[aywolfpac]

Drove up Cascade River Road today.  About 2 miles out of Marblemount we saw a good sized black bear on the road.  He climbed up the hillside and was gone.  At the top of the little hill he jumped up and grabbed a tree with his front paws to pull himself up.  It was cool to watch.  Here's a crappy picture of him:


Near the end of the road on the way back we saw a second bear.  This one was very brown (I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything) and bigger than the other bears I've seen.  He was on the road for about 5 seconds before heading into the woods.  I didn't get a good look at his back to see if he had a hump or not.  I'm thinking there's a chance it was a grizzly but what do you guys think?  Seems odd that he would be that close to the road.  This is the best picture I could get of him:

[Slow Hiker]

Our group thought we saw on at Maple pass, looking down at the lake at the end of the valley on the way up. He was grey and light brown and dark brown. Definitely not a Black Bear. Luckily he was far, far, far away!

[the Zachster]

I can't really tell without seeing the hump or face (color isn't definitive)...but that is one big bear!!!

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"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"

[KillerCharlie]

Yeah, color doesn't really tell you much as black bears and can pretty brown. The hump, though, is a dead giveaway.

[Mike Collins]

I guess a trophy 400 lb cinnamon bear. I will be heading up the Cascade River Road this Saturday and will look for it.

[BeyondLost]

Only one thing I can see on this pic to give any idea, but, those sure look like black bear ears. Griz ears are real short and real round.

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"Do not hurry. Do not rest." Goethe
"If you rest you rust."  Helen Hayes
"I would rather wear out then rust out." Helen Klein

[Sore Feet]

Grizzlies don't climb trees either.

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Bryan Swan
Pictures - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bryanswan
Waterfalls - www.waterfallsnorthwest.com

[aywolfpac]

[BigSteve]

We saw a big cinnamon blackie in Marble Creek Cirque in 2004.  It was the biggest blackie I've ever seen, and it appeared that we were the first humans he ever saw.  When we flushed him out, he headed downhill fast as heck, maybe all the way down to CC road. 

[tazz]

thats a black bear.

[Hulksmash]

As crappy as the pic is it looks like a black bear.  A big black bear.

But i would not be entirely surprised if some one did eventually spot one in that area.

[Grannyhiker]

From the ears (the other sure marker), it's definitely a black bear.  Griz have small round ears.

Here's excellent training  on telling the difference between black and griz:  Montana training and exam required of bear hunters.

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey

[Trail snail]

That is a great little test!  Thanks, I do not hunt but sure enjoy wildlife and knowing what I see.

[Schroder]

Here's a cinnamon colored Black Bear we saw at Heather Pass last year. I've seen quite a few this color in the N Cascades

[conrad74]