Bears use the same trails over and over for generations. They tend to place their feet in exactly the same place every time they use the trail. You can find these trails where each footfall is in a depression worn into the ground by the passage of so many bears over the years. Click on the photo above to take a Journey to Bear Orchard. I never lived in bear country until about seven years ago, when I moved to northern California.
Black bears are abundant here.
The last California grizzly was shot in 1922 in Tulare County. In Humboldt County, where I live, the first explorers through the area encountered numerous grizzlies as they made their way south. This was in late 1849 and early 1850. In fact, one of the explorers was attacked by a grizzly near the present-day town of Miranda. I have seen several black bears close up.