https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/grizzly-bear-distribution/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5767229&forum_id=2#49220020)

Arizona

There are several stories about the last grizzly killed in Arizona; one story has the last grizzly bear being killed in 1933 by a government hunter, in what is now the Escudilla Wilderness Area. It is the Escudilla area where Aldo Leopold worked for the U.S. Forest Service and where his experiences led him to write the book “Think Like a Mountain”. Another story claims the last grizzly bear was killed in 1935 in Greenlee County and a third story claims the last grizzly was kill in 1939 near Mount Baldy.

California

Despite the fact the “Golden Bear” is the official state animal and appears on the California state flag, the last documented grizzly bear was kill in 1922 in Tulare County.

Colorado

The last documented grizzly bears in Colorado was a female (with cubs) killed in 1979 (San Juan Mountains) when the female attacked at bow hunter. Prior to that, the last sighting in Colorado was in 1952. People continue to report grizzly bears sightings in the San Juan Mountains and the Bosque del Oso area, but like bigfoot sightings, none can be documented.

The best reference I found was a post on a wildlife forum by a person that sounded like a credible wildlife biologist. They claimed to see a grizzly and photographed tracks in the San Juan area in 1989. There are reports that Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) are aware of a few grizzly bears in the state, but don’t want “Endangered Species Issues” from the Feds.

Even if that was CPW’s official stance, there is no way credible reports about grizzly bears would not find their way to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologists.

If grizzly bears continue to expand in Wyoming, it is possible they could reach Colorado, either directly down the mountain ranges from Wyoming or through the Uinta range in Utah.

New Mexico

The last grizzly bear was killed in 1931 in the mountains near of Silver City, New Mexico. Another source says the last bear was killed much earlier in 1917.

Oregon

The last known grizzly bear was killed in Wallowa County, Oregon in 1937.

It is very unlikely for grizzly bear to return to Oregon unless the North Cascade population in Washington expands.

Utah

The last known grizzly bear in Utah was killed in 1923. This was a famous bear known as Old Ephraim, who was hunted by a sheep herder from 1914 until he was finally able to kill the bear in 1923. The grave is in the Cache National Forest in Northern Utah and is marked with a grave stone, so this story is well documented.

It may be possible for grizzly bears to return to Utah if they continue to increase and expand in Wyoming or Idaho. Any entry into Utah would most likely come through the Bear River range or down the Green River corridor in Northern Utah.

Update: I was recently told about a grizzly bear sighted in Utah during the Summer of 2013. A fishing guide on the Green river said his wife saw a grizzly walking through the sage in the 3-corners area (near Flaming Gorge). Since this person used to run a hunting lodge in Alaska, they should be familiar with the differences between black bears and grizzly bears.

Danger from Grizzly Bears in the Back Country

I hope this will put my Southern friends at ease. We can hike, camp, fish and hunt in Colorado or Utah and not worry about grizzly bears. You are welcome to come hunt with us in Wyoming, where it is unlikely, but possible to run into a grizzly bear. If we hunt a 6 x 6 miles area, (36 square miles), in Wyoming, it probably contains a grizzly bear. Your choice.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5767229&forum_id=2#49220035)