Grizzly activity causes temporary trail closures in Glacier

Glacier National Park temporarily closed access to the Granite Park area Sunday due to what officials described as unusual grizzly bear activity.

The Highline, Loop, and Swiftcurrent Trail (from Swiftcurrent Pass to Granite Park Chalet) were all closed as of Sunday evening, meaning that access to the Granite Park area was not possible.

A news release Sunday said park staff will hike to the area this morning to observe bear behavior and conduct hazing activities as appropriate.

The Granite Park backcountry campground will be closed to campers arriving today.

The park said it expects that the trails will be closed at minimum until staff can evaluate the area today, and might 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 firsthand visitor reports of encounters with a bear or bears along the trail within the general area of the campground and the chalet. The bear or bears exhibited behavior consistent with being disturbed and frustrated by human presence, the park said. Bears can respond aggressively in defense of themselves, a food source or cubs.

“We appreciate the public’s patience while we evaluate this situation,” said Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow in a news release. “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.

Guests planning to hike to Granite Park Chalet with reservations for an overnight stay 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 this afternoon.

The park said that people currently in the Granite Park region departing today would be permitted to hike out the Loop or Swiftcurrent Pass trails, but not the Highline Trail.

Officials said they will issue an updated press release when more information is available, likely this afternoon.