Last week, officials with the White River National Forest placed a temporary ban on tent camping and the use of other soft-sided shelters after a scary incident with a black bear at Difficult Campground near Aspen, Colorado. The camp host told local news that a bear attacked a tent overnight at the campground, and there were two young children inside. This, along with a recent uptick in bear activity, prompted the National Forest Service to limit the types of shelters campers could use at the campground for over a week, but the order was rescinded today, June 20.
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On June 11, 2025, the White River National Forest wrote: “Due to an increase in bear activity, the White River National Forest has issued a public safety order requiring all campers at Difficult Campground near Aspen use hard-sided campers or trailers. Soft-sided shelters such as tents, pop-up tent trailers, and truck-bed tent campers are not allowed.”
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Deputy District Ranger Jennifer Schuller called the move “a proactive step for public safety,” but The Aspen Times suggests it was really the bear encounter with the kids in a tent that prompted the ban. “The bear scratched and left puncture marks in a tent containing a boy and girl,” wrote the news outlet. “The children were both under the age of 12, officials estimated.”
To prevent bear incidents while camping, always use proper food-storage methods. This includes keeping your food and garbage in a locked hard-sided vehicle or a bear-resistant container. Campers and hikers should also carry bear spray when recreating in bear country.
See the original tent camping ban alert after the bear incident here:
Header stock image by Isaac Murray/Getty Images
Best Bear (and Mountain Lion) Sprays
- SABRE Frontiersman MAX Bear and Mountain Lion Attack Deterrent
- Counter Assault Bear Deterrant Spray
- UDAP Pepper Power Bear Spray
- Mace Brand Bear Spray
- UDAP Griz Guard Bear Pepper Spray
Learn more about bear sprays here.
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