BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: July 10 to July 17, 2020
The information below is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real-time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.
SUMMARY
We are seeing large numbers of visitors in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country! There continue to be bear sightings along trails, roadside and in residential areas and campgrounds resulting in various warnings and closures, especially down in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Even though elk calving season is over, it is important not to get complacent. There have been some recent incidents of elk closing distance on people trying to walk and bike past them along very popular and well traveled trails in and around Canmore.
More people + berry season + bears with their heads down feeding on berries = higher chance of bear encounters! You can help reduce this risk by staying out of closed areas, making lots of noise, travelling in groups, and keeping pets on a leash. It is also a good idea to “Know before you go” by finding out where the bear warnings and closures are and planning accordingly. For example, people need to mentally prepare themselves to handle bear encounters and expect to run into a bear while out on the trails, especially in areas with active bear warnings in place! Carry bear spray to use in case of accidental close encounters.
Some places like Lake Minnewanka near Banff (see restricted activity notice below) have seasonal trail restrictions in effect to increase public safety and minimize displacement of grizzly bears from prime food sources. Hiking in a minimum group size of four, carrying bear spray and leaving your dogs at home are simple and effective ways to avoid dangerous interactions during this critical time of year.
The increased visitation is also resulting in significant amounts of waste being left behind in day use areas and along trails. People need to pick up any garbage that has been left behind and ensure it is properly secured to avoid wildlife gaining access to it! Being exposed to unnatural food sources such as garbage puts wildlife at risk and increases public safety concerns around human wildlife interactions. It is almost always the wildlife that pays the price by getting relocated or destroyed, as is evident in this recent article about two food conditioned wolves that were destroyed for public safety reasons. There was also a fox warning put in place recently at Sundance Lodges for a food habituated red fox that is investigating campsites looking for food rewards.
Berry season is here in certain areas of the Bow Valley! Ripe buffaloberries are visible and they are often found in sunny areas along trails, roads and recreation areas. It is looking like it may be a bumper crop this season for the berries! Expect to see more bear warnings and closures being put in place in the weeks ahead to give wildlife the space they need to feed and to keep the large numbers of visitors we are seeing safe. Bears will have their heads down feeding on berries so there is a higher chance that trail users will have a bear encounter.
Ripe buffaloberries in Bow Valley Provincial Park. Photo by Alberta Environment and Parks.
Please be proactive and remove berry bushes from your yards NOW before you attract a bear into town. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed.
Some “almost ripe” buffaloberries in Canmore. Photo by Alberta Environment and Parks.
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CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Warning: Reclaimer Trail and Grassi Lakes Area due to a bear in the area.
Bear Warning: Burstall Pass Trail due to bears feeding in the area.
Bear Warning: Gap Peak Trail (near Exshaw) due to black bear activity in the area.
Bear Warning: Paddy's Flat Campground in the Elbow River Provincial Recreation Area due to multiple bears frequenting the area.
Fox Warning: Sundance Lodges in Evan-Thomas Provincial Recreation Area due to a food habituated red fox investigating campsites.
Bear Closure: Whiskey Jack Trail within Boulton Creek Campground due to bear control efforts underway by Conservation Officers.
Bear Warning: Boulton Creek Campground due to black bear activity in the area.
Bear Closure: Rawson Lake Trail due to grizzly bear activity.
Bear Closure: Mount Kidd RV Park Area east of the road of the Mt. Kidd shower building, extending North to Evan Thomas Creek due to a bear in the area.
Bear Closure: Chester Lake Trail and adjacent area, not including High Rockies Trail, due to a grizzly bear in the area.
Bear Warning: Lower Lake Campground due to grizzly bears feeding in the area.
Bear Warning: Middle Lake Day Use Area and trail system due to multiple sightings of black bears and a grizzly with cubs in the Middle Lake area.
Bear Warning: Mt. Kidd RV Park Campground including campsites, trails and the permanent house trailer park due to a black bear frequenting the area that is attracted to human food and garbage.
Click here for current information from Alberta Parks about visiting their parks during COVID-19. A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Alberta Parks in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Click here for current information from Parks Canada about visiting their parks during COVID-19. A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Banff National Park.
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
The fat bears up in Alaska’s Katmai National Park are extremely fat for this time of year due to an extraordinary 2020 sockeye salmon run up the Brooks River where these massive brown bears feast. Being fat for a bear is a good thing and will help them reproduce and survive the long winter hibernation.
The live webcam channel below shows the fish trying very hard to jump up the Brooks Falls and you may even see some bears taking advantage of the situation and grabbing an easy meal! These bears are much bigger than the bears we have here in the Bow Valley because they are eating high protein fatty fish all day as opposed to the buffaloberries that our bears here will be eating in the coming weeks.
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403.591.7755