Certain Appalachian Campgrounds Were Closed Due to Roaming Bears

Officials have closed part of the Appalachian Trail to camping due to reports of aggressive bears approaching hikers, following several similar closures over the past few years. The closure of approximately seven miles of the trail was announced by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in collaboration with the Forest Service.

Bears on the Appalachian Trail

The closure is along the North Carolina/Tennessee border, extending from Tanyard Gap to Deep Gap, and has been implemented to restrict camping activities in response to numerous hikers’ reports of encounters with bears. This closure encompasses the Rich Mountain campsite and the Spring Mountain Shelter.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy wrote in a statement that all area visitors should use caution, never leave food unattended, and pack out all trash and food scraps. It also pointed out that overnight hikers should plan their itineraries to avoid camping in the closed-out section or find a different route.

Bears Are Getting More Audacious

For the past several years, hikers in North Carolina and Tennessee have been facing a recurring issue with audacious bears. These bears, which have become habituated to human food sources, have prompted temporary closures of various shelters and campsites as they actively seek sustenance from hikers. In 2021, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) responded to bear activity by closing off a section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Tennessee, specifically miles 451 to 464, prohibiting camping in that area. This was followed by additional closures in 2022. In October of that year, officials extended the camping prohibition on the trail from the Tennessee-Virginia border to its intersection with Highway 421. Earlier in the same year, a campsite in New Jersey was closed after a bear attempted to enter a hiker’s tent.

In the announcement made by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), it was mentioned that the Forest Service recently implemented a food storage order. This order, issued last month, mandates hikers along the trail in the Southern Region of the U.S. Forest Service (which encompasses areas south of Shenandoah) to store their items with strong odors in a bear canister, a vehicle, land manager-provided containers such as bear lockers, or properly hung from a bear hang. The ATC emphasized the importance of complying with these measures, implying that it should have already been common practice for hikers.