Bear activity at a popular campground near Aspen has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to prohibit soft tents in the area for the foreseeable future.
Earlier this week, a bear entered the Difficult Campground, located 5 miles southeast of Aspen, and while it was not aggressive, forest service spokesperson Dave Boyd said the agency has instituted a ban on soft-sided shelters such as tents, pop-up tent trailers, and truck-bed tent campers as a precautionary measure.
Travelers are permitted to camp there if they have hard-sided campers or trailers. All visitors must use the bear-resistant food lockers provided at each site, and keep garbage and toiletries like toothpaste locked up in the locker or a vehicle when not in use, Boyd said.
“We get bears in that campground from time to time that are already somewhat conditioned to being around people,” he said. “They’re not being aggressive, they’re just out poking around looking for food.”
“Food is always on their mind,” Boyd added, “so what can happen when they’ve lost fear of people, they can become dangerous because they start associating people with food and it can gradually escalate. So what we don’t want them to do is get food from people.”
Boyd couldn’t comment on the specifics of the encounter, but the Aspen Times reported the bear approached a tent with two children overnight and scratched it, leaving a puncture in the structure. No serious damage or injuries occurred, Boyd said.
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While uncommon, soft tent bans are not unprecedented at Colorado campgrounds. Boyd said one was issued last year at a different location due to bear activity, and back in 2012, tents were temporarily banned at Difficult Campground for that exact reason.
The current ban is in place for one year, per forest service protocol, but Boyd said it could be lifted sooner if the agency no longer believes bears will be an issue.
Anyone with an upcoming reservation at Difficult Campground booked through recreation.gov has been notified of the soft-tent ban so they can decide if they still want to visit, Boyd added.
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