The scenic Rich Mountain Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed until future notice due to bear activity.
The road closure in the park’s Cades Cove area began on Saturday after a visitor in a vehicle was scratched by a bear that has become used to humans and vehicles, the National Park Service (NPS) explains. The road closure will give bears in the area time to eat and forage without being disturbed.
“By closing Rich Mountain Road, we are protecting people and bears,” Park Superintendent Cassius Cash said in a statement. “When people intentionally attract bears with human food or pet food, it can lead to a dangerous situation for visitors, local communities, and the bears.”
August is a critical time of year for bears because berries, acorns, and other primary food sources are no longer in season. As they search for food, the bears will approach vehicles. Once someone throws food out of a vehicle toward a bear, or leaves food on the ground, the bear becomes conditioned to that food and that experience.
“By eating human food, bears can lose their preference for natural food sources and their fear of humans,” the NPS explains. “Over time, these bears may begin approaching people in search of food. They can become aggressive, unpredictable, and dangerous. Bears looking for human food and garbage can damage property and injure people. These bears pose a risk to public safety and are often euthanized as a result.”
Black Bears In The Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina features more than 800 miles of hiking trails, what the park calls “cascading waterfalls,” and more than 500,000 acres of forest home to a wide variety of wildlife — including approximately 1,900 black bears.
Black bears in the Smokies may be 6 feet in length and up to 3 feet tall at the shoulder. They can live 12–15 years.
During the summer, adult males weigh approximately 250 pounds while the smaller females generally weigh around 100 pounds. In the fall, however, the bears may double their weight.
Bears over 600 pounds have been documented in the park.
Be Safe Around Bears
If you’ll be in the Smokies or any other national park, keep in mind that willfully approaching within 150 feet, or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal. Violation of this federal regulation may result in fines and arrest.
If you do see a bear, it’s important to remain watchful. If the bear is at a distance, feeding or walking by, and notices you but continues its natural behavior, no action is needed on your part.
On the other hand, if the bear sees you and changes its behavior, such as stopping to eat or changing the direction it’s walking, you are too close.
“Being too close may promote aggressive behavior from the bear such as running toward you, making loud noises, or swatting the ground. The bear is demanding more space,” the NPS explains. “Don’t run, but slowly back away, watching the bear. Increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same.”
You can learn more about the bears and their behavior, including more tips on what to do if a bear follows or approaches you, and how to keep bears out of human food and garbage, at the NPS’s Black Bears webpage.
You can report a bear incident or unusual bear activity in the Smokies by calling (865)-436-1230.
For more about national parks, be sure to also read all our U.S. National Parks content, including:
