The trail from the Logan Pass Visitor’s Center to Hidden Lake in Glacier National Park will be closed at least until July 8, after a sow grizzly and her cub were seen in the area.
According to Margie Steigerwald, public affairs specialist at Glacier Park, the sow was originally spotted on the Highline Trail on July 6, the day the trail opened to the public for the summer.
It was a foggy day on the trail, and hikers spotted the sow with a tiny cub, likely born this year. Rangers closed down the Highline while trying to move the bears along, Steigerwald said.
They ended up crossing Going-to-the-Sun Road to Hidden Lake, a popular destination for visitors due to its proximity to Logan Pass.
The trail is closed from the visitor’s center on up, Steigerwald said, including the hillside directly behind the center. The closure also includes climbing routes on that side of Logan Pass.
Rangers cut off access to visitors on July 6, and the trail will be closed until at least July 8, or until a ranger “can hike all the way to Hidden Lake without seeing her,” Steigerwald said.
“They’re giving her as much space as they can,” she said.
Already, there has been “a lot” of wildlife activity in the park this summer, Steigerwald said, with notices at Bowman Lake campground for bear and mountain lion activity and a notice at Quartz Lake for mountain lion activity.