Man, 35, Attacked by Bear on Popular Trail at Glacier National Park, Then Hikes Over a Mile to Meet Helicopter

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock image of a bear.Photo:Jan Gorzynik / 500px/Getty

Jan Gorzynik / 500px/Getty

On Thursday, Sept. 19, the National Park Service (NPS) announced in apress releasethat a 35-year-old man was hiking near the park’s Grinnell Glacier Overlook trailhead early in the morning when his hiking party “encountered the bear” and he was injured.

According to theAssociated Press, the hike from where the attack took place and Granite Park Chalet is over a mile long.

According to the NPS, the man’s injuries were not life threatening, and officials are still investigating what species of bear was responsible for the attack.

The NPS added that a section of Highline Trail from Glacier’s Haystack Butte to Granite Park Chalet will be closed “until further notice.”

Glacier National Park.Getty

Getty

Located less than 100 miles from the Canadian border, Glacier National Park is home to both black and grizzly bears. The NPS notes that all visitors to the park should take precautions against wild animals, and toreport any bearor “unusual animal” sightings to the nearest ranger or warden immediately.

“Hikers are highly encouraged to hike in groups, make noise when hiking, and have bear spray accessible and know how to use it,” the park service wrote in its press release.

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Stock photo of hikers on Highline Trail at Glacier National Park.Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty

Carmen Martínez Torrón/Getty

The news of this attack comes just two weeks after a 12-year-old boy in Wisconsin was credited with saving his father’s life whena black bear charged themas they were hunting in Burnett County.

Ryan Beierman, 43, of River Falls, told theMinnesota Star Tribunethat his 12-year-old son Owen acted quickly and shot the black bear after it attacked him and pinned him to the ground.

“He was in a stance like a cat about to pounce,’’ Beierman told theStar Tribune. “The next thing I know he was on me. He charged and knocked me down.’’

“… Owen was a hero. He shot that bear and killed it on top of me," he added.

Additionally, in May this year, a man visiting Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming was"seriously injured" during an encounter with two grizzly bears.

“Based on initial reports from the injured visitor and preliminary information conducted as part of an ongoing investigation of the site, law enforcement rangers and park biologists believe the incident was a surprise encounter with two grizzly bears, with one of the bears contacting and injuring the visitor,” the park service said in a statement at time, adding that visitors to the park should never leave food unattended unless properly secured and to keep their camp clean.

source: people.com