Bigfoot in West Virginia
96 mapped reports in the TidyTuesday extract of the BFRO database (#13 of 49 states with reports). A row is a submitted report, not a confirmed animal.
One profile per state. 'stats' are computed from sightings_seed.csv (4,045 mapped BFRO reports, 1869-2021, from the TidyTuesday 2022-09-13 extract). These are mapped reports in that extract, not all reports ever made and not confirmed sightings. Class A = clear sighting, Class B = sound/tracks/obscured view, Class C = secondhand or less reliable (BFRO definitions). Festivals, creatures and museums are pulled from festivals.json, regional_creatures.json and research.json.
Mapped reports
- Class A (clear sighting report): 50
- Class B (sound, tracks, or an obscured view): 46
- Class C (secondhand): 0
- Years: 1960–2017. Since 2010: 12.
- Busiest decade: 2000s (56). Busiest month: July (17).
- Seasons: spring 15, summer 36, fall 32, winter 13.
- Counties with at least one mapped report: 37.
Top counties: Pendleton County (14); Randolph County (9); Pocahontas County (8); Wayne County (5); McDowell County (4).
Regional names
- Sheepsquatch — regional cryptid (white, horned; not a typical Bigfoot description)
Festivals
- West Virginia Bigfoot Festival · Summersville · 2026 edition was Oct 9-11; usually early-to-mid October
Museums and landmarks
- West Virginia Bigfoot Museum - Sutton, WV — Small-town museum tied to the West Virginia Bigfoot Festival.