Forest Service closes Horse Creek Campground until further notice due to bears

Digital Executive Producer

Due to food storage non-compliance, bear encounters are increasing in Cherokee National Forest campgrounds risking visitor and bear safety.

As Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency recommended, Horse Creek Campground in the Unaka Ranger District is closed until further notice.

Campers report dangerous bear encounters on National Forest campgrounds primarily north of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

USDA Forest Service officials remind visitors of food and refuse restrictions across the entire Cherokee National Forest. The restrictions, in place since 2017, prohibit possessing or leaving food unless it is possessed or stored properly.

Visitors are required to store unattended food in bear-resistant containers, in a vehicle in solid non-pliable material, or suspend food at least 12 feet off the ground.

Definition of terms in the Cherokee National Forest Food Storage Order:

"Food" means any substance, which is not native to the immediate area, solid or liquid (excluding water, baled hay, or hay cubes without additives)

"Bear Attractant" means any substance having an odor that may attract bears, including food, soft drinks, cooking grease, alcoholic beverages, canned foods, pet foods, processed livestock feed and grains, personal hygiene products, and empty food and beverage containers.

"Refuse" means any discarded material or solid waste.

"Possessed properly" means: Possessed or attended by a person(s) under the immediate control of food, attractant, or refuse. The person(s) must be physically present within 100 feet and in plain sight and able to attend to and store such items immediately.

"Stored properly" means:

· Stored or disposed of in a bear-resistant container or trash receptacle, which is a securable container constructed of solid non-pliable material capable of withstanding 200 foot-pounds of energy.

· Suspended at least 12 feet off the ground and 6 feet from limbs, or

· Stored within a hard-sided residence, building, or storage container subject to the terms and conditions of a special-use authorization or operating plan, or

· Stored by other methods approved in a permit issued by the Forest Supervisor.

Digital Executive Producer