Class A First-hand BFRO #12247

Two teenage girls have daytime encounter on Big Sur Coast

15 April 1974 around 11:00 A.M. Gorda, Monterey County, California 2 witnesses

Account

In early spring 1974, the witness and a same-aged companion were sitting on the sand at a Big Sur beach campground. The witness looked toward the mountainside and saw a large dark bipedal figure running rapidly downhill over steep rugged terrain. After alerting her companion, who also glimpsed the figure as it entered the treeline, both girls fled to the campground. The sighting lasted an estimated 10 to 15 seconds on a sunny late morning.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
tall
Build src
broad proportioned upper body
Hair colour src
black
Arms src
exaggerated arm movements
Gait src
running downhill very fast without losing balance
Posture src
bipedal
Age / size src
big

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
15 April 1974
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
around 11:00 A.M.
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
Gorda, Monterey County, California
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
35.56, -121.29 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 12247 (4 decimals, no boundary)
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
2
Derived BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 85% confidence
Witness was
sitting on beach sand while camping
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
something big and black
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class A
Stated BFRO report #12247 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Bart Cutino (BFRO)
Follow-up

An investigator conducted initial and follow-up phone interviews with the witness and tried unsuccessfully to locate her childhood companion.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section
Follow-up

An investigator reviewed aerial photos, consulted former park employees, and correlated the described terrain with an area near Gorda.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2005-08-03 Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash ae15fb191293
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization