File:Black Bear, Great Sand Dunes National Park (33340686190).jpg

NPS/Patrick Myers Bears are emerging now from their winter dens, and they're hungry! Black bears spend much of their time foraging along streams in the park and preserve. They will occasionally take a deer or other animal, but the majority of their diet is plants. At Great Sand Dunes, bears are not commonly seen. If you follow basic precautions, an attack is extremely unlikely. Black bears almost always avoid people, unless you lure them with food or get between a mother and cubs. The most important thing you can do to prevent a bear encounter is to keep a clean camp or picnic site. Never leave food items out while you are away, and keep all scented items in a bear locker or your vehicle when car camping, or hung up high in a tree when backpacking. If you encounter a black bear on a trail, follow these guidelines: 1) Stay calm - if you get excited, the bear may, too! 2) Stop - avoid eye contact 3) Slowly leave - running may excite or threaten a bear 4) Speak softly to alert the bear, but do not yell 5) If attacked, fight back. Use rocks, sticks, flashlight, etc.