Tent ban lifted at campground near Aspen
White River National Forest Service reinstates soft-sided shelters at Difficult Campground following bear incident
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
The White River National Forest service has lifted a tent ban at a campground near Aspen.
The decision comes 10 days following a hard-sided camper order placed at Difficult Campground, four miles southeast of Aspen up Independence Pass, after a bear punctured a tent containing two children in the middle of the night.
The order prohibited the use of soft-sided shelters, like tents, truck bed tent campers, and pop-up tent trailers. Though local officials expected it would remain in place for the following two months, the U.S. Forest Service deemed the area once again suitable for soft-sided shelters.
“While bear sightings have continued, we have had no further incidents,” District Ranger Kevin Warner said in a press release. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and educate campers about the rules and practices for camping safely in bear country.”
David Boyd, public affairs officer for the White River National Forest, said he doesn’t know how many bears have been seen in the area since the early-June incident, but that activity is similar to past years.
“They’re not acting like food-conditioned bears,” Boyd said.
He said the bear that punctured and scratched the tent containing children seemed to be more of an incidental occurrence. He doesn’t know if it’s still in the area.
The Forest Service reminds campers to adhere to its food storage order, which has been in place in Aspen-Sopris Ranger District campgrounds and many dispersed sites since 2012, according to Boyd.
“Basically, if you’re not actively preparing your food, you should have it in a locked, hard-sided vehicle or in the bear-resistant food lockers that are in the campgrounds there,” he said. “That includes your food, ice chests, garbage, dog food, toiletries — all that stuff that bears are attracted to.”
He said he hopes there will not be a need for another tent ban for the rest of the summer.
“It’s really contingent on bears not getting food from people,” he said.
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
