The title character, played by Dan Haggerty, was loosely based on real-life California mountain man John "Grizzly" Adams (1812–1860).

The 1974 film was produced on a tiny budget of just $140,000, yet it grossed over $45 million domestically and $65 million worldwide, becoming the 7th highest-grossing film of 1974.

A 1976 NBC airing of the film captured a 43% market share, which convinced network executives to greenlight the television series; the subsequent series drew a 32% share, a notable figure even by later standards.

The bear playing Ben, named Bozo, was purchased from a Kansas zoo and trained by R.E. (Bob) Leonard.

Bart the Bear, later a famous animal actor, made one of his first on-screen appearances in the series, playing Ben as a cub.

Parts of the series were filmed in Uinta National Forest, Wasatch National Forest, and Park City, Utah, with additional location work in Arizona and Ruidoso, New Mexico, chosen for terrain similarities depending on weather conditions.

A scaled-down version of Grizzly Adams' cabin set was built specifically to make actor Dan Haggerty appear taller on screen; it is now located at the Olympic Game Farm in Sequim, Washington.

The show's theme song "Maybe," written and sung by Thom Pace, became a hit single in Europe, spending nine weeks at number 1 in Germany and winning the Goldene Europa award for best song in 1980.