Where to See Black Bear in Big Bend National Park

Sighting map

Black Bear sightings in Big Bend

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Where Black Bear has been reported, from 377 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none. Locations are adjusted to protect the animals, so the pattern is approximate.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM4% of the busiest hour1 AM3% of the busiest hour2 AM2% of the busiest hour3 AM2% of the busiest hour4 AM6% of the busiest hour5 AM22% of the busiest hour6 AM72% of the busiest hour7 AM94% of the busiest hour8 AM78% of the busiest hour9 AM56% of the busiest hour10 AM39% of the busiest hour11 AM28% of the busiest hourNoon22% of the busiest hour1 PM17% of the busiest hour2 PM22% of the busiest hour3 PM33% of the busiest hour4 PM50% of the busiest hour5 PM67% of the busiest hour6 PM89% of the busiest hour7 PMBusiest hour8 PM78% of the busiest hour9 PM44% of the busiest hour10 PM17% of the busiest hour11 PM9% of the busiest hour

Black Bear is most seen 7 AM and 6–8 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Black Bear sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	4%
1 AM	3%
2 AM	2%
3 AM	2%
4 AM	6%
5 AM	22%
6 AM	72%
7 AM	94%
8 AM	78%
9 AM	56%
10 AM	39%
11 AM	28%
Noon	22%
1 PM	17%
2 PM	22%
3 PM	33%
4 PM	50%
5 PM	67%
6 PM	89%
7 PM	100%
8 PM	78%
9 PM	44%
10 PM	17%
11 PM	9%

Audio tour

Hear about Black Bear on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Big Bend, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Big Bend Tour Guide

The Bears Came Back

0:00 / 0:31

“The black bears in the Chisos have a remarkable comeback story. By nineteen forty-four, there were almost no resident bears left in Big Bend. Hunting, trapping, and habitat loss had driven their decline.”

Plays as you drive in Parkwolf’s Big Bend Tour Guide.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Big Bend spots that mention Black Bear

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Black Bear. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

SightSouth Rim ViewpointA hard, full day of hiking earns the high rim panorama.

SightRio Grande OverlookA short climb to Sierra del Carmen and Dead Man’s Curve.

Trails

ModerateLost Mine Trail4.8 mi · 3 hrA stepped climb to a ridge above Juniper Canyon.

ModerateThe Window Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hrA 5.5-mile canyon hike with a tough climb back to the Basin.

ModeratePine Canyon Trail4 mi · 3 hrDesert grassland gives way to a shaded canyon and cliff pour-off.

ChallengingPinnacles Trail7 mi · 4.5 hrA steep, shaded climb to a high pass above the Basin.

ModerateLaguna Meadow Trail7.4 mi · 4.5 hrA steady climb into meadow country with views back to the Basin

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Big Bend, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
110 audio storiesplay as you drive Big Bend, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Big Bend

All 16 sighting maps

329 sightingsCollared PeccaryPecari tajacuMost seen 7 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

500 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerOdocoileus virginianusMost seen 6 AM & 7 PMSighting map

985 sightingsRoadrunnerGeococcyx californianusMost seen 7–10 AM & 5 PMSighting map

228 sightingsRavenCorvus coraxMost seen 9 AM–12 PM & 3–7 PMSighting map

264 sightingsTurkey VultureCathartes auraMost seen 10 AM–5 PMSighting map

109 sightingsBlack HawkButeogallus anthracinusMost seen 8–10 AM & 4–7 PMSighting map

354 sightingsDiamond-backed RattlesnakeCrotalus atroxMost seen 7 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

34 sightingsMojave RattlesnakeCrotalus scutulatusMost seen 7–9 PMSighting map

Where to see Black Bear in Big Bend