The Extra Mile
Finding bears at Cades Cove doesn’t always come easy. But, when there is a bear jam, cars stopped in a long line on Cades Cove Loop, there is a bear up head. Sometimes the bear jam is so long, by the time you get there, the bear is long gone.
I took a different approach this time. I parked my car on the oneway road and decided to walk. Surely, the bear wouldn’t be too far away—a ranger just past me walking towards the bear sighting.
I had to walk a good distance, but I know where a few bears have been hanging out and it was worth a shot. Three different rangers/volunteers were helping with getting traffic moving. One ranger let me know the bear was across the road and it usually comes out over the hill. Once over the hill, there she was with her cub/s.
I took this shot across the road. One ranger was to my left, and one to the right. It was neat watching the bear family cross the street and head back into the woods.
Location: Cades Cove, Tennessee at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
