Spooky Creatures of The Pacific Northwest

Halloween is at the end of October. So naturally, we’re thinking about all the mystical and spooky creatures that are allegedly in the Pacific Northwest.

Did you know? Bigfoot is not the only mythical beast in our neck of the woods. In fact, there are plenty of stories of cryptids — also known as creatures of unknown origins that have not been proven by science to exist — lurking in the great outdoors in Oregon.

We’ve collected a few of the weirdest ones here:

Devil’s Lake Monster — also known as M’de Wakan, which in the Sioux language means “mystery” or “bad spirit”, this creature allegedly lives at the bottom of Devil’s Lake, located north of Lincoln City, Oregon. This monster has been described as a giant octopus-like fish with many tentacles. According to legend, the critter once attacked and pulled under a canoe full of young Native American warriors.

Columbia River Monster — first spotted and reported in 1934, the Columbia monster was described as a water serpent that was roughly 40 feet long, with an 8-foot neck and snake-like head, round body, and long tail. The beast was supposedly captured in 1963 on an oil drilling expedition in Astoria.

Mount St. Helen’s “Batsquatch” — this winged humanoid was supposedly first spotted in the 1980s, and it was described as an ape-like creature with large, leathery wings that spanned 50 feet. In the 90s, a teenager allegedly saw it and said it looked like a cross between a wolf and a bat.

The Oregon Woodland “Dogman” — perhaps a hybrid between a sasquatch and a werewolf, the dogman has been allegedly seen in dark, wooded areas in Oregon. Some say that the hairy creature stands as tall as 7 feet, and has pointy dog-like ears and a long snout, but human-like facial features. Others have described it as a “hellhound” with sharp teeth and red eyes.

The Gumberoo — a legend among lumberjacks in the 19th and 20th centuries, the creature is described as a hairless obese bear with leathery skin and a bristly beard. This critter allegedly hibernates in hollowed-out cedar trees and when it wakes up, it is ravenously hungry. It prefers to feast on meat so beware if you run into a gumberoo!

Fortunately, most of the Pacific Northwest cryptids do NOT like being found. Even if you like adventuring in their neck of the woods, you won’t likely run into one. But the legends of these mythical beasts make great stories around the campfire.

So have fun and celebrate the spooky season by retelling the tales of the cryptids to your family.