Vermont

Vermont’s cryptid and folklore traditions draw from New England ghost stories, mountain wilderness legends, and a handful of modern mysteries. The state’s deep forests, colonial farmsteads, and misty waterways have long inspired tales of spectral figures and uncanny creatures.

From the waters of Lake Champlain to the covered bridges of Stowe, Vermont’s legends reflect both its frontier past and the persistence of local storytelling. Cryptid lore here continues to shape the state’s cultural landscape, linking modern sightings with older traditions.

Champ (Lake Champlain Monster)

Champ is a lake monster reported in Lake Champlain along the shorelines of Vermont and New York. Witnesses describe a large, serpentlike creature with a long body and a dark back moving through the water. Many accounts describe a shape that rises above the surface before dipping below again. Sightings often occur from boats or along the shoreline, where observers catch brief glimpses before the creature disappears.

The legend connects closely to Lake Champlain itself, a vast freshwater lake with deep channels and long stretches of open water. Indigenous traditions in the region describe powerful serpent beings associated with the lake, which form an important part of its cultural landscape. 

Pigman of Northfield (1970s)

In the early 1970s, residents of Northfield, Vermont, began reporting a strange figure on rural roads. Witnesses described a muscular, bare-chested man with the head of a pig and glowing eyes. Some accounts placed him near abandoned farmhouses, while others connected the legend to tales of disappearances in the area.

Skeptics have suggested the stories began as a local prank, but the figure soon took root in Vermont folklore. The Pigman remains one of the state’s most unusual cryptid legends, blending small-town rumor with the eerie isolation of its backroads.

The Awful (Vergennes, 1925 reports)

In 1925, residents of Vergennes, Vermont, reported sightings of a terrifying winged beast soon nicknamed “The Awful.” Witnesses described a dragonlike creature with a long body, leathery wings, and glowing red eyes. Newspapers at the time recorded the panic as townsfolk claimed it swooped over rooftops and scattered livestock.

The wave of reports faded as quickly as it began, but the story left a strong mark on local memory.

The Ghost of Emily’s Bridge (Stowe, 1840s legend)

Emily’s Bridge in Stowe is one of Vermont’s most famous haunted sites. Built in the mid-1800s, the covered wooden bridge gained its legend from stories of a young woman named Emily who died there in the 1840s. Some versions claim she leapt from the bridge after heartbreak, while others say she was killed in a tragic accident.

Since then, visitors have reported cold touches, unexplained scratches on their cars, and ghostly apparitions crossing the bridge at night.

Catamount (Green Mountain folklore, 1700s–1800s)

The catamount, or mountain lion, once roamed Vermont’s forests in large numbers. By the late 1800s, settlers believed they had been hunted to extinction in the region, but stories of the fierce cats lived on in Green Mountain folklore. Colonial farmers often told of livestock attacks, and tales of unusually large, shadowy cats stalking the hills became part of Vermont’s frontier lore.

Even after the species was declared gone, sightings continued.

Memphre, Lake Memphremagog Monster (Lake Memphremagog, Newport and Derby Area)

Memphre is the lake monster said to inhabit Lake Memphremagog, which lies between Newport, Vermont, and Magog, Quebec. The creature is usually described as a long serpent or plesiosaur-like animal moving through deep water. Local accounts often place it near the international lake’s darker open stretches.

Reported Memphre sightings are commonly traced to 1816, with later accounts collected around Newport and Magog. Newport’s Barbara Malloy and the International Dracontology Society helped document modern reports during the late 20th century. Since 2011, the “In Search of Memphre” swim has kept the legend visible in Vermont lake culture.

Bennington Monster or Glastenbury Wild Man (Glastenbury Mountain Area)

The Bennington Monster is a hairy, man-like creature tied to Glastenbury Mountain and the woods northeast of Bennington. Later retellings describe it as a Bigfoot-like figure with glowing eyes, sometimes attacking travelers near washed-out roads. The creature belongs to the wider Bennington Triangle legend cycle, alongside strange lights, abandoned settlements, and mountain disappearances.

Earlier “wild man” stories also attached themselves to the area. Around 1867, residents reportedly described an unkempt, armed man haunting Bennington and Glastenbury before hiding in the forest. The Bennington Monster, Glastenbury Wild Man, and Bigfoot all seem to describe the same creature, with varying degrees of how human it may be.

Man-Eating Stone of Glastenbury Mountain (Glastenbury Mountain Area)

The Man-Eating Stone is a cursed rock said to exist somewhere on Glastenbury Mountain. Joseph A. Citro described the legend in The Vermont Monster Guide, connecting it to older warnings about a dangerous stone on the mountain. In later retellings, anyone who steps onto the rock may sink into it and vanish.

The stone became one of the strangest explanations attached to the Bennington Triangle. The Man-Eating Stone is often retold with the Bennington Triangle, Glastenbury ghost-town stories, and other mountain legends.