Grizzly Bear Injures Hiker in Glacier National Park

A 32-year-old man fractured his arm during a surprise encounter with a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park last week, park officials said in a Tuesday press release, which described the hiker’s injuries as “non-life threatening.”

The May 28 incident, which has closed the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail in the park’s Many Glacier area, marks the second confrontation between a bear and a human in Glacier in less than a month that has led to injury or death. On May 3, during what park officials also described as a likely surprise encounter, a hiker was fatally mauled while hiking on the trail to Mount Brown Lookout in the Lake McDonald Valley.

The most recent incident, according to park officials, occurred on May 28 at approximately 12:45 p.m. on a snowfield approximately 3.5 miles up the Grinnell Glacier Trail “where the sound of loud rushing water made it difficult for either the man or the bear to detect one another.”

“The bear charged and fractured the man’s arm,” the park’s press release states. “Nearby hikers responded quickly to assist, and the bear moved away from the area. The hikers provided initial medical aid to the injured man and initiated emergency communication.”

At approximately 12:51 p.m., the press release continues, “park dispatch received an SOS for an injured man who had an encounter with a bear.” Logan Health’s ALERT Air Ambulance transported the victim to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell. 

The Grinnell Glacier Trail has remained temporarily closed since the incident and “will reopen when deemed appropriate by park staff.”

No further information is available at this time, according to the press release.

For information on trail closures in the park, visit the park’s trail status webpage.

For park-specific bear safety information, visit the park’s website before arrival.