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8 Miles of Parkway Closed Due to People Bothering a Bear

Blue Ridge Parkway section in North Carolina shut down after visitors' interactions with young bear
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2023 9:54 AM CDT
8 Miles of Parkway Closed Due to Visitors' Bear Interactions
Stock photo of the Blue Ridge Parkway.   (Getty Images/zrfphoto)

An 8-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina has been shuttered for the indefinite future, after visitors were spotted giving food to and trying to hold a juvenile bear. In a release cited by WXII, the National Park Service says that officials have closed down the part of the thoroughfare that runs near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area all the way to Ox Creek Road, near Asheville, due to the reported interactions at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook. "We are closing this section of the road temporarily for the safety of both the bear and park visitors," says parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout.

Swartout notes that "when people intentionally attract bears with trash and food, it can lead to very dangerous situations." By closing the portion of the parkway where the bear was known to hang out, it will "give the bear a chance to lose interest in the area before the situation escalates and visitors or the bear are harmed," Swartout adds. The picnic area will still be accessible from the north, though a visitor center at the 364.5-mile post will be closed for now.

The NPS notes that autumn is prime time for bears to do their prehibernation food foraging, when they'll "actively seek out natural foods but will also take advantage of human foods when presented with the opportunity." The agency points to its bear safety tips for guidance, which advises it's illegal for visitors to get closer than 50 yards to any bears they may see, and that no one should feed the bears, either, per CNN. That section of the Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed "until further notice," according to the release. (More bears stories.)

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