Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have closed a number of trails and campsites because of visitor encounters with what rangers deemed aggressive bears, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports.
While no one has been attacked, twice in the last week when hikers encountered bears on backcountry trails, the animals stood their ground, park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said Tuesday.
“These bears did not back away,” she said. “Generally speaking, a bear is going to run away. Often the bear just wants space to pass by.”
The incidents happened on the Bull Head Trail leading to Mount Le Conte and on the Meigs Mountain Trail near the Elkmont Campground, in the central and western sections of the park in Tennessee.
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