The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to one of the largest populations of black bears in the eastern United States, making it one of the most exciting places to spot wildlife during your visit.
While seeing a bear in the Smokies can be an unforgettable experience, it’s important to remember one thing: they’re wild animals, not attractions. Knowing what to expect and how to react helps keep both you and the bears safe.
WARNING: Willfully approaching a black bear within 50 yards (150 feet), or any distance that disturbs or displaces a bear, is illegal in the park. Violation of this federal regulation can result in fines and arrest. Use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope to view the animals. [NPS]
Black Bears
The Great Smoky Mountains are home to one of the largest populations of black bears in the eastern United States, with an estimated 1,500+ bears living throughout the park. Seeing one in the wild is an unforgettable experience and one of the reasons so many people visit the Smokies each year.
Top Places To See Bears
- Cades Cove
- Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
- Forested areas near cabins and vacation rentals
- Trails and quieter backcountry areas
While bears can be found throughout the region, there are a few areas where sightings are more common. Bear activity is typically higher from spring through early fall, when they are actively foraging for food. Early mornings and evenings are often the best times to spot them.
Keep in mind that sightings are never guaranteed, and that’s part of what makes them so special.
Enjoy From A Distance
Black bears are typically solitary animals, often foraging on their own except for mothers with cubs. While you may spot one in the Smoky Mountains, remember they are wild and unpredictable. Keep a safe distance, store food properly, dispose of trash in bear-proof containers, don’t approach them and never feed a bear.
What To Do If You See A Bear
Keep your distance and stay aware of the bear’s behavior. If it stops feeding, watches you, or changes direction, you are too close. Remain calm, avoid sudden movements, and slowly back away while keeping the bear in view. Do not run. Giving the bear space is the best way to reduce risk, as most black bears will choose to move away when they feel unthreatened.
Bear Safety
Will Black Bears Attack?
Black bear attacks are extremely rare, but they can occur. Most black bears avoid people and will only become aggressive if they feel threatened, are protecting cubs, or have become used to human food. In the unlikely event of an attack, do not play dead. Fight back using anything available and aim for the bear’s face. If a bear approaches, stand your ground, stay calm, and make yourself appear larger by raising your arms and speaking in a firm voice. Back away slowly while keeping the bear in view, and do not run. If you are with others, stay together as a group.
Do Not Feed The Bears
Black bears have an incredible sense of smell and are naturally drawn to foods like nuts, berries, and plants. However, they are just as easily attracted to human food, trash, and anything with a scent left unsecured. Feeding bears, whether intentionally or accidentally, is one of the most harmful things you can do. It is also illegal in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and can result in fines of up to $5,000.
NPS Info on Black BearsWhen bears gain access to human food, it changes their behavior in dangerous ways:
- They lose their natural fear of people
- They begin approaching homes, cars, and visitors in search of food
- They can become aggressive and unpredictable
- They often cause property damage or create unsafe encounters
These bears are often referred to as “nuisance” or “food-conditioned” bears. Unfortunately, once a bear reaches this point, it may need to be relocated or euthanized for public safety.
Feeding bears also puts their health at risk:
- They may ingest harmful items like plastic or food packaging
- They become more likely to be hit by vehicles
- They are more vulnerable to human-related dangers
- They typically do not live as long as wild, self-sufficient bears
Appalachian Bear Rescue
The Appalachian Bear Rescue is a center designed to help black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s located in Townsend, Tennessee and it takes in orphaned and injured young black bears and takes care of them until they are healthy enough to be released back into the wild. Their goal is to get the bears healthy as quickly as possible and then release them, so that the bears do not get habituated to living around humans, which could cause problems for them in the future.
Fascinating Bear Facts
Bear Population
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the USA where black bears live in the wild in their natural habit. In 2006, biologists estimated that the bear population in the national park was around 1,500, which means there is an average of two bears every square mile.
Bear Size & Color
Black bears in the Smokies are almost always black, but in other areas of the country they can be cinnamon colored or brown. They can grow to six feet long and three feet tall, at the shoulders. A male black bear will weigh approximately 250 pounds during the summer months and the smaller females weigh a little over 100. But the bears will double their weight by fall in preparation of the cold winter. There are records of black bears weighing up to 600 pounds in the national park.
Bear Behavior
Black bears will most likely be seen early morning or late evening in the Spring and Summer seasons. July is mating season for black bears and both the male and females may take more than one mate during this time.
Bear Diet & Lifespan
The black bear typically eats bees, moths, termites, berries, honey, fruit, acorns and. They will also scavenge for carrion. If kept to their natural diet, which consists 85% of berries and nuts, a wild black bear can live between 12-15 years. But if they have access to human food and garbage, they are expected to live only half that time.
Bear Hibernation
When winter approaches, bears will choose a den, usually a stump or hollowed tree, high above the ground. During their winter sleep, which is not a true hibernation, one to four cubs will be born, most often in the month of January. The cubs weigh eight ounces at birth and will remain with the mother for eighteen months.
