In recent hours, news started to break that “aggressive bear activity” was behind the closure of a popular park located near Golden, Colorado. On Monday afternoon, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife press release on their investigation into a reported bear attack provided additional information about what prompted the shutdown.

According to that press release, a woman was hiking in Apex Park on Sunday evening when a bear attacked her on the trail at about 5:20 p.m. Prior to the attack, the bear was displaying “habituated behavior” by approaching and following humans in the area.

The woman told wildlife officials that the bear grabbed her backpack and then made contact with her leg. After that, the bear continued to follow her down the trail for more than 30 minutes despite an effort to haze the bear away with sticks, rocks, and loud noises.

Eventually, the bear left the woman alone when two other hikers she encountered joined in the effort to scare it off. At that point, the bear crossed a gully to a neighboring trail where it reportedly started to follow another pair of hikers.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel scoured the area for the bear on Sunday night, but were unable to find it. At this time, the search for the bear continues and Apex Park remains closed. While the bear hasn’t been spotted in the park, a bear was spotted in a residential area that’s near the park on Monday morning. Officials are working to determine if it’s the same bear.

In a scenario like this, the bear will almost certainly be euthanized if caught. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a two-strike policy for nuisance behavior, but that doesn’t apply if an animal poses a direct threat to human life and safety.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife provided the following tips for staying safe in bear country:

• Stay alert and stay together. Pay attention to your surroundings and avoid having earbuds in that block out noise.
• Don’t leave trash or food scraps. Even items like apple cores can draw bears to an area that humans frequent.
• Keep dogs leashed. While dogs can spook bears that would typically be ignoring human passersby, they can also prompt a defensive response.
• Camp safely by avoiding areas of dense cover and natural food sources. Cook far from your tent and never store clothes you were wearing while you cooked in your tent. Keep potential attractants in bear-resistant containers, a locked vehicle, or suspended at least 10 feet above the ground and 10 feet from something that could be climbed by a bear seeking to gain access to what you’re storing.
• If you see a bear, never approach it. Move away, but don’t run. If a bear starts to approach you, haze it away by holding your ground, waving your arms, and yelling until it leaves. If a black bear attacks, do not play dead – fight back aggressively.
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it. It’s also important to make sure it’s accessible for quick access in an emergency.

Apex Park is among the most popular outdoor spaces along the western edge of the Denver metro area, found just south of downtown Golden. It spans close to 800 acres and is known for a streamside trail, dense forest, hiking, and mountain biking.

Learn more about living with Colorado’s black bears here. For updates on Apex Park, check the Jefferson County Parks and Open Space page for new information. At time of reporting, the notice about the closure is posted above the park description.

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