A fleeting autumn illusion transforms a North Carolina mountain into an 'animal'
For a few weeks each year, sunset transforms a North Carolina mountain into the shape of a mysterious creature known locally as the “Shadow of the Bear.”
Twice a year, the sun lines up just right to create the shape of a bear in the shadows on a ridge in southern North Carolina. (Getty Images/ Michael Russell)
Every autumn, the mountains of North Carolina draw in leaf peepers eager to witness the season's vibrant fall foliage. But for a few magical weeks in late October and early November, some travelers head to the hills to see a different natural spectacle — one that lasts less than an hour each day.
As the evening sun dips toward the horizon, its angle casts a distinct shadow across the valley below Whiteside Mountain, located about 50 miles southwest of Asheville, North Carolina. The result? A remarkable illusion known locally as the "Shadow of the Bear."
The "Shadow of the Bear" appears at Whiteside Mountain, North Carolina. (Getty Images/Sean Pavone)
The bear-shaped silhouette appears for only about 45 minutes each evening when the lighting is just right. The shadow appears to slowly rise and morph on the landscape, resembling the shape of a bear — though as locals say, what you see depends on how you look at it.
"I had heard from somebody, and I don't know if it's true, that it starts as a bear, and as the shadow gets smaller, it becomes like a rabbit or a fox, and then it becomes, at the very end, a mouse, a cat and a dinosaur," one onlooker told local news station WYFF.
Time is running out to catch the Shadow of the Bear this season. With the sun’s angle shifting daily, the illusion will soon fade from view — at least until it returns briefly in February, when the light once again hits just the right spot on Whiteside Mountain.
Visitors hoping to catch the spectacle should aim for clear-sky evenings and plan to arrive well before sunset to get the best view. As the sun's angle shifts, the light that creates the illusion will bring an end to the natural phenomenon -- at least for now.
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