The Morning Gloria Trail on Emerald Mountain is closed through Monday, June 28, due to increased wildlife activity.

After seeing multiple reports on Facebook of trail users encountering animals in the area, Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommended to Steamboat Springs Parks and Recreation that the trail be closed.

“We started noticing some Facebook reports that there were some continued encounters with this bear, and they seem to be increasing in aggressiveness,” said CPW District Wildlife Manager Kyle Bond. “We decided to close the area out of an abundance of caution.”

It’s unclear if the bear is guarding its cubs or perhaps an animal carcass it’s been feeding on, but reports have indicated it’s getting more aggravated with each encounter.

Craig Robinson, Parks, Open Space and Trails manager for the city, said signs are in place at Emerald Mountain access points, as well as above and below Morning Gloria. There also will be caution signs at Blair Witch access points, since there have been some encounters near that trail as well.

The city and CPW will continue to monitor the area and ask that people respect the closures and consider recreating on different parts of the mountain or elsewhere.

If trail users encounter a bear, CPW would like to hear about the incident. During business hours, call the Steamboat Springs office at 970-870-2197. When the office is closed, people can call the Routt County communications nonemergency number at 970-879-1110.