Up until about 1970, you were just about certain to see a bear. Tourists fed them from their cars and traffic came to a halt while folks tossed scraps and shot pictures.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the park even installed bleachers and posted signs over garbage pits reading, “Lunch Counter – For Bears Only.”
In 1970, bear feeding was banned. There’s still a chance of an ursine sighting any time of year, but they tend to nap in the woods on warm summer days and are out and about more in cooler weather.