Strange news, once a week. Monsters from the old newspapers, a creature of the week and new reader reports.

Encounter Atlas Report an encounter
Menu
MapCreatures

UFOs

UFO sightingsFamous cases worldwideCanada sightings mapGreece close encountersAir Force Blue Book filesOfficial releasesHearings and testimonyGovernment programmesUFO files by countryMilitary encounters

Stories

Reader reportsWitness storiesCampfire storiesClose encountersReport an encounter

Explore

Sightings near meRoad trip plannerCollector cardsTonight's skywatchField journalMystery of the dayMysteriesOld newspaper storiesOn this dayCreature comparisonsBy state or provincePlaces to visit

More

Field guidesField gearBooksToolsPodcastsWeekly email

Road trips

Mothman country: Pittsburgh to Point Pleasant and Flatwoods

This is the 1966 and 1967 trip. You come down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh past Parkersburg, where Woodrow Derenberger said he met Indrid Cold on Interstate 77, and into Point Pleasant, which is basically Mothman headquarters. There's the museum, the statue, the festival every September and the old TNT area itself.

By · Published October 24, 2026

  • 534 km332 mi
  • 6.9 hof driving
  • 23stops
  • 7cards to collect

Open in the planner Directions

Then it's east to Flatwoods for the 1952 Flatwoods monster (there's a museum and a trail of giant monster chairs) and Sutton for the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum. It's short enough to do in a long weekend, which is pretty great for this many stops.

Stops along the way

Everything within 40 km of the road, in the order you'll pass it. Distances are from the start.

Pittsburgh to Parkersburg

  1. 88 kmA travelling salesman saw it four timesOld newspaper story · Wheeling, West Virginia, April 25, 1897
  2. 157 kmSistersville signs an affidavitOld newspaper story · Sistersville, West Virginia, April 19, 1897

Parkersburg to Point Pleasant

  1. 223 kmDerenberger roadside encounterFamous case · Indrid Cold, Near Parkersburg, West Virginia, 1966
  2. 282 kmA photo on Route 2Famous case · Mothman, Mason County, West Virginia, 2016
  3. 293 kmThe TNT Area (McClintic Wildlife Management Area)Place to visit · Roadside attraction, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
  4. 306 kmA hairy wild man near GallipolisOld newspaper story · Gallipolis, Ohio, Jan. 1869 · 5 km off the route

Point Pleasant to Charleston

  1. 309 kmConnie Carpenter's daylight sightingFamous case · Mothman, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, 1966
  2. 309 kmMothman FestivalPlace to visit · Festival or event, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
  3. 309 kmMothman MuseumPlace to visit · Museum, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
  4. 309 kmMothman Museum TNT Area ToursPlace to visit · Expedition or tour, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
  5. 309 kmMothman StatuePlace to visit · Roadside attraction, Point Pleasant, West Virginia
  6. 309 kmPoint Pleasant visitsFamous case · Men in Black, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, 1967
  7. 309 kmSilver Bridge collapseFamous case · Mothman, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, 1967
  8. 309 kmTNT area chaseFamous case · Mothman, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, 1966
  9. 328 kmFisher farm encounterFamous case · Flatwoods Monster, Flatwoods, West Virginia, 1952 · 24 km off the route
  10. 328 kmSkid marks and a gummy depositFamous case · Flatwoods Monster, Flatwoods, West Virginia, 1952 · 24 km off the route

Charleston to Flatwoods

  1. 393 kmMid-1990s wave of sightingsFamous case · Sheepsquatch, Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, 1995
  2. 478 kmWest Virginia Bigfoot FestivalPlace to visit · Festival or event, Summersville, West Virginia · 36 km off the route
  3. 486 km"The White Thing" folk tale collectedFamous case · Sheepsquatch, West Virginia, 1965 · 12 km off the route

Flatwoods to Sutton

  1. 500 kmFlatwoods Monster Chair TrailPlace to visit · Roadside attraction, Flatwoods, West Virginia
  2. 500 kmThe Flatwoods monsterClose encounter · Flatwoods, Braxton County, West Virginia, USA, September 12, 1952
  3. 509 kmFlatwoods Monster MuseumPlace to visit · Museum, Sutton, West Virginia
  4. 509 kmWest Virginia Bigfoot MuseumPlace to visit · Museum, Sutton, West Virginia

Listen along

Podcast episodes about the creatures you'll pass, in the order you'll pass them. Start it before you pull out and it keeps going with your screen off, with big buttons so you never have to type anything. Episodes stream straight from each show, so the people who make them get the listen.

  1. Indrid Cold

    First spot on the road: Derenberger roadside encounter

    1. The Gurning Man of Glasgow, Indrid Cold & The Grinning Man, & The OwlmanUnexplained : True Tales of Unexplained Mysteries with Bestselling Author Steph Young · Sep 12, 2026 · 31 min
    2. The Return of Indrid Cold: Visitor from Lanulos S.9 Ep.12Cryptids Of The Corn · Aug 3, 2026 · 107 min
    3. The Grinning Man: The Unsettling Story of Indrid ColdAliens? Yes! But Maybe No | UFOs, UAPs & Alien Mysteries · Jan 23, 2026 · 67 min

  2. Mothman

    First spot on the road: A photo on Route 2

    1. "Mothman Roundtable" w/ Steve Berg & W. Dave KeithBigfoot Collectors Club · Nov 12, 2025 · 95 min
    2. Mothman - Best of Coast to Coast AM - 1/31/26The Best of Coast to Coast AM · Feb 1, 2026 · 16 min
    3. The Mothman of Point Pleasant (West Virginia)Haunted American History · Sep 28, 2026 · 20 min

  3. Men in Black

    First spot on the road: Point Pleasant visits

    1. Best Of: Men In Black (Sn. 20 Ep. 52)Monsters Among Us · Apr 23, 2026 · 58 min
    2. 5 Chilling Men in Black Encounters | Stories from UFO RedditSomewhere in the Skies · Sep 18, 2026 · 81 min
    3. Proof the Men in Black Are Real, Hidden in Federal RecordsWeird Darkness: Paranormal & True Crime Stories · Jun 24, 2026 · 72 min

  4. Flatwoods Monster

    First spot on the road: Fisher farm encounter

    1. The Flatwoods Monster, morphing faces and a creature in Arizona (Sn. 21 Ep. 4)Monsters Among Us · May 21, 2026 · 62 min
    2. Flatwoods Monster Redux Part 1: Watch The Skies!The Cryptonaut Podcast · Jun 8, 2026 · 59 min
    3. Flatwoods Monster Redux Part 2: The Invasion BeginsThe Cryptonaut Podcast · Jun 29, 2026 · 84 min

  5. Sheepsquatch

    First spot on the road: Mid-1990s wave of sightings

    1. Mysterious Creature Spotted by Hunters - The SheepsquatchThis Paranormal Life · Sep 29, 2026 · 54 min
    2. The Sheepsquatch: West Virginia’s White-Furred MonsterCryptid Files · Aug 6, 2026 · 31 min
    3. Sheepsquatch: Birth Of A LegendThe Cryptonaut Podcast · Jun 17, 2024 · 97 min

  6. Bigfoot

    First spot on the road: West Virginia Bigfoot Festival

    1. Bigfoot The Alaskan Hairy ManSasquatch Odyssey · Oct 14, 2026 · 47 min
    2. Capturing Bigfoot Live Q&ASasquatch Odyssey · Oct 16, 2026 · 35 min
    3. Sasquatch Are Drawn to Him - Bigfoot Eyewitness Episode 559Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio · Oct 17, 2026 · 109 min

Cards you can collect on this trip

Stand within 25 km of one of these spots and tap "I'm here" in the planner or on the cards page to add the card to your collection.

Route from OpenStreetMap data (FOSSGIS routing). Always check road conditions, opening hours and festival dates before you go.