Officials with the National Park Service say several sections of Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been temporarily shut down following a string of recent encounters between visitors and bears.
Over the past weekend, park rangers responded to three separate situations along the Ramsey Cascades Trail. In two of those cases, bears approached hikers and made off with their backpacks. In another, a bear acted aggressively and chased a group of visitors. No one was injured in these incidents.
Similar problems were reported the weekend before at Abrams Falls Trail. Rangers documented three encounters there as well, including one in which a visitor was bitten after entering an area that had already been closed. Authorities have not shared details about how serious those injuries were.
As a result of the activity, certain areas of the park were closed to protect the public. As of April 20, Ramsey Prong Road and the Ramsey Cascades Trail remain off-limits while rangers continue to track bear behavior. Meanwhile, Abrams Falls Trail and the road leading to it have since reopened.
Bears chase, bite visitors at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, prompting closures. https://t.co/xQNMlyv94F
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 21, 2026
Park officials note that closures like these are sometimes necessary either to keep visitors safe or to give wildlife space to feed without disturbance.
The park is home to an estimated 1,900 American black bears and draws roughly 12 million visitors each year, making it the busiest national park in the United States. Bear encounters tend to increase in the spring, when females emerge from hibernation with their cubs and begin searching for food.
Data shows that, on average, there have been 339 negative interactions between humans and bears annually over the past decade. Reports indicate there were six such conflicts in 2025, down from 10 the year before. Officials attribute part of that decline to wildlife management efforts in East Tennessee, including the euthanization of bears deemed dangerous. In 2024, 32 bears were put down, compared to 23 in 2025.
The National Park Service is reminding visitors to keep their distance from bears and never feed them, as human behavior can increase the risk of dangerous encounters.