, but accounts have also emerged from other parts of the Adirondack Park.
Why is Whitehall, NY famous for Bigfoot?
Whitehall became associated with Bigfoot following a cluster of reported encounters, including well-known sightings near Abair Road in August 1976. The stories attracted researchers and eventually became an enduring part of Whitehall's local folklore.
When were the famous Whitehall Bigfoot sightings?
Some of Whitehall's best-known Sasquatch reports occurred in August 1976. Witness accounts from that period—including one associated with local police officer Brian Gosselin—helped establish Whitehall's reputation as one of New York's best-known Bigfoot communities.
Have there been Sasquatch sightings outside Whitehall?
Yes. Reported encounters have occurred elsewhere in the Adirondack Park, including the Saranac Lake and High Peaks region. As with other Bigfoot reports, these accounts remain unverified, but they contribute to the larger tradition of Adirondack Sasquatch lore.
Is there a Bigfoot festival in Whitehall, NY?
Yes. Whitehall hosts the annual Whitehall Sasquatch Festival & Calling Contest, a free community event featuring Bigfoot researchers and presentations along with live entertainment, vendors, food and its popular Sasquatch Calling Contest.
Visitors planning to attend can find current information in ADK Taste's 2026 Whitehall Sasquatch Festival & Calling Contest event guide.
Where can visitors learn more about Adirondack Bigfoot?
In addition to exploring Whitehall's Sasquatch history, listeners can hear extended conversations with regional Bigfoot researchers on ADK Talks, ADK Taste's podcast. Episodes explore Whitehall sightings, Adirondack folklore and contemporary efforts to investigate unexplained encounters throughout the region.
Want more stories from the curious corners of the Adirondacks? ADK Taste’s weekly newsletter, In Good Taste, delivers ADK Taste's hand-picked guide to Adirondack food, events, people and places each week.
Here to help anyone tame their savage thirst with 32 oz. of their favorite beverage, the ADK Taste Sasquatch Tumbler is constructed from robust stainless steel and comes with a built-in drinking straw.
.: Stainless steel bottle; black plastic screw-on cap
.: One size: 32oz (0.95l)
.: Double insulation construction
.: Inner plastic straw included
.: Hand wash only