tourists-line-up-along-boardwalk-snap-selfies-huge-grizzly-bear-glacier-national-park

Tourists Line Up Along Boardwalk to Snap Selfies with Huge Grizzly Bear at Glacier National Park

A group of tourists exploring Glacier National Park recently came across a once-in-a-lifetime sight. They were walking along the boardwalk when a grizzly bear crossed within an estimated 30 yards of them. National Parks state that you should stay about 100 yards away from bears, but this one seemed to catch the group off guard. At least they stayed where they were and didn’t try to approach it like some other tourists.

The video states that it was filmed at Logan’s Pass in Glacier National Park. The bear crosses right over the boardwalk and seems to pay the tourists no mind, even as they turn their backs on the bear to get selfies. I, for one, would definitely not turn my back on any bear, especially not one that close, even if it never looked in my direction. Grizzly bears can run upwards of 35 miles per hour. Compare that to the average speed of a healthy human male, which is about 8 miles per hour. That’s a recipe for disaster if I ever saw one.

Luckily, the bear seemed to be uninterested in the tourists and just went on its merry way. One can say there was no real danger in this situation, but I tend to believe any incident involving wild bears has the potential to turn ugly in a second. These people did the right thing by staying calm and staying put. But, there are so many other tourists who feel entitled to the wildlife and want to interact with it directly. Those are the people you don’t want to emulate at the National Parks.

Woman in British Columbia Finds Grizzly Bear Right Outside Her Door

Spallumcheen, BC local Caitlin Macdonald saw a grizzly bear roaming her yard near Mt. Rose Swanson, and it seemed to be staking out land that once belonged in its territory. Macdonald went carefully out onto her front doorstep and filmed the bear exploring her plants and bushes. Luckily, the grizzly seemed completely uninterested in her.

The Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society reposted Macdonald’s video on Facebook and took the opportunity to warn residents about bear safety. “This bear doesn’t appear to be that old and is in good shape. With the cool, wet spring there is a pretty good berry crop out there so hopefully this bear is well fed and people leave it alone so it can stay out of trouble,” the Society wrote on Facebook. “Grizzly bears are increasing in number and reclaiming some of their former range after being hunted quite extensively in the past. The last grizzly bear that was spotted on the mountain was in 2020.”

The post continued, “Please be careful when recreating on the mountain. Pack everything out so as not to create any attractants. Travel in groups and make noise so bears know that you are coming. They would rather avoid you than confront you.”