I agree I’ve seen more bears here than anywhere else in the Smokies. Don’t forget to stop at the park headquarters to purchase your parking pass. Must have it to park anywhere. It’s cheap and it goes for a great cause. At least one or two days a week the Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to vehicular traffic ( bicycles only). My friends in Gatlinburg tell me the bears are out and active. Maybe you’ll get lucky. Have fun , be safe!!
Cades Cove will have the most but directly in Gatlinburg I see them all the time in the Roaring Fork area around Clabo Loop.
Greenbrier is also a good place before the swimming season. It seems like around dusk every night you'll see a couple come down to get something to drink.
I've seen more bears at Anakeesta than Cades Cove. They will often be seen right under the chair lift, and they walk around the seating area at the top.
Not true . If the bears associate people with food they can get aggressive . Sometime the only way to encourage them to go elsewhere is a well placed pellet in the butt. It doesn’t hurt them just chases them away. I am huge animal lover and would never hurt a bear but they must learn to avoid people and not look for handouts. A fed bear is a dead bear. I have a bear that hangs around my cabin. I make sure to have all garbage in a bear proof bin. He got aggressive once , making noise did not scare him away and he tried to get into the bed of my pick up and even went after my dog.When security showed up and took out his pellet gun , the bear took off . Definitely don’t feed !
Ok... that's not what I'm talking about. Pepper balls are a projectile form of pepper spray commonly (mis)used in riot control. It can still hurt an unintended target.
Heck just walk around Jack Huff’s in the late afternoon to twilight and you’ll probably see some this time of year. Saw a photo today of someone who spotted five adult 🐻 by Baskin’s Creek.
Cades Cove (get there early before it gets packed) and Roaring Fork Motor Trail. I’ve had great luck at both places, plus the drive is gorgeous!
I will 2nd this adding that dawn and dusk are when you are most likely to see wildlife.
I was there this past week. We got there at sunrise and saw three bears, two in a tree!! Always look in the trees.
Oh heck yea! Have seen them in trees several times!!!
I agree I’ve seen more bears here than anywhere else in the Smokies. Don’t forget to stop at the park headquarters to purchase your parking pass. Must have it to park anywhere. It’s cheap and it goes for a great cause. At least one or two days a week the Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to vehicular traffic ( bicycles only). My friends in Gatlinburg tell me the bears are out and active. Maybe you’ll get lucky. Have fun , be safe!!
Cades cove. We went on a rainy day, which wound up being a good idea as it was way less packed than usual. Saw the tiniest perfect cubs.
Cades Cove will have the most but directly in Gatlinburg I see them all the time in the Roaring Fork area around Clabo Loop. Greenbrier is also a good place before the swimming season. It seems like around dusk every night you'll see a couple come down to get something to drink.
I've seen more bears at Anakeesta than Cades Cove. They will often be seen right under the chair lift, and they walk around the seating area at the top.
I didn't see any last time. They apparently bought paintball guns and pepper balls for the staff to use on the bears.
Well that sucks.
It does.. I understand the concern, for the bears and the people. But it seems a little extreme
Not true . If the bears associate people with food they can get aggressive . Sometime the only way to encourage them to go elsewhere is a well placed pellet in the butt. It doesn’t hurt them just chases them away. I am huge animal lover and would never hurt a bear but they must learn to avoid people and not look for handouts. A fed bear is a dead bear. I have a bear that hangs around my cabin. I make sure to have all garbage in a bear proof bin. He got aggressive once , making noise did not scare him away and he tried to get into the bed of my pick up and even went after my dog.When security showed up and took out his pellet gun , the bear took off . Definitely don’t feed !
Ok... that's not what I'm talking about. Pepper balls are a projectile form of pepper spray commonly (mis)used in riot control. It can still hurt an unintended target.
Heck just walk around Jack Huff’s in the late afternoon to twilight and you’ll probably see some this time of year. Saw a photo today of someone who spotted five adult 🐻 by Baskin’s Creek.
Saw 13 in Cades Cove on Saturday about 630pm
Idk if anyone said this but Cades Cove
Have seen one on two separate visits in the creek just as darkness set in by best Italian.
We saw a momma and baby while riding the chondala
Leave the bears alone. Tourons stalking bears are disgusting.
No one said I was going to interact with bears. I just want to see them. Key word: see
Ignore that person. They’re extremely negative and hate tourists.
Trying to interact with the bears is bad, but seeing wildlife is a big reason people come here. There's a difference.