In 2003-2004 director Jon Olsen and his girlfriend Sadie Hales traveled across the U.S. in a Datsun 280-Z, with a video projector stuffed in back. While on the road, Olsen attempted to exhibit 'Ape Canyon' independently, emailing and calling movie theaters and other venues on a daily basis. In all, Olsen succeeded in screening 'Ape Canyon' at approximately 15 venues while on the road.
Screenwriter Trevor Guthrie has the nickname "The Littlest Sasquatch".
Originally the film ended with Bigfoot fleeing from Darcy's horrible poetry and leaping to his death from the edge of Ape Canyon. Devastated, Darcy jumped over the edge after Bigfoot. Director Jon Olsen and producer Trevor Guthrie traveled back up to Humboldt County from the Bay Area to shoot the new, improved ending. On the way their ride broke down, and they were forced to hitch-hike most of the 200 mile journey. The finished film, with the new ending, was completed less than a week later - just hours before its premiere at the Parkway Theater in Oakland, CA.
The premise for the film was inspired by a chapter in Jim Goad's book 'The Redneck Manifesto' detailing the plots of various self-published novels which featured graphic Bigfoot rape scenes. Jim Goad is one of the film's biggest fans.
Loren Coleman, a prolific author of books about the unexplained, inquired about having the ape suit used in the movie donated to his International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine. Unfortunately, the ape suit was no longer available.