Trail closed after grizzly attacks hiker

Parks Canada has closed a trail after a female grizzly bear attacked a hiker at the northeast corner of Lake Minnewanka on Sunday.

Bill Hunt, resource conservation manager with the Parks Canada Banff field unit, said the bear’s year-old cub had jumped in front of the lone hiker before its mother charged the man about 11 a.m. Sunday.

“The younger bear ran across the trail in front of him and then the female showed up, saw him and closed distance to about 15 feet,” said Hunt.

The hiker was able to discharge bear spray, which initially deterred the grizzly. But then the bear attacked, swatting the hiker’s backpack and biting his hand before running off.

The Minnewanka Lakeshore trail, between the Banff National Park boundary and the Lake Minnewanka patrol cabin, has been shut down. Campgrounds LM 20, 22 and 31 have also been closed as of Sunday.

The man, who wasn’t seriously injured, hiked back to his car and called officials around 1 p.m.

“We flew into the area and started to establish a closure — we had to evacuate a couple of campgrounds along the shoreline trail,” Hunt said, adding that it was likely the bear charged due to its cub’s vicinity to the hiker.

“It very much is consistent with a defensive attack where the bear perceives a threat to its offspring. The bear came in, was very aggressive, established dominance and, as soon as it realized it was a submissive person, disengaged.”

Hunt said the situation could have been a lot worse had the hiker not been prepared.

“In this case, he was able to get at (his bear spray) quickly and it likely made a big difference,” said Hunt.