UFO Field Guide

You've read the files. These are the places they describe — where the incidents happened, where the evidence sits, and what's actually worth the trip. Every site below connects to records in this archive.

Roswell, New Mexico

  • What happened: July 1947 — the debris field outside Corona, the Army Air Force's "flying disc" press release and retraction. The incident that started it all.
  • See: the International UFO Museum & Research Center (holds witness affidavits and press archives); the Roswell Incident memorial markers north of town.
  • Archive link: browse the 1947 wave and Roswell-related records in the archive.
  • See the history as it happened: Newspapers.com holds the original July 1947 newspaper coverage — the "flying disc" headline, the retraction, and the weeks of follow-up reporting. Reading the contemporary press next to the declassified files is the closest thing to time travel this archive offers.

Area 51 & Rachel, Nevada

  • What happened: Groom Lake — the classified flight-test site at the center of decades of saucer lore, from Bob Lazar's claims to declassified U-2/A-12 history.
  • See: the town of Rachel (population ~50) and the Little A'Le'Inn; the Tikaboo Valley overlook, 26 miles from the base — the closest legal viewpoint. Do not approach the boundary: the restricted zone is patrolled and posted.
  • Archive link: declassified CIA histories of the U-2 and OXCART programs are in the archive.

Marfa, Texas

  • What happened: the Marfa Lights — unexplained lights reported on the horizon since the 19th century, studied by physicists and skeptics alike, never conclusively explained.
  • See: the official Marfa Lights Viewing Center, 9 miles east of town on US-90. Best on clear, moonless nights.

Socorro, New Mexico

  • What happened: April 24, 1964 — police officer Lonnie Zamora reported a landed craft and two figures; Project Blue Book logged it as an "unidentified." J. Allen Hynek investigated in person.
  • See: the Zamora landing site markers south of town (public road access).
  • Archive link: the Blue Book file and Hynek's notes are in the archive; Ray Stanford's Socorro 'Saucer' is on the reading shelf.

Rendlesham Forest, England

  • What happened: December 1980 — USAF personnel from RAF Woodbridge reported lights and a structured craft in the forest over three nights. The UK's best-documented military encounter.
  • See: the Forestry Commission's marked UFO Trail through the forest, with the incident markers.
  • Archive link: the Halt memo and witness statements are in the archive.

Skinwalker Ranch vicinity, Utah

  • What happened: the Sherman ranch — years of reported phenomena investigated first by NIDS, then by the Pentagon's AAWSAP program.
  • See: the ranch itself is private property — no trespassing, no tours. The surrounding Uintah Basin is public land with some of the darkest skies in the lower 48; that's the legitimate draw.
  • Archive link: AAWSAP-related records are in the archive; Skinwalkers at the Pentagon and Hunt for the Skinwalker are on the reading shelf.

Kecksburg, Pennsylvania

  • What happened: December 9, 1965 — a fireball crossed several states; witnesses in Kecksburg reported a crashed object removed by the military. NASA's records on it were the subject of a lawsuit.
  • See: the town's fire department hosts a re-creation of the "acorn" object; the annual festival marks the anniversary.
  • Contemporary press: the December 1965 fireball was front-page news across several states — Newspapers.com has the original coverage to read against the official record.

Before you go

  • Read first. Every site above hits differently after you've read the primary documents — that's what the archive is for.
  • Respect boundaries. Military installations mean it: posted perimeters are enforced. Private ranches are private.
  • Dark skies need gear. If a trip gives you the skywatching bug, our sister site Watch the Night reviews the telescopes and night-vision gear worth buying — and what to avoid.