Black Bear at Cades Cove

Artist: John Wright
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Black Bear at Cades Cove

I was surprised to see any bears at all, given how late we got going that morning, arriving at Cades Cove (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) just before noon, but we saw a few, at 3 different locations around the loop. This one was the closest and clearest. I did crop a bit from my 200mm, I wasn’t really that close! The bear was quite unconcerned, but I remained aware of our relative locations at all times.

One of the really nice things about Cades Cove was I saw Park Rangers at every single sighting, keeping people at a reasonable distance and telling them when to move.

Black Bear at Cades Cove belongs to the following groups:

AMERICA's National Parks and WILDLIFE Habitat, Animal Kingdom, Exotic Mammals, Mother Nature's Finest, Smoky Mountain Masterpieces, United States and Wild Nature Photography & Writing

Melissa Hintz, 3 months ago

Cropped or not it’s a great shot!!
Micki Ferguson, 3 months ago

I won’t even ASK how you got this. WOW :)
dawndavies, 3 months ago

wow what a day out you had, fab picture dawn
John Wright, 3 months ago

Thanks all. Yes it was an incredible day with all the animals and scenery there.

Micki, this bear was just at the side of the road!
stephaniek, 3 months ago

Fabulous photo! My bear photos end up being dots in the brush, lol. What state was this?
John Wright, 3 months ago

Thank you Stephanie. This was at Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in TN.
Marvin Collins, 3 months ago

Great shot, he looks like a really big one.
John Wright, 3 months ago

Thanks Marvin. He was big enough, but I have not seen many black bears so I couldn’t say.
Krys Bailey, 3 months ago

I envy you seeing bears in the wild! I’m not even sure I’ve ever seen a bear like this! Great natural capture!
John Wright, 3 months ago

Thank you Krys. This was my first wild bear too.
Linda Syms, 3 months ago

Beautiful capture.
John Wright, 3 months ago

Thank you Linda.
Leslie Battjes, 3 months ago

Oh cool…I’ve always wanted to see a bear in the wild…like this..not as it’s chasing me! :) Lucky you!

(By the way, when you respond to people’s comments, hit the reply tab next to their comment, then they will know that you’ve written. Otherwise they will not know unless they happen to come back for another look!)
John Wright in reply to Leslie Battjes’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks Leslie. Yes, I know, I was probably tired when I replied.
Mar Silva, 3 months ago

How did I miss this one? He is so beautiful. Great capture!
John Wright in reply to Mar Silva’s comment, 3 months ago

I have no idea, since he isn’t as well camouflaged as your bear!
Patricia Montg..., 3 months ago

Never been lucky enough to see a black bear at Cades Cove. What an exciting moment for you to be able to capture the big guy for us to see. Great job!
John Wright in reply to Patricia Montgomery’s comment, 3 months ago

Thanks Patricia. I hope you get to see one next time, it was quite a thrill.
Ellen, 3 months ago

How beautiful! (we only see them here in the Zoo :)
John Wright in reply to Ellen’s comment, 3 months ago

Thank you Ellen. North America is fortunate to have a few remaining wild places left.
Gary L. Suddath, 3 months ago

excellent shot,a Smoky Mountain classic
John Wright in reply to Gary L. Suddath’s comment, 3 months ago

Thank you Gary.
Christopher E..., 3 months ago

totally awesome find john!!! looks great with that grass around it also, great job handling that lighting!
John Wright in reply to Christopher Ewing’s comment, 3 months ago

Thank you very much Christopher.
kcranmer, 3 months ago

Geeeeze John…I live in grizzly bear country and I’m still yet to see a bear this close (although I think I heard one 2 nights ago in my backyard while doing night shots, eeeks), lol…great shot and timing!
John Wright in reply to kcranmer’s comment, 3 months ago

Kellie, you probably don’t want to actually meet a Grizzle! Black bears are far less aggressive. Thanks.
Wanda Faircloth, 3 months ago

Great shot!! Cades Cove is my favorite place,its just too beautiful for words!!
John Wright in reply to Wanda Faircloth’s comment, 3 months ago

Thank you Wanda. The cove is incredible. I can’t wait to go back.
NewDawnPhoto, 3 months ago

You’ll have a tough time getting a better bear shot than this one John. Congratulations, it looks like you made the most of your trip!
John Wright in reply to NewDawnPhoto’s comment, 3 months ago

Thank you Anthony. It is an amazing park, I highly recommend it.
Lisa G. Putman, 2 months ago

What an amazing shot! I am both happy for you and extremely jealous of this image! I have seen a total of 11 bears in the park in a total of 4 days visits. None of my bear shots are this good! I guess it’s a combination of my being nervous and trying to watch out for the bears proximity to me and their constant movement. I can never get them to be still. This last time I thought she was going deep in the woods and she turned and ran under the barbed wire fence in front of me. It pays to be cautious and keep your eyes open.
John Wright, 2 months ago

Thank you very much Lisa. I was never far from the car and the bear never showed me the least interest, thankfully. Otherwise I’d have dark blurs for images!
Wildwings, 2 months ago

He is a beauty. Looks well-fed anD slick. One must always use caution around bears, no matter how “cute” they appear to be. :)This goes immediately into my collection of favorites. Wonderful work.
John Wright in reply to Wildwings’s comment, 2 months ago

Thank you very much Wildwings. Yes he does look well-fed… probably safer than a hungry specimen. :)
Lori Peters, 2 months ago

I have really wanted a picture of a bear. I was walking this weekend and saw a sign warning people about a bear and moutain lion in the area.You got a great shot of this one. Nicely done.
John Wright in reply to Lori Peters’s comment, 2 months ago

Thank you Lori. I have yet to see a mountain lion in the wild, but someday, I hope.
Rosalie Scanlo..., 5 days ago

Great image. I like the way you framed him with the tree.
John Wright in reply to Rosalie Scanlon IPA’s comment, 5 days ago

Thank you Rosalie.