COLORADO RIVER BIGFOOT FOOTAGE: Another Cryptid Hoax or the Real Deal?
Colorado River Expeditions, a rafting company operating on the Upper Colorado River, released video footage on May 26 that they claim shows a genuine Bigfoot encounter from their first river trip of the season on May 24, 2025. The company posted the video with the bold claim: “No CGI. No fakes. Just wilderness and raw footage.”
The video shows what appears to be a large, dark, bipedal figure moving through trees on a hillside above the river. Tour participants can be heard in the background discussing what they’re seeing as the person filming zooms in on the creature. The figure then turns and walks away into the trees. The original Instagram post of the footage attracted over 30,000 likes, and additional videos have since surfaced showing the same creature from different angles and distances.
Colorado’s Bigfoot History
According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, Colorado has been the site of over 130 reported Bigfoot sightings, with the most recent official report on their website dating to March 2025. The state’s vast wilderness areas and dense forests make it a prime location for alleged cryptid encounters, giving this latest footage some geographic credibility among believers.
Expert Analysis Raises Red Flags
Mireya Mayor, an anthropologist and star of National Geographic’s “Expedition Bigfoot,” examined the Colorado River footage and delivered a harsh verdict. She explained that the creature’s body movements appeared far too human-like, and that a genuine Bigfoot would demonstrate locomotion more closely resembling that of an ape.
Mayor pointed out additional concerns about the authenticity of the sighting, questioning why a creature that supposedly avoids human contact would position itself so openly in an area with little visual cover. She advised future Bigfoot hunters to look for lower-to-the-ground mobility patterns and to be alert for the intense odor sometimes associated with the creature — leading to its alternate nickname, the “Skunk Ape.”
Public Skepticism and Marketing Motives
Many viewers commenting on the footage suggested the figure was simply a person wearing a Ghillie suit. One commenter noted that the creature’s movements appeared too fluid compared to the famous Patterson-Gimlin footage from 1967, while another observer pointed out similarities to previous dubious Colorado Bigfoot videos.
Critics have suggested the entire incident may be an elaborate marketing stunt designed to promote Colorado River Expeditions’ rafting business. The timing of the release — just as the company began its season — and the unusually clear quality of the footage have fueled these suspicions.
The Pattern of Bigfoot Hoaxes
The Colorado River incident follows a well-established pattern of Bigfoot pranks throughout American history. One notable example involved Eugene Hendrick, who spent 50 years tricking an entire town into believing Bigfoot was real by creating fake footprints and claw marks. His elaborate deception began in the 1970s and wasn’t revealed until 2017.
Hendrick admitted to cutting large feet from wood, bolting shoes to them, and walking around by rivers to create convincing tracks. His hoax was so successful that police and search dogs were eventually called in to investigate.
Multiple Camera Angles Reveal More Details
What sets this Colorado incident apart from many Bigfoot videos is the existence of multiple camera angles. Several videos show the creature at different points during its apparent journey through the landscape, including close-up footage that shows the figure peering through trees at the videographers.
These additional angles, rather than lending credibility to the sighting, have actually increased skepticism. The zoomed-in footage clearly shows the figure looking directly at the rafting group before walking deeper into the wooded area — behavior that many find suspiciously human-like rather than representative of a wild cryptid.
The Viral Phenomenon
The original video has garnered more than 2 million views, demonstrating the enduring public fascination with Bigfoot encounters. Social media accounts like Daily Loud have helped spread the footage widely, posting clips with captions like “Witnesses claim to have captured video of a BigFoot-like creature near the upper Colorado River.”
The widespread sharing of the video has generated intense debate across social media platforms, with viewers split between those hoping for genuine evidence of the legendary creature and skeptics who see obvious signs of human involvement.
Physical Evidence Still Missing
Despite the clear footage, most viewers agree that whatever appears in the video is not a known animal like a bear. However, the lack of any accompanying physical evidence — such as footprints, hair samples, or other traces — continues to fuel doubts about the encounter’s authenticity.
The Colorado River Expeditions footage represents yet another entry in the long catalog of alleged Bigfoot evidence that generates excitement but ultimately fails to provide the definitive proof that cryptozoologists and believers continue to seek. Whether the figure in the video is an elaborate hoax, a case of mistaken identity, or something more mysterious remains a matter of personal interpretation for viewers examining this latest chapter in America’s ongoing Bigfoot saga.
NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is not an AI voice. (AI Policy)
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