Eureka denies report of Bigfoot in redwood park

Response comes after mystery platform images go viral

Eureka, CA – In response to visual evidence suggesting a primitive hominid in a public forest, city officials in a Northern California coastal community strongly dismissed the possibility of a Bigfoot in the preserve.

The denial came after photos circulated on the Internet from Eureka’s Sequoia Park, seeming to show a hominid or hominids 50 feet or more above the forest floor in a tall redwood tree on a platform.

The images, first posted on this site some days ago, were taken by an experienced Western naturalist visiting the 70-acre sanctuary, which protects many old growth redwoods. The photos were determined to be original and unaltered.

The platform in question is part of the Redwood Sky Walk, currently under construction and slated to open later this year, which will connect the city of Eureka’s zoo with its redwood community forest.

Eureka's Redwood Sky Walk Concept. (Greenway Partners)

Sky trail high in the trees

The Redwood Sky Walk should open later this year. (Greenway Partners Concept)

The $4M canopy trail will extend a quarter mile into the forest, connecting numerous tree platforms and rising as high as 100 feet from the forest floor. The ADA-compliant project will include an aerial segment for less mobile visitors.

A high-ranking city staffer familiar with the project dismissed the idea of a primitive man monster in the park. “I don’t even see how that’s possible,” he said.

No workers were aware of such a creature, he added, urging residents and curious out-of-towners to avoid the area during the sky walk’s final construction phase and after its soft launch to reduce the human footprint in the park and zoo during Covid restrictions.

Bigfoot expert weighs in

Cryptozoology expert Steven Streufert, who owns Bigfoot Books in Willow Creek, was cautious in his assessment of the photos. 

“It’s ambiguous enough to be interpreted as such. It seems to have a form and the shape of a body. It’s fairly solid and not just a shadow. But I still have a lot of questions.”

A commenter on the King Bigfoot blog thought the creature was wearing something that blended it into the background.

“The person or bigfoot in the pic appears to be wearing a hat or a rain breaker. Definite artificial material not fur,” David Williams posted.

Zoom in of the mystery shape.

Potential megafauna habitat

Eureka's Sequoia Park has old growth giants that rival those in nearby Redwood National Park.

Photographic evidence aside, the question remains whether a primitive primate, should such a species exist in the California wilds, could find itself in Sequoia Park. It has large redwoods, meadows, springs, a lake, grottos and tree caves, and food sources like fish, waterfowl, berries, shoots and roots. Deer and the occasional black bear have been spotted here.

Dr. Richard Stepp, a former professor of physical sciences at Humboldt State University and lifelong researcher on paranormal topics, thinks it would be possible.

“There are streams that flow through the park, covered with thick underbrush. Streams are traditional passageways for large mammals to travel without detection,” Stepp said.

Moreover, he added, there have been other reports of primitive hominids near Eureka, including the testimony of an eyewitness from a farm south of town in the 1940s.

Sighting near cryptid hotspot

While on the outskirts of Eureka, Sequoia Park connects with green corridors of private and public forests that extend all the way to Humboldt County’s Six Rivers National Forest and Redwood National Park, regions with more documented hominid encounters than anywhere in California.

They include the famous Patterson-Gimlin creature, captured on film in 1967 near Willow Creek, the so-called Bigfoot capital of the world.

Green corridors extend from Eureka's Sequoia Park (red marker) into the state's largest forests.

Possible Bigfoot photographed in Eureka forest

NOTE: The following account was submitted by an experienced Western naturalist. We can confirm the photos are original and unaltered. UPDATE: A city official denies Bigfoot in park, urges people to avoid the area. More 

A primordial ecosystem

Sequoia Park In Eureka.

Dear King Bigfoot, I didn’t know where to share this anomalous incident, but found your website on an Internet search and thought I’d contact you.

Before I begin, here’s a little background. I’m from another state but often take trips with my family to see the redwoods. Especially during this time of social distancing, we find them enjoyable and worthwhile to visit. I like to share forest ecology with my children. 

Not all the big trees are in Redwood National Park or on the Avenue of the Giants. Sequoia Park in Eureka, which is near the coast about halfway between the two locations, has some scientifically significant old growth specimens. This picture here is an example of one estimated at 1,000 years old. Some live past 2,000 years in age.

But I’m not contacting you about the trees. It’s about a strange experience we had in the forest a few days ago. Nearing dusk, with the park quiet and empty, my son noticed something high in the redwoods in the distance.

'I think I see a Bigfoot'

More than 50 feet off the forest floor, a platform of some kind was attached to one of the trees. On top of it was an unusual figure or shape.

“Dad, I think I see a Bigfoot,” my son said.

I was skeptical, but don’t have the eyesight he does. So I took a few photographs to examine whatever the thing was. Here is the first photo.

If you look closely, you can see a shape on top of the platform, one of numerous mysterious structures high in the trees in Sequoia Park.

Redwood Sky Walk Platform.

Closer look leads to questions

Zoom in of the mystery shape.

In this second image, which zooms in above the platform, the ambiguous shape comes into somewhat better focus. I don’t know what it us, but it could conceivably be a Bigfoot.

It seems to be looking up to the right, with an arm extended to the right, from the perspective of the viewer, grasping either the tree or a rope perpendicular to the platform. It has perhaps grabbed a cord as well, which looks like it’s dangling around its torso. What could be a face seems to be looking upward to the right. 

If the head shape were interpreted facing another direction, more toward the front, two nodular protrusions could be either mammary glands, crouching kneecaps or maybe an infant.

We walked further along the trail to get a closer look but the hominid shape vanished.

Constructive encounter

I did some research and found out more about the platform. It’s part of the Redwood Sky Walk, which is currently under construction but should open later in 2020, connecting the city of Eureka’s zoo with its old growth community forest. 

The $4M canopy trail will extend a quarter mile into the forest, connecting numerous platforms and rising as high as 100 feet from the forest floor. Here is a visual of what it will look like.

Eureka's Redwood Sky Walk Concept. (Greenway Partners)

Potential megafauna habitat

Green corridors extend from Eureka's Sequoia Park (red marker) into the state's largest forests.

But I digress. Back on the topic. I wanted to find out if it was possible for a Bigfoot to be in Sequoia Park. It is 70 acres of forest, much of it off trail, with streams, meadows, plenty of fish, waterfowl, berries, shoots and roots. Black bears and deer make regular appearances. Why not a possible primate? 

There have been other reports of primitive hominids near Eureka, including the testimony of an eyewitness from a farm south of town in the 1940s. 

And Sequoia Park, while on the outskirts of Eureka, does connect with green corridors of private and public forests that go all the way to Six Rivers National Forest and Redwood National Park. 

Bigfoot or not, Humboldt County has recorded the most encounters with the beast man in California, including the famous Patterson-Gimlin creature, captured on film in 1967 near Willow Creek, the so-called Bigfoot capital of the world.

This account is from a former national park ranger who wishes to remain anonymous at this time given the sensitive nature of this topic. However, he is researching more on the subject and may send us additional reporting. The photos are public use and can be shared.