Encounter Atlas
The Mogollon Monster is Arizona's Bigfoot, said to roam the ponderosa pine forests along the Mogollon Rim, a 200-mile escarpment that cuts across the middle of the state. Witnesses describe a creature over 7 feet tall with black or reddish-brown hair, glowing red eyes and a smell compared to dead fish, skunk and snapping turtle all at once.
A 1903 story in The Arizona Republican told of a hairy, clawed wild man near the Grand Canyon who screamed at the witness. Cryptozoologist Don Davis said he saw a huge, square-faced creature as a Boy Scout near Payson in the 1940s, and residents of Whiteriver and the Fort Apache reservation have reported sightings in more recent decades.
Campfire tellings add that it mimics birds and coyotes, whistles, throws stones from cover and builds nests of pine needles.
What witnesses report
- Red or glowing eyes
- Long black or reddish hair
- A blood-curdling, woman-like scream
- Whistles and animal mimicry
- Rocks thrown from hiding
- Footprints up to 22 inches long
Famous cases
- 1903Grand Canyon wild man story
Near the Grand Canyon, Arizona - 1946Don Davis scout-trip sighting
Near Payson, Arizona
Seen the Mogollon Monster?
Tell us what happened. Every report is read by a person before it goes on the map, and you can stay anonymous.
