A Bigfoot- and UFO-lovers’ travel guide to Colorado

The first time I heard a Sasquatch grunt I was six episodes deep into the Wild Thing podcast Denver journalist Laura Krantz s three-part show about Bigfoot UFOs and nuclear power As it turned out the huffing vocalization that caught my ear was only Shane Corson field researcher at the Olympic Project a group that explores the science behind Bigfoot Like a birder mimicking a yellow warbler s soft pish-pish-pish Corson was attempting to lure a Bigfoot out of the brush while tromping through the woods with Krantz and her podcasting association Related Bigfoot tourism brings cryptid-curious to Colorado Now I wouldn t go so far as to say I believe in Sasquatch but I suspect this is how any obsession starts Reddit threads a History Channel binge One minute you re innocently enjoying Krantz s superb storytelling and then you re mapping out a road trip across rural Colorado I guess I d invariably know it but Krantz s work illuminates a simple truth Colorado is a hotbed of strangeness a place where the Rocky Mountains rise to meet the unexplained Whether you re a skeptic or a seeker exploring otherworldly corners of the Centennial State is a great excuse to experience beloved and overlooked destinations alike Sasquatch Outpost Bigfoot cookie cutters are sold at Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey Colorado on Wednesday June Photo by Hyoung Chang The Denver Post Rumor has it Bigfoot is nocturnal but I wouldn t recommend a backcountry night hike unless you re a very confident wayfarer with honed navigation skills and proper gear For the majority of us it s better to start in Bailey at the Sasquatch Outpost Main St open a m to p m and closed Wednesdays This fun retail shop is packed with a veritable hodgepodge of Bigfoot sundries everything from mugs and figurines to books postcards and t-shirts Behind the store enter the Sasquatch Encounter Discovery Museum for adults for kids a homespun gallery housing an impressive collection of documents on Bigfoot history and research alongside items such as track casts large-scale maps and several sculptures and replicas Owners Jim and Daphne Myers host regular meet-ups for enthusiasts and they ll also take folks out on expeditions They ve been putting the finishing touches on a bigfoot-themed escape room and are hopeful it ll be operational by June Where to eat The Cutthroat Caf Main St within walking distance of the outpost serves a pretty solid breakfast Or you can quench your thirst at Craft Mountain Brewing Main St or at a waterside seat at Aspen Peak Cellars U S Hwy offering a perfect setting for higher-end lunch and dinner fare Where to hike Hoping to spot a Bigfoot The trailhead to Colorado Trail Section is only minutes west of Bailey directly off Highway This segment of Colorado s epic -mile cross-state hiking and biking way takes outdoors enthusiasts through certain premium mountain terrain Or head to Staunton State Park S Elk Creek Road The -mile road to Elk Falls is a personal favorite but there s a lot to love about the much shorter David Ponds Loop measuring in at about miles across even easy terrain Nederland A Frozen Dead Guy Day statue stands near the Pavilion pond during the Frozen Dead Guy Days Polar Plunge in Estes Park The festival used to be in the town of Nederland Photo by Helen H Richardson The Denver Post Nederland may be on your weirdness radar as the birthplace of a peculiar and totally beloved festival Frozen Dead Guy Days The annual celebration of Grandpa Bredo rumored to be kept frozen in a Tuff Shed might have relocated to Estes Park but Ned hasn t gotten any less strange and it boasts a strong showing in the Sasquatch department Campers tell of shadowy shapes darting between trees and screams echoing down from the Indian Peaks As in recent months as March the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization informed a new sighting miles outside Boulder Where to camp Spend a night in one of designated tent sites at West Magnolia Trailhead past Peak to Peak Hwy and you might find yourself reconsidering what you thought you knew about the animal kingdom Camping is first-come first-served no facilities of any kind Where to hike Mud Lake Open Space County Road is an excellent choice From the Mud Lake Trailhead combine the forested Tungsten and Kinnickinnick loop trails and end at the on-site lake which is way more spectacular than the name suggests Where to eat I m partial to Crosscut Pizzeria E st St which offers wood-fired pizzas good craft beer and creek-view dining on the patio Salto Coffee E nd St is another solid option UFO Watchtower When it comes to alien activity you ll seemingly want to start where the skies are darkest and the stories wildest the UFO Watchtower off Highway two miles north of Hooper GPS sometimes gets this destination wrong so watch for the signs and green alien sculptures Andy Cross The Denver PostA sign welcomes visitors to the UFO Watchtower an elevated metal platform offering a view of the skies and perhaps travelers from outer space Andy Cross The Denver Post Judy Messoline author of the book That Crazy Lady Down the Road built her -foot-tall watchtower on a whim in Certain uninformed travelers might call it a raised metal platform surrounded by lawn ornaments you ll have to see for yourself if you can feel the force vortex In years the structure has become a beloved roadside attraction that doubles as sacred ground for various sky watchers Apparently the UFO Watchtower has drawn more than human visitors several of whom have added their own small trinkets to the growing collection that s laid out on the pea gravel near the site s main attraction At this time guests are welcome on weekends from a m to p m but these hours extend in the spring and summer we think Messoline doesn t answer her phone but she maintains a website with updated information theoriginalufowatchtower com Be ready to pay a nominal visitation fee of per person children under get in free Where to camp Onsite You don t need a reservation It s per night per tent BYO water food firewood and trash bags You can also pitch a tent at Pi on Flats Campground inside Great Sand Dunes National Park nearby A moonless night is the best time to experience this International Dark Sky Park You seemingly won t see any pulsing orbs or darting shapes but looking up at a pitch-black sky you ll get a real sense for the vastness of our mysterious universe Laura Krantz of the Wild Things podcast has never Bigfoot in person but that doesn t mean she doesn t believe Provided by Laura Krantz Fiske Planetarium Boulder Krantz s podcast and books are all about determining science fact from fiction To that end she recommends Fiske Planetarium Regent Drive on the CU Boulder campus The largest planetarium between Chicago and L A the museum functions as a project zone for CU students and faculty When the space isn t being used for educational pursuits the general community is invited into the -foot-diameter dome for films star talks and even laser shows Related Articles Jam band stars highlight luxury catamaran cruises for Colorado company Here s a sustainable expedition hack Shop at your local refill store Rep Brittany Pettersen on defeat of proxy voting for new parents in Congress This issue is not going away US expected a big passage year but overseas visitors angered by Trump are heading elsewhere Colorado reports additional measles cases warns virus may be spreading undetected Where to eat Head to Pearl Street Mall for a bite There are dozens of restaurants both casual and upscale with just about any kind of cuisine Where to hike On the west side of the National Center for Atmospheric Research building at Table Mesa Drive you ll find the Walter Orr Roberts Weather Trail a half-mile loop with informational signage For a longer hike follow Mesa Trail until it links with Enchanted Mesa Trail This out-and-back hike weaves through a less-crowded segment of Chautauqua Park Meow Wolf Consider traveling the stars and transcending space-time at Meow Wolf Denver s Convergence Station st St Here s how the story goes When a rare cosmic glitch aligned four worlds into one a portal opened For curious travelers can walk through an immersive interactive science fiction exhibition Have fun trying to solve on-site mysteries or just enough this over-the-top intergalactic art Purchase tickets in advance online Denver International Airport It s impossible to write about Colorado s strangeness without mentioning Denver International Airport which has become a conspiracy theory theme park complete with apocalyptic murals a time capsule underground tunnels and the -foot-tall blue Mustang sculpture with the glowing red eyes Surely you already know that Blucifer killed its creator While the bulk of the weirdness is likely just eccentric art there are selected who believe the airport is a hub or maybe a cover for extraterrestrial activity Keep your eyes peeled the next time your flight gets delayed It s okay to want to believe 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