The Scariest Urban Legends and Monsters of the National Parks
To celebrate America’s scariest urban legends, Anderson Design Group’s poster artists hand-drew and illustrated the creepiest monsters, legends, myths, ghosts, and aliens the team has heard about in their travels to national parks and wilderness areas. These are the creatures and mythical beings spoken of in quiet voices around nighttime campfires. Are they real? Our imaginations certainly seem to think so!
Below is a preview video of some of ADG's most popular designs and products featuring urban legends of the national parks!
Read on for the latest additions to the Legends of the National Parks Poster Art Collection and the accompanying product collection.
Bigfoot Jr. of Congaree National Park
With officially recorded sightings of the creature now numbering in the thousands (and with these sightings occurring all across the country in almost every state), there is no doubt that Bigfoot is the most famous legend associated with America's national parks.
Bigfoot is said to stand anywhere from 6ft to 9ft tall, to be almost completely covered in brown and black fur, and is believed to resemble something akin to an ape-like human. But he’s not alone! Some witnesses have said they've seen entire Bigfoot families, including Bigfoot Jr., in Congaree National Park.
Gatorman of Everglades National Park
Tall tales from the swamps of Everglades National Park are many and varied, but few stand out as much as the legend of Gatorman. Witnesses have said that Gatorman is an elusive creature, part man and part alligator.
Those who have claimed to witness Gatorman say the creature is 5ft-7ft tall, has scaly gator-like skin, dangerous teeth and claws, and thrashes around the swamp at night looking for anything edible.
Qalupalik of Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay National Park is eternally captivating in its natural beauty, but visitors should beware! In Inuit mythology, the Qalupalik live along Arctic shorelines near ice floes. They are said to steal children who wander too close to the water’s edge.
This myth is believed to serve the purpose of protecting children, as parents would tell their children horror stories of the Qalupalik to keep their young ones from getting too close to the water, lest they fall in.
Boojum of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a vast wilderness where many creepy monsters and mythical creatures could be hiding. One such mountain legend is that of the Boojum, a creature who stands eight feet tall and is said to be a mixture of man and beast.
With thick, shaggy hair and a humanlike face, he is mostly seen from afar on rocky mountain cliffs or outcroppings when twilight falls. He can sometimes be heard moaning deep in the woods near hiking trails, and while the legends say he mostly keeps to himself, he can also be aggressive when provoked.
Ircenrraat of Lake Clark National Park
Alaska is home to dozens of legends, including revered and feared mythical creatures. This is likely because the state is so vast and wild that it is easy for the imagination to conjure up visions of countless mysterious beings lurking in the wilderness.
In Lake Clark National Park, the Ircenrraat people, also known as “Ddhaw Dana” or the “little people,” are said to live deep within the mountains and hidden caves of the park. Small and humanlike, they enjoy causing mischief and are known for luring hunters and trespassers away from trails until they are completely lost.
Whintosser of Redwood National Park
Lumberjacks have been known to tell some pretty tall tales, but none as tall as the legend of the Whintosser of Redwood National Park. This creature is said to live in California’s coastal ranges in the Isthmus region.
The creature has a triangular body with a head and tail that can swivel around, capable of spinning around 100 times per minute. The Whintosser is said to be extremely aggressive, and its three sets of legs help it stabilize during the region’s frequent earthquakes.
Cactus Cat of Saguaro National Park
Bobcats are elusive creatures, yet they are said to be distantly related to an even more elusive beast of the Southwest, the Cactus Cat of Saguaro National Park.
The Cactus Cat has been described as a cat-like creature, covered in hair-like thorns, with particularly long spines extending from the creature's legs and its armored, branching tail. Eye-witness accounts say the Cactus Cat is nocturnal and has been known to slash open cacti and drink the plant’s juice.
Bigfoot of Yosemite National Park
Bigfoot has been sighted in almost every state across the country, with most of the sightings occurring in Washington State, Oregon, and California. Most of the California sightings have occurred in and around Yosemite National Park.
Fearsome, the beast is said to stand anywhere from 6ft to 9ft tall, to be almost completely covered in brown and black fur, and is believed to resemble something akin to an ape-like human.
Walking Sam of Wind Cave National Park
Walking Sam is perhaps the spookiest legend of them all. Said to live in Wind Cave National Park, Walking Sam is quite the mysterious bit of lore, a South Dakota folk story of a ghost-like bogeyman.
He is said to be a 7-foot-tall specter whose job is to collect the souls of the dead. Walking Sam is believed to saunter along behind depressed persons, ready to take them away when their lives come to an end.
Wendigo of Voyageurs National Park
A cannibalistic beast brought to life by Indigenous Algonquin and Ojibwa folklore, explorers to the northern forests of Minnesota and Voyageurs National Park have good reason to fear the Wendigo.
As the legend has it, the Wendigo was once a man, a hunter, roaming the forest looking for deer. But driven mad by his hunger, the hunter resorted to cannibalism, which turned him into a gruesome beast that looks like a cross between a haunted, emaciated deer and a tortured, rage-filled man.
Mothman of New River Gorge National Park
One of America’s newest national parks is said to be home to a creepy creature who’s lived there since long before the region became a national park.
Part-man, part-moth, this humanoid creature called Mothman has insect/bird-like wings and a moth-like head. He has been the source of years-long investigations, research, stakeouts, law enforcement examinations, and inquiries.
2025 Wall Calendar with National Park Cryptids
When the Legends of the National Park Wall Calendar debuted in 2024, the calendar was 2024’s best seller! Making a return for 2025, this classic 10"x13" wall calendar features 12 creepy designs from our Legends of the National Park series.
It’s a great way to keep track of the days, dates, appointments, and reminders. Plus, it’s an excellent excuse to decorate with spooky designs, not just during Spooky Season but all year long!
National Parks Coloring Book
Finally, a coloring book for all ages that features cryptid designs for Halloween and Spooky Season!
The creative minds at ADG took popular Legends Of The National Parks poster art and redrew each composition by hand to create 48 coloring pages that feature 38 Legendary monsters from American parks plus ten mythical creatures from around the world. We also included 12 full-color pages with reference imagery of our original poster designs, plus maps, artist's sketches, and monster info.
Legends of the National Parks Guide Book
Another annual bestseller, this national park guide book is a must for anyone traveling to one of America’s parks or wilderness areas.
During ADG’s adventures in the parks, we’ve run across scary, bizarre, and fantastic legends of mythical creatures reported to have inhabited many of the parks and surrounding areas. The result of those experiences, research, drawing, sketching, and illustrating is this book, the Legends of the National Parks Guide Book.
Stickers of Legends of the National Parks
What better way to tell the world you’re a fan of the mythical creatures of the national parks? This creepy creature die-cut sticker set will make anything into a conversation piece!
Stick these monsters on your camper, cooler, skateboard, bike, luggage, or locker. A bonus insert card includes the history and lore of each legendary creature found in this awesome sticker set! Ideal for indoor or outdoor use, these 1.86" x 3.7" full-color stickers look scary anywhere you stick them!
Legends of the National Parks Postcard Set
This collector’s postcard set is perfect for every National Park lover or creep show fan, featuring fantasy art by Anderson Design Group's award-winning artists.
These colorful cards are printed on gallery-grade paper and feature informative text on the backside about the history behind each legendary creature. Individual postcards measure 4.25” x 6”.
Enjoy Spooky Season!
ADG Founder and Creative Director Joel Anderson innovated the Legends of the National Parks collection as a way of paying homage to the spooky stories and mythical beings we’ve heard about for so many years on research trips into the national parks. From Joel:
“Our artists have spent years documenting the wilderness and wonder of America’s National Parks. We’ve heard horror stories about strange creatures that others have seen, heard, (or felt). We’ve uncovered tall tales of unexplainable events, ancient myths, and local stories passed down by Indigenous Peoples, colonial settlers, and park visitors. Many of the legends we’ve come across are based on Native American folklore, and to the best of our abilities, we’ve indicated which tribes were associated with each story, being careful to respect the sacred traditions of Indigenous beliefs. As we continued to dig deeper, we realized that cultures from every continent on the globe also have their own rich traditions of mythology that feature bizarre, creepy, and quirky legendary beings. We hope you enjoy our Legends of the National Parks designs and our Mythical Creatures from Around the World, too!”
We hope you have great adventures this season, and always keep your eyes peeled when adventuring in the national parks. You never know what you'll see!
-Ren Brabenec
Anderson Design Group Staff Writer
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