Champ

Champ is the legendary creature said to inhabit Lake Champlain, which stretches between New York, Vermont, and Quebec. Tales of Champ date back to indigenous Abenaki stories and were later bolstered by 19th-century newspaper accounts claiming giant aquatic shapes moving through the lake. Descriptions vary from a long, plesiosaur-like form to a multi-humped serpent, often surfacing far from shore where it’s hard to judge size or detail. Despite modern expeditions using sonar and cameras, no definitive proof has emerged, though tantalizing sonar hits and blurry photographs keep interest alive. Champ plays a major role in local tourism, with towns along the lake proudly adopting the creature as a mascot. Whether a living fossil or simply the product of overactive imaginations, Champ stands as one of North America’s most enduring lake monsters, merging history, culture, and mystery in equal measure.