Great Smoky Mountains close trails over bears

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has kept at least one popular trail closed this week after a string of aggressive black bear encounters this spring. The National Park Service said Ramsey Cascades Trail remained temporarily closed as of May 8 because of aggressive bear activity, and the park’s broader warnings page listed both closures and caution areas tied to bears. (nps.gov) April 20 marked the park’s first detailed public account of the recent incidents. Rangers said they responded that weekend to three bear-related encounters at Ramsey Cascades Trail, including two in which a bear approached visitors and took backpacks and a third in which a bear displayed aggressive behavior and briefly chased a group. (nps.gov 1) (nps.gov 2) The same National Park Service release said rangers also dealt with three incidents on Abrams Falls Trail involving an aggressive black bear. In one case, the agency said, a bear bit a visitor who had entered a closed area. (nps.gov) ### Which parts of the park were closed or under warning? Ramsey Cascades Trail was still listed as temporarily closed on the park’s current conditions page, with the May 8 alert saying the closure was due to aggressive bear activity. The park told visitors to respect the closure while rangers monitored the animal’s behavior. (nps.gov) The park’s cautions-and-closures page listed Ramsey Cascades Trail under “Bear Closures,” meaning the area could not be accessed because of bear activity. The same page listed Abrams Falls Trail under “Bear Warnings,” where the park said bears were active and “extreme caution” should be used. (nps.gov) The cautions page also listed Mollies Ridge Shelter under bear-related closures. The page did not provide additional detail there beyond identifying it as a shelter closed because of bear activity. ### What exactly happened in the spring encounters? Rangers at Ramsey Cascades Trail reported three incidents over one weekend in April. (nps.gov) Two involved a bear approaching visitors and taking two backpacks, while a third involved a bear that briefly chased a group, according to the park’s April 20 release. Abrams Falls Trail saw three separate incidents that same weekend, the National Park Service said. (nps.gov) One visitor was bitten after entering a closed area, and the park later reopened the Abrams Falls access road and trail after several days without observed bear activity. Knox News reported on May 13 that visitors had been chased or bitten this spring as park officials continued to post warnings and closures. That report said rangers were still urging hikers to check alerts before heading into the backcountry. (nps.gov) ### Why did the park say bear activity is elevated now? The National Park Service said spring is a period of increased black bear activity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In its April 20 release, the agency said mother bears were emerging from dens with young cubs and searching for limited early-season food sources. (nps.gov) The park said that sensitive period can make close encounters more dangerous. Because getting too close can stress mother bears and cubs, the agency told visitors to give bears space, stay alert and secure food and trash. (knoxnews.com) A separate USA Today report on May 13 cited the park as saying bear activity in the Smokies is typically high from May through August and that visitors are likely to encounter bears. ### What are hikers being told to do right now? The National Park Service told visitors never to approach bears and to stay at least 50 yards, or 150 feet, away. (nps.gov) The agency said violating that rule can lead to fines and arrest. Park guidance also tells hikers to keep food, trash and scented items secured, use bear cables in backcountry areas and avoid storing such items in tents or shelters. (nps.gov) The agency said feeding wildlife is a federal offense that can bring fines of up to $5,000 or up to six months in prison. (usatoday.com) The park’s current conditions and cautions pages remain the main places to check before a hike. As of May 14, those pages continued to list Ramsey Cascades Trail as closed and Abrams Falls Trail as an area where extreme caution should be used because bears are active. (nps.gov) (nps.gov)