Do Black Bears Prefer Ridges or Valleys? A Look at Appalachian Bear Habitat in National Forests

Jason
Jul 27
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Do Black Bears Prefer Ridges or Valleys?

This is a question I wonder about for years, so I decided to answer it.

Understanding Bear Habitat in the Appalachian National Forests

Black bears are the quiet ghosts of the Appalachian Mountains—rarely seen, always present. But if you’re hiking, bushwhacking, or camping in national forest terrain from Virginia to Pennsylvania, you might wonder: Where do black bears prefer to live? Up near the ridge tops, or down toward the valley hollows?

The answer isn’t as simple as one or the other.

In the undeveloped, forested stretches of the Appalachians, black bears don’t cling to a single elevation zone. Instead, they shift between ridges, slopes, and valleys depending on food availability, cover, season, and breeding behavior. Let's break down what actually determines their movement in these wild zones.

1. Food Comes First: Bears Follow the Buffet

Black bears are omnivores with a seasonal diet—and where the food goes, they go.

Spring: Bears often start lower, favoring south-facing slopes and hollows where plants green up first and insects emerge.
Summer: Berries and soft mast like huckleberries, serviceberries, and blackberries ripen higher, pulling bears up to ridge zones and high clearings.
Fall: All bets are off. Bears shuffle between elevations chasing acorns (especially from white oak, red oak, and chestnut oak), beechnuts, and any calorie source they can find to fatten up before winter. They might feed in upper ridges one week, and a secluded cove the next—wherever the mast crop is strongest.

In national forests, elevation doesn’t matter as much as calories. Bears will work the terrain top to bottom if it means staying fed.

2. Cover and Terrain Matter More Than Altitude

In undeveloped national forest zones, bears select habitat that offers:

Dense understory: Laurel, rhododendron, greenbrier, brambles
Steep slopes and rugged drainages: Ideal for bedding and escape
Minimal human disturbance: Bears avoid roads, not ridges

Ridgetops:

Used for:

Travel corridors
Berry patches
Denning (often on steep, inaccessible slopes near the crest)

Avoided when:

Exposed or clear-cut
Trailed or roaded (fire roads, for instance)

Valleys:

Used for:

Water access
Soft mast like wild cherries, pawpaws, or lower-elevation oaks
Seasonal green-up zones

Avoided when:

Developed or cleared (rare in national forests)
No immediate forest cover

Conclusion: In a healthy forest, bears don’t “live” on ridgetops or in valleys—they use both, depending on what they’re trying to do and how safe they feel doing it.

3. Seasonal Patterns: Ridge-to-Valley Movement is Normal

In Appalachian national forests, a black bear might:

Den in a steep, wooded ridge bowl
Feed on berries in a sunny high-elevation clearing
Descend a slope at dusk to drink from a hidden spring in the valley
Travel saddle-to-saddle at night, covering miles with ease

This isn’t randomness—it’s a strategic pattern rooted in seasonal change and terrain use. GPS tracking studies in Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania national forests confirm that bears rarely stay put. They move fluidly across the ridges and hollows, day to day and year to year, often avoiding exposed areas, not elevations.

So... Where Are the Bears?

If you’re hiking or navigating off-trail in places like the George Washington & Jefferson National

Forests or the Allegheny Highlands, expect bear activity:

In dense forest thickets on steep hillsides
In remote drainages with spring seeps, pawpaw, or cherry trees
Along ridge systems with blueberry, huckleberry, and acorn-producing oaks
Near clearings in mast-heavy years (think oak or beech drops)
Always close to cover—not out in the open

Bears aren’t “ridge bears” or “valley bears.” They’re food-first, cover-smart, and elevation-flexible.

Key Takeaways for Hikers & Backpackers

Ridges and valleys are both fair game for black bears in the national forest.
Food availability is the top driver of movement—especially fall mast.
Cover determines daytime bedding—dense slopes and hollows win.
Season matters: low in spring, higher in summer, all over in fall.
Human presence deters use—but in wild zones, bears go where they please.

If you’re camping in a national forest, don't assume that ridge camps are safer than valley ones (or vice versa). Bearproof your camp, hang your food, and know that they travel through both.