Wildlife officials have issued an urgent warning to campers and hikers across California’s national parks this week after confrontations between humans and black bears have spiked, driven by pre-hibernation behavior and surging park crowds.

Incidents have surged across Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon as black bears enter a pre-hibernation feeding frenzy. 

To build winter fat, wildlife experts say the animals forage up to 22 hours a day, devouring roughly 20,000 calories daily, a drive that is pushing them straight into campsites and parking lots.

At Yosemite, human-bear clashes have risen 52% in 2026, according to park records. Through mid-September, rangers documented 50 separate incidents that caused $17,780 in property damage across campsites, parking facilities, and employee housing. 

The danger has proved equally lethal for wildlife, with speeding vehicles having struck at least 21 bears in the park so far this year.

The situation is even more prominent in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, where human-bear conflicts have surged 125% since 2020. 

Property damage in those parks skyrocketed by 1,800% year-to-date, exceeding $17,300 by late September. 

Park data shows that improperly stored food and unsecured garbage directly triggered at least 80 of those encounters.

The crisis has caught the attention of federal lawmakers. 

In a formal letter to federal park officials, California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff argued that the National Park Service’s decision to abandon its visitor reservation system fueled severe overcrowding.

The senators warned that higher attendance, combined with park staff shortages and a deficit of bear-proof trash bins, has created hazardous conditions along popular corridors.

Park rangers are now urging visitors to store all food and scented items in metal bear lockers, warning that carelessness will inevitably trigger more aggressive encounters before the animals enter winter hibernation.

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