Exploring Skinwalker Ranch

The Uintah basin, in northern Utah is one of those weird areas that researchers refer to as a “portal” or, “window” area.  It’s a region of high strangeness, UFO sightings, encounters with cryptids, hauntings, poltergeist and little people, you name it and it seems it can be found there.  In the heart of this weird zone is a remote property that’s come to be known as “Skinwalker Ranch.”
Over the years, I’ve investigated a fair number of cases in the Uintah basin.  It’s an area I always found intriguing and I’m often asked about my experiences there. 

For the amount of activity that can be found in the region, very little has actually been written about the ranch and the surrounding area.  The main exception being the 2005 book, “Hunt for the Skinwalker” by Colm Kelleher and George Knapp.  Their intriguing tale includes accounts of strange lights and a bullet proof wolf.  It’s been a constant seller since its release and served to clue many people in on the unusual events in Utah.

Enter Ryan Skinner.  Ryan started digging into the weirdness on the ranch back in 2008.  His interest grew to the point that he started a forum and website dedicated to the mysteries occurring there.  Frankly, Ryan became obsessed with the ranch, and that’s by his own admission.  Having common interest, Ryan and I became friends and his internet focus on the ranch certainly stirred the pot.

The ranch you see, in case you don’t know, is the property of billionaire Robert Bigelow.  The same guy currently building space platforms for private ventures off planet.  Bigelow has kept a tight lid on the ranch.  Trespassing is strictly forbidden and violators will face charges if caught. 

But even though you can’t stroll onto the property, you can indeed learn more about the events that have unfolded there thanks to Ryan.  He’s written a series of books detailing both his personal experiences, as well as some of the curious things he’s uncovered over the years about the ranch.  While he currently lives in the Midwest, Skinner still makes regular pilgrimages to Utah to further his field investigations.  Camping out and exploring areas around the Uintah basin, probing the mysteries of this portal area and fact finding as much as possible.

Skinner has a degree in science and perhaps that’s part of what drives his fascination with

weird events.  The burning questions that haunt many of us in the paranormal certainly seem to drive him to continue his quest for answers.  But, as is usually the case in this field, there are more questions found than answers, and that’s okay.  It’s the questioning that leads us to deeper levels of understanding, and that’s a big part of the value of Ryan’s book series.

Ryan's obsession with the ranch is paying off for the rest of us.  He's probably spent more time exploring the mysteries of the region than any other dedicated investigator.  I won’t give away details on his books, rather, I encourage you to read them yourself.  But I will say, if you’re interested in the ranch itself, or portal zones where weird phenomena is concentrated, you’ll enjoy Ryan’s work.  He puts you there in the basin amid the weirdness, and you’ll get bits of his personal journey as well.  No, he doesn’t claim to have solved the mysteries of Skinwalker ranch, but it would be very suspect if he made that claim.  Rather, like any good researcher of the strange, his writing encourages others to join him on the quest.  Personally, I look forward to seeing what Ryan continues to dig up about one of the strangest regions in the country.

 

An older podcast featuring Ryan, myself, Chris O’Brien (who also investigated the ranch), and a surprise guest, check out the paracast: 

http://www.theparacast.com/podcast/now-playing-september-2-2012-david-weatherly-ryan-skinner-and-chip/

 

Ryan's books on the ranch can be found on Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ryan-Skinner/e/B00HGJMLPK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1