Bear sightings close trails
- Recent bear encounters prompted temporary trail closures in some U.S. parks, including Great Smoky Mountains alerts. - Posts cited a fatal fall on Alum Cave Trail as part of broader safety notices. - Parks are urging caution and carrying bear-aware gear as spring wildlife activity increases. ( )
Great Smoky Mountains National Park closed Ramsey Prong Road past Old Settlers Trailhead and Ramsey Cascades Trail on April 18 after a weekend of bear encounters. (nps.gov) The National Park Service said rangers handled three bear-related incidents on Ramsey Cascades Trail over the weekend, including two cases in which a bear approached visitors and took backpacks. In a third encounter, a bear showed aggressive behavior and briefly chased a group. (nps.gov) The same April 20 park release said rangers also responded to three incidents on Abrams Falls Trail involving an aggressive black bear. One visitor was bitten after entering a closed area, and the Abrams Falls access road and trail later reopened after several days with no observed bear activity. (nps.gov) Spring is when bear activity rises in the Smokies, according to the park. Rangers said mother bears are emerging from dens with cubs and searching for limited early-season food, a combination that can make close encounters more likely. (nps.gov) The park’s bear guidance is stricter than a casual wildlife warning. Visitors must stay at least 50 yards from bears, and the park says willfully approaching a bear can bring fines and arrest. (nps.gov) Great Smoky Mountains says it averages 339 negative human-bear encounters a year over the last decade, and warns that high bear activity can occur in any area. The park also says bear activity is especially high from May through August. (nps.gov) Park staff are telling hikers to lock food and scented items in hard-sided vehicles, use bear cables in backcountry areas, pack out scraps, and consider carrying bear spray. The agency says bear spray should be used only if necessary and when a bear is within 20 yards. (nps.gov, nps.gov) Separate from the bear alerts, a 65-year-old woman died after a roughly 60-foot fall from a cliff on Alum Cave Trail on March 28, according to local reports citing park officials. Knox News reported the death on March 30. (knoxnews.com) That mix of wildlife closures and recent rescue news is landing in the country’s most visited national park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park says visitors should check closures and alerts before hiking, and as of April 21 its homepage still lists the Ramsey Cascades closure. (nps.gov, nps.gov)
