Grizzly Gulch - California's Missing Bear

Photo: Original uploader was Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Francisco Zoo: Exhibit by Exhibit, a free self-guided tour.

California put a grizzly on its state flag, yet the last wild grizzlies here were killed in the 1920s. The flag bear is said to have been modeled on Monarch, a huge grizzly captured in 1889 and kept for years in San Francisco, first at Woodward's Gardens and later in Golden Gate Park. This exhibit honors his memory.

Hearst Grizzly Gulch opened in 2007 for two orphaned grizzly sisters from Montana, who had been labeled nuisance bears and faced being put down. At about an acre, with a meadow, a 20,000-gallon pool, a waterfall and heated rocks, it is one of the largest grizzly habitats in any zoo.

Grizzlies are a kind of brown bear, recognizable by the muscular hump over their shoulders. You may see a bear swimming in the pool, digging in the meadow or napping on the warm rocks.

Getting here: Walk past Wolf Canyon to the far eastern end of the zoo and the Grizzly Gulch overlook.

Did you know?: A grizzly's front claws can grow 2 to 4 inches long - built for digging up roots and burrowing animals, not for climbing.

Photo op: Shoot across the pool from the overlook; a bear in the water with the waterfall behind it is the classic picture.

For kids: Find the grizzly on California's flag - on a sign, a shirt or a phone - and compare it with the real bears here.

Nearby: The Station Cafe and restrooms are back west by the Little Puffer depot.

More on Wikipedia: Grizzly bear · California grizzly bear · Flag of California

Grizzly Gulch - California's Missing Bear

Stops on this tour