SNOWMASS, Colo. -- It sounds like the setup to a joke. How do you get a bear out of a skateboard park? Well, in this case the answer is: a very long ladder.

A black bear stuck into a sunken skateboard park in Snowmass Village earlier this week got a little help from animal control officers who lowered a ladder so the critter could climb out.

The bear wandered into the large concrete skateboard park Monday night and couldn't get out because of the park's steep sloping sides. The bear was discovered Tuesday morning.

"In an effort to ensure its safety, and the safety of our residents, animal control officers extended a ladder, waited patiently and the bear figured it out!" said Lesley Compagnone, a spokeswoman with Snowmass Village.

The bear sniffed out the ladder, tested it out from the side and then climbed the ladder, at times taking two rungs at a time. Once it got to the top of the ladder, it scoped out the scene and ran off.

No injuries were reported to humans or the bear and the skate park was reopened Tuesday morning.

Bear sightings have been common this summer in the Colorado mountains.

On Sunday, a bear broke into a brand new Subaru Forester in Aspen and couldn't get out. The car's owner went outside and saw his car rocking back and forth and the windows steamed up.

"It was freaking out and going crazy," Jeff Leistad said.

Part of the problem with all the bear encounters is that berries and other natural fare have ripened late because of the cool, moist weather.

People living in bear country are reminded to take care of bear attractants such as trash, pet food, barbecue grills, birdfeeders and fruit trees. Information about how to live responsibly in bear habitat is available on the Division of Wildlife Web site.

Bears are trapped and relocated after encounters with humans, but more aggressive bears are shot.