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 team.
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 always 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
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 most of us, it’s better to start in Bailey, at the Sasquatch Outpost, 149 Main St., open 10 a.m. to 4 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 ($8 for adults; $5 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 Café, 157 Main St., within walking distance of the outpost, serves a pretty solid breakfast. Or you can quench your thirst at Craft Mountain Brewing, 23 Main St., or at a waterside seat at Aspen Peak Cellars, 60750 U.S. Hwy. 285, 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 #6 is only 20 minutes west of Bailey, directly off Highway 285. This segment of Colorado’s epic 567-mile cross-state hiking and biking route takes outdoors enthusiasts through some premium mountain terrain. Or head to Staunton State Park, 12102 S Elk Creek Road. The 12-mile route 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 2.3 miles across even, easy terrain.
Nederland
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 recently as March, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization reported a new sighting 11 miles outside Boulder.
Where to camp: Spend a night in one of 22 designated tent sites at West Magnolia Trailhead, past 45 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, 2034 County Road 126, 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, 4 E. 1st St., which offers wood-fired pizzas, good craft beer, and creek-view dining on the patio. Salto Coffee, 112 E. 2nd St., is another solid option.
UFO Watchtower
When it comes to alien activity, you’ll probably want to start where the skies are darkest and the stories wildest: the UFO Watchtower off Highway 117, two miles north of Hooper, (GPS sometimes gets this destination wrong, so watch for the signs and green alien sculptures).
A 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 2005 book “That Crazy Lady Down the Road,” built her 10-foot-tall watchtower on a whim in 2000. (Some 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 energy vortex.)
In 25 years, the structure has become a beloved roadside attraction that doubles as sacred ground for many sky watchers. Apparently, the UFO Watchtower has drawn more than 30,000 human visitors, many 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.
Currently, guests are welcome on weekends, from 10 a.m. to 5 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 $5 per person; children under 6 get in free.
Where to camp: Onsite! You don’t need a reservation. It’s $20 per night per tent; BYO water, food, firewood, and trash bags. You can also pitch a tent at Piñon Flats Campground inside Great Sand Dunes National Park nearby. A moonless night is the best time to experience this International Dark Sky Park. You probably 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.
Fiske Planetarium, Boulder
Krantz’s podcast and books are all about determining science fact from fiction. To that end, she recommends Fiske Planetarium, 2414 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 public is invited into the 65-foot-diameter dome for films, star talks, and even laser shows.
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 1850 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, 1338 1st St. Here’s how the story goes: When a rare cosmic glitch aligned four worlds into one, a portal opened. For $45, 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 3the 2-foot-tall blue Mustang sculpture with the glowing red eyes. (Surely you already know that “Blucifer” killed its creator.)
While most of the weirdness is likely just eccentric art, there are some 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.