Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

In July 2001, a Boy Scout troop and their leaders from Southern California reported seeing a tall, dark, humanoid creature walking along a distant ridge in the Marble Mountains of Northern California. The encounter was filmed, and the video later became known as the “Marble Mountain Bigfoot Video.” It remains one of the most analyzed pieces of Bigfoot footage today.

The Marble Mountains Wilderness, near the Klamath National Forest, Siskiyou County, Northern California is extremely remote: dense forest, deep valleys, high-elevation ridges. Historically, this region has produced many Sasquatch reports.

The footage was taken by Jim “Bob” Padilla, a scoutmaster leading a Boy Scout backpacking trip. His troop, about 15 scouts and leaders were in the mountains on a multi-day hike. Before seeing the creature, the group encountered a large, elaborate stick structure near their campsite, A-frame–style shelter made of stacked logs and branches. It was roughly 6–7 feet tall and much larger and more complex than any survival shelter kids or typical hikers build.

No human tools or cut marks were found, Jim Padilla said several scouts felt uneasy about it. Padilla filmed the structure thoroughly, remarking that it did not look man-made in the normal sense.

That night, the scouts reported, strange screams in the distance, heavy movement in the brush and the sensation of being watched. They also reported rocks falling or being thrown nearby (according to later interviews). None of these were caught clearly on video, but the troop said multiple members experienced it.

Late morning and in clear sunlight, the troop was positioned across a valley, facing a ridge about ¾ mile to 1 mile away. Padilla zoomed in on a dark figure walking left-to-right across a slanted mountainside.

Features described by witnesses and seen in the footage:

1. Fully upright bipedal posture
2. Consistent dark coloring from head to foot
3. Long, ground-covering strides
4. Swinging arm movement
5. Broad shoulder outline
6. Appeared very tall — Padilla later estimated 6.5 to 7+ feet, based on tree and rock scale
7. Did not appear to be wearing a pack or bright clothing like a hiker

Padilla tries to steady the camera while zooming in and out as one scout yells, “It’s walking like a man!” Padilla later said, it was tall, long arms and it had a very broad gait, these proportions were much different from a normal human silhouette at that distance.

The 2001 Marble Mountain sighting remains one of the most intriguing Bigfoot encounters ever recorded. While the video lacks the clarity to be conclusive, the circumstances, a large figure, remote ridge, multiple witnesses, strange shelter, and length of footage keep this sighting high on many researchers’ credibility lists.

Marble Mountain Bigfoot Sighting (2001)