You don’t need to be in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to spot a bear, especially lately. They’re trotting around Gatlinburg parking lots, ripping sunroof windows off cars and even getting locked in motel bathrooms.
The wild scenes can make for an exciting sight and an easy viral clip on TikTok or Facebook. But it gets much less fun when a bear gets too close.
The national park has reported instances this year of bears approaching and chasing people, including one in which a bear bit a person who had entered a closed area. The increased bear activity and encounters have prompted temporary closures of trails, shelters and areas of the park…