Claimed encounters in Tulare County, California

24 entries reported in Tulare County, California, each linked to the report or podcast segment it came from. Narrow them down with the filters, or see them on the map.

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24 encounters
4 July 2025 River Kern, Kernville, Tulare County, California Class B #78851

"Ohio howls" heard by campers in Kern Canyon 15 miles north of Isabella Lake

The witness and his wife were camping with their dogs when they heard repeated long howls echoing from the surrounding ridges. The witness joked at the time that it was Bigfoot but later became convinced after a shopkeeper said other campers reported similar sounds. After returning home the wife identified a played recording as exactly matching what they had heard.

Howl
Summer 2020 Lemon Cove, Tulare County, California Class B #65943

Possible tracks found close to Giant Forest Museum in Sequoia National Park

The witness was hiking with family near Bear Hill Trail and photographing the children when two large, deep footprints with distinct toes and heels were noticed on a hillside. A third similar print was later found higher up on the trail, and photos and video were taken including the witness's own foot for scale. The witness also heard a twig snap uphill but saw no person or animal.

TracksUnidentified sound
13 September 2013 Pine Flat Resort, Tulare County, California Class B #42148

Possible nighttime encounters at a campground near Pine Flat Resort

The witness and a companion were camping in tents in a largely deserted mountain campground. On two consecutive nights after 11 p.m. the witness heard strange sounds near his tent, including chatter, stone-like banging, cough-like and shushing noises, and a deep guttural grunt from about thirty feet away. On the second night small debris struck the side of his tent as if thrown. The companion confirmed hearing weird noises on the first night.

ChatterGrowlVocalizationUnidentified soundObject throwing
29 September 2008 Kernville, Tulare County, California Class B #24877

Deer hunter comes across possible sasquatch tracks (w/ cell phone photo of one track)

The witness camped alone on a mountain ridge during deer season. Late in the evening he heard a single loud guttural pop-like sound nearby that he took as an animal warning. The next morning he found very large human-like footprints and followed them about 75 yards through a saddle before resuming hunting. He photographed the first print with a cell phone.

VocalizationTracks
11 August 2008 Ducor, Tulare County, California Class B #24795

Campers hear lengthy call and response sequence between creatures in the Giant Sequoia National Monument

Three people arrived at a meadow campsite in dark early morning hours and heard a loud call-and-answer exchange of whoops from unseen sources to the southwest and southeast. The lower-pitched calls stayed in place while higher-pitched replies seemed to move closer, with a pause in the middle, totaling roughly half an hour. The group stayed a week without seeing anyone else, and the reporter later suggested the sounds might have been Bigfoot.

Whoop
8 August 2007 Independence, Tulare County, California Class A #24938

Daylight sighting by backpacker near Pacific Crest Trail west of Independence observes two creatures during the afternoon on the PCT

On the afternoon of August 11, 2007, the witness was resting near the Pacific Crest Trail in the southern high Sierras when he noticed two upright, dark-furred figures about 200 yards away near a deep canyon. He watched for about 10 minutes as they moved around close together, apparently looking at the ground and unaware of him. After he made a coyote call, both figures quickly left his view down into the canyon.

Full-body sighting
May 2007 Blackrock Ranger Station, Tulare County, California Class B #19448

Possible vocalizations heard by campers near Monache Mountain

The witness was camping with family in Monache Meadows when loud echoing whoops were heard from nearby late at night. The whoops came in pairs and were then joined by coyote howls and sounds of a violent chase that receded into the distance. No visual observation was made and the group did not search the area the next day.

WhoopHowl
September 2002 Ponderosa, Tulare County, California Class B #4887

Family has strange experience in Golden Trout Wilderness

A family staying at a remote pack station heard a high-pitched whooping call for many minutes that seemed to approach and then pass toward a wilderness trail. The daughter went to the access road to meet the caller and saw a large, hair-covered, unclothed being with a long beard, long arms and a big mouth walking quickly past. She said it did not see her and was not vocalizing when seen. The next morning the family found a few possible wide-toed prints in the dust at the spot she indicated.

Full-body sightingWhoop
6 September 2001 Three Rivers, Tulare County, California Class B #3121

Hiker hears loud scream in Sequoia National Park

The witness was camping alone in the backcountry of Sequoia National Park and preparing dinner just after sunset. The witness heard loud repeated screams described as non-human and unnerving, lasting about 30 seconds before ending abruptly. About 15 minutes later coyotes were heard barking nearby. The witness stayed alert that night but reported no further occurrences for the remainder of the trip.

Scream
June 2001 Mineral King, Tulare County, California Class B #6922

Campers have rocks thrown at them near Mineral King

Four people camped overnight in a remote pine forest after hiking all day to the spot. Around 1 a.m. large rocks began falling around their tents for several hours, despite no cliffs or steep grade that could explain natural rockfall, accompanied by very loud branch cracking. The witness got up repeatedly to look but saw nothing that could explain the activity, except a deer that stayed in camp until the disturbance stopped.

Rock throwingUnidentified sound
4 April 2001 Kennedy Meadows, Tulare County, California Class A #2431

Father and daughter observe unusual tracks

The witness and her father were hiking back toward Kennedy Meadows Campground after crossing the river upstream when the witness noticed unusual barefoot-like prints in the forest between the river and the Pacific Crest Trail. Both examined the prints, described as large, flat, five-toed and human-like. They could not age the prints precisely but thought they were made after rain five days earlier and within the last day or two.

Tracks
1 May 2000 Porterville, Tulare County, California Class A #9357

Workers have daytime sighting on Tule River Indian Reservation

The witness and a secretary stepped outside their remote office for a break and noticed a large hairy creature on the mountainside about 100 yards away holding onto a rock ledge. They watched it for about ten minutes with a clear view of its face and eyes before the secretary became frightened and they went back inside. When the witness went back outside shortly afterward, the creature was gone.

Partial sighting
12 August 1998 Tulare County, California Class C #2878

Two Local Residents Interviewed about Sighting

The author states this is not a sighting report but a follow-up visit to the location of a prior anonymous Three Rivers report. He describes dense riparian vegetation along a canyon bottom and a dry creek bed that could conceal animal movement, and notes nearby homes along the road. He spoke with two local residents who said they had never heard of the prior sighting and doubted it.

12 August 1998 Tulare County, California Class A #2877

Creature Seen Jumping Over a Barbed-Wire Fence

The witness was driving up the road in the morning and saw what they first thought was a bear in the middle of the road. The animal then stood up, ran on two feet, jumped a nearby barbed-wire fence, and continued running into the woods until it was gone.

Full-body sighting
October 1988 Tulare County, California Class A #2183

Backpackers hear loud screams in the distance on the same day a crew of trail bridge builders has an encounter with a screaming bigfoot a few miles away

Two companions on a multi-day backpacking trip were sitting in camp at dusk at a high lake when they heard a single loud unearthly screaming howl from a distance. They described it as having huge volume, trailing off rather than stopping abruptly, seeming sad rather than threatening, and unlike any human, bear, or other known sound. Exhausted, they slept in the tent and forgot the incident until days later when they read a newspaper account of a close-range sighting reported the same day a few miles away.

HowlScream
July 1986 Kennedy Meadows, Tulare County, California Class B #22815

Campers hear loud vocalizations near Kennedy Meadows

Two people camping by a campfire heard an extremely loud yell that faded into a deep growl, repeating for several minutes from the direction of a nearby meadow. They then heard a branch break and leaves moving just beyond the firelight while the companion's dog froze, shook, and stared into the darkness. They did not see the source, abandoned their tents to sleep in a vehicle, and remained frightened through the night.

GrowlVocalizationFootsteps
October 1985 Kernville, Tulare County, California Class B #11407

Two young men camping in the high country, hear vocals

Two companions were camping away from developed sites and sitting by a campfire in the evening when they heard loud shrill scream-growl vocalizations that seemed to come closer over time. The surrounding forest reportedly fell silent and they felt frightened and that something was close. They turned off music, readied firearms, heard another series of screams later that night, and slept with guns for protection.

ScreamGrowlFootsteps
October 1979 BLACK ROCK, Tulare County, California Class B #12328

Hunters are awakened by loud, repetitive vocalizations in Monache Meadows

The witness and a companion were camped overnight during a hunting trip when they were awakened around 2 a.m. by very loud howling from a meadow. The sound was described as sad but not threatening and continued intermittently for about an hour while they searched with a spotlight from a vehicle without seeing anything. They then returned to camp.

Howl
August 1955 Porterville, Tulare County, California Class A #1229

Boy Scout has late night sighting above Porterville

An 11-year-old on a Boy Scout camping trip left his tent around 2:30 a.m. to use the latrine near a small ravine. Hearing brush breaking across the ravine, he shone his flashlight and saw a tall hair-covered biped with a very large head, no visible neck, very long arms, and widely spaced glowing orange eyes. He fled back to the tent in terror and was not believed when he told others.

Full-body sightingEyeshine
BFRO YEAR: 1987-88 Tulare County, California Class A #2794

Woman has early evening sighting near Kennedy Meadows

While driving on a dirt road toward a campsite near Kennedy Meadows at dusk, the witness saw a large, hairy figure running among Joshua trees about 100 yards away. The figure moved north on two legs and then disappeared from view when the witness looked again after speaking to a passenger. The witness continued to the campsite and told the rest of the group about the sighting.

Full-body sighting