Glacier National Park Closes Multiple Trails To The Public For A Frightening Reason
Glacier National Park, located in Northwestern Montana on the border of Canada, is one of the most stunning national parks in the United States, containing over a dozen glaciers and so many granite peaks that it is often called the "Crown of the Continent." Summer and early autumn are the best time to visit this bucket list national park for hiking and camping, however, the one problem with visiting this time of year is that you may run into trail closures for multiple reasons including construction, late-season snow, and downed trees. On top of this, one particularly scary reason some trails are closed in Glacier National Park in the summer is because of bears.
In fact, there are around 1,000 wild bears that live inside Glacier National Park, including an estimated 600 black bears and 300 grizzlies — making this park the most densely populated bear country in the contiguous United States. Just last year the popular Hidden Lake Trail to Hidden Lake Overlook path was closed due to a scary incident where a bear followed a group of hikers and appeared "to take interest in the people" before heading back down the mountain, via NBC Montana. Furthermore, in the first half of 2024, the National Park Service closed three trails due to bear activity and put 12 others under bear watch warnings.
What trails are most likely to be closed?
When it comes to which trails will be closed in a given year, a lot depends on the bears and where they are most active. There are bears all over Glacier National Park and it is possible to see one anywhere inside the park premises which is why the NPS recommends hiking in groups of four or more, always bringing bear spray, and making plenty of noise while walking inside the park. However, for the safety of visitors, if park rangers get reports of lots of bears in a particular area because it is full of berries or another food source, then those trails may close to give these dangerous predators some space.
Although bears are found all over the park, they tend to be more active in particular regions. Grizzlies are quite active in the Many Glacier area and the Many Glacier Wilderness campground was closed to tent campers last year due to aggressive bear activity. Some other areas where bears are frequently sighted are Huckleberry Mountain and the Logan Pass area which includes trails like Highline, Gunsight Lake, and Hidden Lake.
Despite there being many bear sightings inside Glacier National Park, actual bear incidents and attacks are quite rare. Typically, the Glacier National Park is safe for visitors as long as they follow the park rules and avoid any mistakes that would bring a bear to their campsite.