Colorado wildlife officials warn of increased bear activity as fall weather approaches

State wildlife officials are warning residents and visitors about an uptick in bear activity as the weather in Colorado cools, especially in the foothills and high country.

Bears across the state are preparing for winter hibernation, which means they'll be packing on the calories and looking for as much food as they can find. As a result, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are urging people to minimize bears' easy access to food and trash, especially after an above-average number of bear sightings and conflicts in 2024; the majority of those conflicts involved bears trying to access human food sources. In some areas, like Mesa and western Garfield Counties, bear reports doubled from 2023 to 2024, according to CPW.

A Black bear looks up from stairs leading down to an apartment in downt