States where you have seen a bear

[Bearpaw]

On my thru-hike, I saw bears in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

However, I've seen dozens in the low country of the Smokies on both the Carolina and Tennessee sides. I also saw bears in Georgia and Tennessee a couple of years ago on the Benton MacKaye Trail.

I encountered one bear in Yosemite this past summer. Several in Wyoming. Also one Grizzly in Wyoming and two in Montana while trekking the Absaroka Range.

[rickb]

Seems that one can expect to encounter bear all along the AT, but SNP is the hotspot.

[Engine]

I've seen black bear along the AT corridor in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Coolest Bear sighting ever for us occurred in the Hoodoo basin in Yellowstone. A 400 - 500 pound Grizzly walked about 20 feet behind our tent in the middle of the afternoon...sleep came ever so slowly that night.

[Frick Frack]

OMG...I do not think I could ever remember how many bear we saw. The 1st one was a fews days into the 100 Mile Wilderness and one of the largest black bears I have ever seen. By the time we reached GA I lost count....esp in SNP.

[jigsaw]

3 last year in shenendoah. but the best was right here at my house in mass watching my little jack russell tear across my yard and chase one up a tree poor bear diddnt stand a chance

[Desert Reprobate]

I saw a bear on the PCT. Also got close and personal with Victor the Wrestling Bear at the Anaheim Convention Center in 75.

[modiyooch]

I saw 5 in one day while hiking thru the Delaware Water Gap area. The other one was SW Virginia.

[modiyooch]

I never saw one in SNP while hiking, but I often wonder how many saw me.

[sheepdog]

Ten.
NC
SNP
Alaska, Lots of Griz and black bears. I worked on a survey crew building a road in the mountains for a summer. The bears, moose and other critters found our survey lines a convienet highway.

[johnnybgood]

Seen many black bear while either hiking SNP or simply driving in the park.

Several years back I saw 3 cubs and a mama bear crossing the Loft Mountain access road and was told by a Park Ranger that SNP had the largest concentration of black bear of any National Park.

I have no statistics to back his claim but all you need to do is flip through the pages of wildlife sightings to know that there are plenty of bear in Shenandoah.

[rickb]

I have no statistics to back his claim but all you need to do is flip through the pages of wildlife sightings to know that there are plenty of bear in Shenandoah.

We saw more than a dozen different bear in Sequoia NP in California on a single day, and that was just doing day hikes while car camping. It was great but rather bizarre. They were black bears, but rather brown in color.

[ga2me97]

Nc, Tn, Va, Pa, Nj

[catfishrivers]

I see them sorta often here in n North-West NJ. At least during the months when they are not hibernating...they steal garbage from my block all the time and drag it into MY backyard like a happy meal to sit and enjoy. I guess it's because my yard is the last clearing before the woods start up so they sit and eat and throw trash all over here. They need to learn LNT!!!

[ZeroC]

Since i lived NH just about all my life i've actually only seen one bear there, but it was after it got plastered by a big rig. Actually the truck was totaled, the bear was dead but not torn apart which was interesting.

[10-K]

I am the only person who hiked through SNP this year and didn't see a bear or rattlesnake.

I quit counting chimpmunks though...

[Phoenixdadeadhead]

I have still to this day not seen a bear in the wild except in Alaska, and I was so young then that my memory is only flashes. I really hope to get lucky on my next hike from Clingman's to Springer

[World-Wide]

States where you have seen a bear (check all that apply)-- and no a bear in a cage does not count.

I see black bears everytime I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Iron Mountain area) on annual fishing trips w/family & friend's! I know you were focusing on trail sightings! I apologize if i digress!! W-W

[rickb]

Just curious if bear sitings have changed much since I first posted this poll.

[Joshuatree]

Michigan, Minnistota, Montana, Have had them on my Deck when I was living in Northern Wisconsin scares you a bit when you open the door to let the dogs out and theres a 400 pound sow sitting on the deck watching her yearling cub play on the wood pile. My ex GFs parents had a picture of that same bear sitting on the seat of their Motorcycle. Hiking in the UP of michigan I had one walk up on me as I was enjoying my before bed coffee. stood up and turned around to look at the sunsetting and couldn't see it on account of the big black bear standing an arms length away from me you really wouldn't think an animal as big as a bear can move so quitely.
I've also seen them in Canada along with Maine and either Vermont or New Hampshire not sure what side of the border I was on at the time. The most I've seen at once I was drving back from a weekend flyfishing near the Wisconsin, Michigan border and I had a Sow with triplets cross the road, and my camera was in my pack safely packed in the trunk DOOOOOOOH thats like the third time I've had a good shot at getting a clear picture of a bear, moose or some other cool animal and my camera's safely packed away.

[moytoy]

Florida, Tennessee, NC,North Ga. ...all within the past two years. I've never been on the AT north of Tennessee.
Florida of course because I live here and hike in ONF.