"Unusual" behavior by a grizzly bear or bears prompted some temporary closures in parts of Glacier National Park on Sunday/NPS
"Unusual" grizzly bear behavior prompted closure of trails Sunday evening at Glacier National Park in Montana, with rangers planning to hike into the area Monday to observe the bears.
According to reports passed onto park staff, "(T)he bear or bears exhibited behavior consistent with being disturbed and frustrated by human presence. Bears can respond aggressively in defense of themselves, a food source, or cubs."
As a result, the park closed the Highline and Loop trails and Swiftcurrent Pass area, from Swiftcurrent Pass to Granite Park Chalet, Sunday evening, meaning that access to the Granite Park area is not possible.
The Granite Park backcountry campground will be closed to campers arriving Monday.
The park expects that the trails will be closed at minimum until park staff can evaluate the area on Monday, and may be closed an indeterminate period of time afterwards, depending on their findings.
Park staff who live in the Granite Park area have been monitoring grizzly bears frequenting the area and on Sunday received several first-hand visitor reports of encounters with a bear or bears along the trail within the general area of the campground and the chalet.
“We appreciate the public’s patience while we evaluate this situation,” said Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow. “The park has a proactive bear management program, and we take reports of aggressive bear behavior very seriously.”
People can monitor trail status by visiting the park’s Trail Status webpage.
Visitors planning to hike to Granite Park Chalet with reservations for Monday night should call the Granite Park Chalet Office at 888-345-2649 for more information and updates. The park does not expect that any trail status updates will be available before Monday afternoon.
People currently in the Granite Park region departing Monday morning will be permitted to hike out the Loop or Swiftcurrent Pass Trails, but not the Highline Trail.
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Comments
They aren't going to sell the parks.LOL
"(..)Park staff who live in the Granite Park area have been monitoring grizzly bears frequenting the area and on Sunday received several first-hand visitor reports of encounters with a bear or bears along the trail within the general area of the campground and the chalet.(..)"
I guess the bear was not stopping for a selfie, hence leaving people disapointed and complaining....
duh - ofcourse bears are going to be EVERYWHERE - maybe they were expecting alligators roaming around, or better yet, stop feeding the wild animals, getting too close and not following proper procedures with your own food, etc.
Give these bears their space! There are plenty of other areas for people to hike.