Great Colorado Bear Stories

Exciting bear encounters and biology, by well-known Colorado writer.

Great Colorado Bear Stories is an incredible look at Colorado’s bears, including the grizzlies that once roamed the state and the black bears that still do.



Carefully researched and skillfully written by award-winning Colorado writer Laura Pritchett, these stories describe the fascinating science and natural history of bears along with gripping tales of deadly and near-death encounters with people. Some stories are historical, such as Roosevelt’s hunting, Pike’s exploring, and the death of Colorado’s last grizzly. Other tales are contemporary—backyard bruins in the suburbs, close encounters in the wilderness, and dedicated wildlife scientists who crawl deep inside dens with the bears. These stories involve hikers, ranchers, hunters, historians, Native Americans, and regular folks—at the moments their lives have intersected with the great bruins of Colorado.