Tahoe Bear Fest 2026 | Black Bear Facts, Safety & Family Fun at Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Bear Fest returns to Lake Tahoe for a free, family-friendly celebration of black bears, wildlife education and bear safety. Sarah Johns sits down with Bear Biologist Sarinah Simons of the Tahoe Interagency Bear Team to preview the event at Sugar Pine Point State Park and learn what makes Lake Tahoe’s black bears so fascinating.

From interactive exhibits and bear-focused activities to Karelian Bear Dogs and a free screening of Bears of Durango, Tahoe Bear Fest gives families an opportunity to learn directly from wildlife professionals. Sarinah also puts Sarah’s bear knowledge to the test with black bear trivia and explains why bears become especially active as they prepare for winter.

Viewers will learn how much a black bear can eat before hibernation, what it really means when a bear stands on its hind legs, what black bears eat, and why agencies across California and Nevada work together to keep bears wild and communities safe.

🚨 Segment Highlights:

🐻 Meet a Bear Biologist

• Discover what bear biologists actually do

• Learn how researchers track and study black bears

• See how a bear’s powerful sense of smell helps it find food

🎉 Tahoe Bear Fest 2026

• Free family event at Sugar Pine Point State Park

• Interactive booths, games, activities and wildlife education

• Meet bear biologists and Karelian Bear Dogs

🎬 Free Bear Documentary Screening

• Bears of Durango screens after Tahoe Bear Fest

• Go inside bear dens with wildlife researchers

• Learn how biologists study human-bear conflicts

🧠 Test Your Black Bear Knowledge

• Are black bears always black?

• Does standing on hind legs mean a bear will attack?

• Are black bears herbivores, omnivores or carnivores?

🍂 Bears Preparing for Winter

• Bears can consume 20,000–24,000 calories per day

• Fall brings increased feeding activity around Lake Tahoe

• Secure attractants and never intentionally feed bears

🤝 Tahoe Interagency Bear Team

• California and Nevada agencies share bear information and data

• Agencies coordinate wildlife education and management messaging

• The goal is safer coexistence between people and bears

The segment explains that bears standing upright are often sniffing and gathering information rather than preparing to attack, and that bears preparing for winter can consume roughly 20,000–24,000 calories per day during their intense fall feeding period.

🌐 Bear Safety & Wildlife Information:

Visit: https://www.ndow.org/

🐻 Tahoe Bear Fest 2026

Saturday, September 12 | 2:00–6:00 PM

Sugar Pine Point State Park

Free Admission & Free Parking

Free Bears of Durango screening following the event at 7:00 PM.

#TahoeBearFest #LakeTahoe #2PlusYouNevada