Park confirms bear encounter in Many Glacier on Thursday

Grinnell Glacier Trail is closed after what Glacier National Park officials described as a surprise bear encounter Thursday afternoon. 

Park personnel and emergency services responded to the incident, but officials would not confirm whether anybody was injured in the encounter.  

Park officials also declined to comment on the number of hikers involved, whether any victims were transported for medical care and if a deterrent like bear spray had been deployed. The park did not identify the species of bear involved and the nature of reported bear activity in the area prior to the encounter.  

News of the incident first surfaced through a Facebook post in which user Devin Dufrene described encountering a distraught hiker running down the Grinnell Glacier Trail near Lake Josephine, screaming that there had been a bear attack. 

“He did not slow down. He did not stop to talk,” Dufrene told the Daily Inter Lake on Friday. “We tried to stop and talk to him. He wasn’t stopping.” 

Dufrene used his cell phone to connect to satellite and contact emergency services. His party then turned to head back toward Many Glacier, only to find a bear with brown fur strolling along the trail toward them. Though curious, Dufrene said the bear was unaggressive and looked smaller than a full-grown grizzly bear. His hiking party climbed a nearby hillside, and the bear passed by them without incident.  

As they continued toward Many Glacier, Dufrene saw a helicopter fly overhead and passed two crews of park rangers hiking up the trail with stretchers. 

He posted to Facebook later that night after seeing questions circulate online about the sudden closure of the Grinnell Glacier Trail. His post included video clips of a brown bear walking along a trail and of people carrying an empty stretcher along a lakeshore. 

Officials closed sections of the Grinnell Glacier Trail along the north shore of Lake Josephine earlier this month due to bear activity. Signage was also posted along the south shore of the lake for “bear frequenting.” The entire trail reopened on May 27 — one day before the encounter. 

The Grinnell Glacier Trail is now temporarily closed until “deemed appropriate by park staff,” according to Glacier National Park Public Affairs Specialist Autumn Sifuentes.  

“No further information is available at this time,” she said. 

The latest encounter comes just weeks after a Florida hiker was found dead on the Mt. Brown Lookout Trail near Lake McDonald with wounds consistent with a bear attack. Officials said evidence at the scene pointed toward a surprise encounter. 

The Mt. Brown Trail is located more than 10 miles from Lake Josephine. The two locations are separated by several ridgelines, including the Continental Divide. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or hsmalley@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.