Before you go
- Check the park's current bear warnings and trail closures before choosing a hike.
- Plan how you will secure food, trash, and scented items at your campsite or vehicle.
- Bring a camera with a zoom lens if you hope to photograph wildlife.
If you see a bear
Never feed or approach it. Great Smoky Mountains National Park says visitors must stay at least 50 yards (150 feet) away, and farther if the bear changes its behavior because of you. Give the animal a clear escape route. If a bear approaches, follow the park's current guidance for that situation.
Watching from your car? Remain inside and keep traffic moving. Stopping in the road for a photo creates a hazard for visitors and wildlife.
A better wildlife-viewing plan
Start with the park's current alerts, then choose a walk or drive for the scenery rather than counting on a bear sighting. The NPS identifies places such as Cades Cove and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail for wildlife viewing, but an animal's location is never predictable. If an animal appears, keep your distance and let the sighting be brief.
Before hiking or camping, put food, wrappers, and other scented items where the park directs you to store them. A fed bear can learn to seek people and their supplies. Photograph from a distance with a zoom lens; do not move closer to fill the frame. If traffic is building around a roadside bear, continue to a safe place and let the road clear.