Bears Have Been Showing Up All Season in Aspen, Including at Restaurants and Bakeries
In August, a bear walked through the empty dining room of Sant Ambroeus, a restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. In September, another bear tore into food at the Aspen farmers' market. In October, a bear was caught on video near the takeout window of Paradise Bakery & Gelateria, a downtown shop. Town & Country pulled those sightings together in a story published Nov. 3, 2026.
Lara Xaiz, the City of Aspen's wildlife coordinator, said bears have been out every day since July, during daytime hours. She said they have been gathering in the downtown core. Xaiz linked the behavior to drought. She said extreme drought in Colorado has pushed bears down into the valley bottoms, where the water supply is.
The numbers back up the sense of a busy year. Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the state agency that manages wildlife, reported a 68% increase in bear reports for the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year. By Aug. 31, the agency had received more than 8,600 reports of bear sightings and activity across the state. The City of Aspen recorded 388 bear trash intrusions from Jan. 1 through Aug. 19. That compares with 167 in the same period of 2025 and 91 in 2024.
Some of the encounters have moved indoors. The Aspen Daily News reported a spike in bears entering homes through open and unlocked doors and windows. A visitor, Harley Hurosky, told The Aspen Times that she saw bears at least 20 times during a few-day stay in August. Separately, northwest Colorado logged four reported black bear attacks, in Aspen, Snowmass, Steamboat Springs and EagleVail.
Jason Duetsch, an area wildlife manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, called the season an "extraordinary bear year." He urged residents and visitors to stay alert about food and trash that can draw bears onto property.
The rules are practical, and they are not optional. Aspen's town code requires trash to be kept in containers with latched lids, and the town issues tickets to people who break the rule. The state agency says to keep trash secured at all times, lock windows, doors and vehicles, and take down bird feeders until Thanksgiving. Feeding wildlife is illegal in Colorado. The agency also says regular feeding teaches bears to lose their fear of people, which makes conflicts more likely. The city has asked residents to bring Halloween pumpkins inside, since bears are drawn to them too.
Bears in Aspen are most active from late April to early November, according to the city. They can leave their dens at any time of year, so the season does not end on a set date. For anyone heading to town, the simplest advice is the one the state keeps repeating: keep food and garbage out of reach, and keep bears wild.
