Blue Ridge Parkway trail reopens after 'aggressive' bear encounters

McKenna Leavens, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read
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The Bull Mountain Trail is back open to the public after being closed because of bear encounters.
The Bull Mountain Trail is back open to the public after being closed because of bear encounters.

ASHEVILLE - The half-mile section of the Bull Mountain Trail off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville opened back up on July 3 after being closed due to "aggressive" bear encounters.

More: 'Aggressive' bear encounters force trail closure off Blue Ridge Parkway

Leesa Sutton Brandon, a spokesperson for the parkway, said they were able to take the closure signs down this past Monday.

Since the trail reopened; there hasn't been any reported bear encounters, according to Brandon.

On June 22, the Citizen Times reported that Wildlife biologists and law enforcement rangers closed a half-mile section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the Bull Mountain area, from Milepost 381.3 to 381.8, which is near the Folk Art Center. Bull Mountain Trail is located about 5 miles east of downtown Asheville along the parkway near the Riceville Meadows neighborhood.

The parkway is the most visited unit of the National Park Service, with around 15.7 million visitors in 2022.  It extends 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and crests the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, passing directly through Asheville to its end at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee.

More: Blue Ridge Parkway visits in 2022 dropped. Is it still most popular national park?

Brandon offered some tips for what visitors and neighbors of the parkway can do to stay safe.

  • Maintain situational awareness. If you encounter a bear, back away slowly in the opposite direction and wait for the bear to leave; or make loud noises, shout, or bang pots and pans together to scare the bear away.

  • Keep dogs on a leash. Pets must be always kept on a leash no longer than 6 feet while in the park. Leashes protect your dog from becoming lost, getting too close to others, and disturbing (or being disturbed by) wildlife.

  • Keep food out of sight. Mandatory food storage regulations are in effect in all park campgrounds, picnic areas and backcountry campsites. All food, coolers, utensils, cook stoves and other food related items must be stored out of sight in a closed vehicle or in a bear proof food storage locker.

More: Blue Ridge Parkway FOIA details severe human-bear-dog encounter in 2021 at Folk Art Center

For more bear safety tips, visit the parkway’s bear safety web page and BearWise.org. 

Park staff encourages visitors to call 828-298-2491 or stop at the nearest visitor center if you encounter a bear while on Blue Ridge Parkway.

Park staff encourages visitors to call 828-298-2491 or stop at the nearest visitor center if you encounter a bear while on Blue Ridge Parkway.
Park staff encourages visitors to call 828-298-2491 or stop at the nearest visitor center if you encounter a bear while on Blue Ridge Parkway.

McKenna Leavens is the education reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at mleavens@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter @LeavensMcKenna. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway trail reopens after 'aggressive' bear encounters