Bear Creek Falls (Telluride)

Although this site is not focused on hiking, questions occasionally arise about Bear Creek Falls in Telluride and whether it has ever been descended as a canyon. Bear Creek Falls is primarily known as a popular hiking destination, with a busy trailhead and a wide, well‑maintained path leading to the waterfall. Importantly, this waterfall is a confirmed nesting site for the Black Swift, a species listed as a Species of Special Concern by both the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. These birds migrate from Brazil each year, occupying the site from late May through late September to raise a single chick. Black Swifts are extremely sensitive to disturbance. Human activity near the nests—including noise, movement, destruction of nest structures, or trampling of surrounding vegetation—can jeopardize their breeding success. Canyoneering or climbing at this waterfall during the nesting season (late May through late September or until the first frost) risks harming nests, eggs, or fledglings and may cause adult swifts to abandon their young. More information on the Black Swift is available through wildlife conservation resources.

One could potentially link Upper Bear Creek Falls, Bear Creek Falls and Lower Bear Creek Falls as a waterfall descent by hiking up the Bear Creek Trail from town, then hiking further up on the Wasatch Trail.

With considerable stream walking between the drops, the number of people generally taking photos at the base of the falls and with so many better canyoning options nearby, Bear Creek Falls (Telluride) is not known as a canyoning descent.

Return the same way along this out‑and‑back trail, or visit the Little Hawaii area in Telluride on the way back to turn the route into a loop.