A Colorado Springs resident climbing Pikes Peak earlier this month encountered an unexpected sight well above treeline: a bear and her two cubs navigating the mountain's steep, rocky terrain. The climber was making his way over loose, jagged rock high on the peak when he spotted what he described as "this big, black blob between the rocks" at around 13,700 feet — a sight that initially seemed impossible, since bears don't normally go above tree line. There was, in fact, a bear, along with her two cubs.

The encounter surprised even an experienced local. Having lived in Colorado Springs and frequented Pikes Peak over the past 17 years, the climber had encountered bears before, but never at such heights — and not on the harsh terrain along an adventurous summit route well above the Bottomless Pit.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, however, bears venturing that high is far from extraordinary. A CPW spokesperson, Joey Livingston, called it "definitely not uncommon" for a bear to move above treeline. Livingston, who regularly joins CPW for its annual bighorn sheep count in the area — sometimes starting from the top of Pikes Peak Highway — said staff see bears at those elevations every year during the counts. He noted one instance of a bear attempting to retrieve trash from the Summit Visitor Center, a scavenging behavior more commonly associated with neighborhoods at lower elevations.

This summer has produced an unusually high volume of such sightings, and CPW ties the trend directly to conditions on the ground. On the heels of a historically dry winter and spring, the agency had feared more bears would seek food in developed areas as berries, nuts, and grasses struggled to grow in natural habitats. Those fears are being realized: Livingston said it is "going to probably be a record year when it comes to the number of bear reports" statewide, with the lack of natural food causing bears to "move a lot more."

Food scarcity appears to be driving bears into unusual territory, including alpine elevations. While Pikes Peak's tundra may not seem like prime habitat, bears will search high and low — occasionally hunting for marmots — and can smell food from miles away, including trash and snacks left by climbers and tourists at the summit. Like bighorn sheep and elk, bears may also move to cooler, higher elevations during the heat of summer. CPW has tracked bear home ranges anywhere from 10 to 250 square miles, and Livingston noted that "wandering 2,000 feet up a fourteener isn't a big deal for them."

CPW is using the moment as a public safety reminder. Livingston said that even when a sighting is routine for wildlife professionals, it carries value as public information. "You never know where you're going to see one," he said. "So always be bear aware."

CPW has not indicated whether any management actions are planned for high-elevation bear activity on Pikes Peak, and it remains to be seen whether the agency's end-of-season tally will confirm a record number of statewide bear reports.