One Washington county made killing Bigfoot a felony. Oregon has a trap. California gave him a scenic byway.
Killing Bigfoot is a felony in one Washington county, and it has been since a 1984 amendment to a 1969 law. In Skamania County, premeditated, willful and wanton slaying of a Sasquatch carries a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in county jail, or both. The funny part is that Washington isn’t even the most committed state in this bit.
Oregon has an actual trap, and California signed a highway over to the legend. Here’s a south-to-north road trip through all three, with a stop at each state’s best place to stand inside the story.
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California: the town that calls itself the Bigfoot capital
Willow Creek doesn’t do subtle. A huge Sasquatch carved from a single redwood stands guard at the Willow Creek–China Flat Museum, which houses a Bigfoot collection of footprint casts, toys, photos, and videos. The museum runs on donations and charges no admission.
The reason all of this lives here is Bluff Creek, where the famous 1967 Patterson–Gimlin film was shot, roughly 50 miles north up State Route 96. That road is officially signed as the Bigfoot Scenic Byway, which is the kind of detail that makes a drive better.
Hot take: the road is the real attraction, and the museum is the excuse. Pair it with the Bald Hills Scenic Drive into Redwood National Park for a day that has actual scenery in it, and take that winding mountain road slowly. Check the museum’s current hours before you set out.
Oregon: a Bigfoot trap you can actually walk up to
Near Jacksonville, in the Rogue River–Siskiyou National Forest, a 10-by-10-foot wooden cage sits just off the Collings Mountain Trail. The North American Wildlife Research Team built it in 1974 after a local miner reported 18-inch footprints. It’s thick slabs of wood held together with metal bands and anchored to the earth with a telephone pole.
It never caught Bigfoot, but bears and hunters kept setting it off, so it was locked open in 1980. The Forest Service repaired it in 2006, and it’s still there for you to poke around. The trap sits about a quarter-mile up a short side trail from the main route.
That main route is no stroll: 4.2 miles round trip with about 1,300 feet of climbing, rated strenuous, along Grouse Creek and up toward views of the Siskiyou Crest and Applegate Lake.
Want a no-sweat version? The North American Bigfoot Center in Boring, at Highways 26 and 212, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has historical handprints and footprints plus a life-size replica named Murphy.
Washington: the hike behind the legend
Ape Canyon, on the southeast side of Mount St. Helens, is named for a story from the summer of 1924. A group of prospectors said seven-foot, ape-like creatures attacked their cabin with boulders after they shot one. Forest Service rangers investigated, found no evidence, and concluded it was a hoax, but the tale stuck and got absorbed into Bigfoot folklore anyway.
The full out-and-back runs roughly 10 miles through old-growth forest to open volcanic plains, with views of St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Rainier. Short on time? Turn around at the switchbacks for about 3.6 miles round trip and roughly 800 feet of climbing, which is an easy sell for a legend this good.
The trailhead is in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, with room for about seven vehicles and overflow parking nearby. The Forest Service honors the Northwest Forest Pass there, lists the season as June through October, and noted the trail had not yet received maintenance as of May 2026, so check current conditions before you go. While you’re at St. Helens, Windy Ridge is a crater view worth the drive, and the Ape Cave lava tube is nearby too.
So which state gets your first Bigfoot road trip: the law, the trap, or the byway? Tell us your pick in the comments.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
