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Please report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in the Bow Valley or K-Country to Kananaskis Dispatch at 403-591-7755. In Banff, call Dispatch at 403.762.1470. They prefer to get the reports first hand from the people who see the wildlife!
BEAR ACTIVITY UPDATE (August 7, 2025)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
Berries, berries, and berries! Bears continue to be seen regularly in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country as they are feeding on ripe buffaloberries and other natural vegetation in residential backyards, and along trails, campgrounds and day use areas. This has resulted in 10 more warnings and closures being put in place in K-Country this past week, mainly due to close surprise encounters with bears that are eating the abundance of trail-side berries. Residents should be removing berry bushes and any fruit from the trees in their yards to help keep bears out of trouble!
Trail users should be making lots of noise to alert any bears in the area of their presence, and do their best to avoid areas where bears have been seen or where active warnings have been put in place to reduce the risk of encounters. Bears have their heads down and are focused on eating berries, which increases the chance of surprise encounters. Always be prepared and on the lookout for bears feeding on buffaloberries while you recreate, as many berry bushes are found along popular trails. Ground vegetation this year is extra tall due to the rain. People and bears are coming into close contact as both parties do not notice one another until they are in close proximity. This is leading to close interactions and people need to be extra noisy while out on the trails or in areas with high ground vegetation and berries. This is not the year to be shy about your singing! Use your voice to let bears know you are around.
If you see a bear, do not try to sneak past it and don’t expect to push bears off a food source. Bears can be very possessive of their berry patches and may exert their dominance. Give them the space they need (at least 100m or 10 school bus lengths) to forage undisturbed in this crucial, short window of time. Bears are so focused on eating as these next few weeks are the most important time for them to feed and take in these precious calories for their survival.
Bear spray should always be carried in an easily accessible location (not your backpack) and you need to know how to use it! If a bear is feeding along a trail, do not disturb it, and do not try to sneak past it. Wait, turn around, or find another way around giving it lots of space. It is not fair to the bear if you spray it while it is feeding and minding its own business just so you can walk past it. Remember you are in their backyard, not yours, so if they are behaving and doing what they are supposed to, we need to respect that, give them space and leave them alone!
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
There were 7 bear warnings and 3 bear closures posted in the past week! Click here to see them all.
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
Fast-moving Mountain bikers and Trail Runners need to be making lots of noise on the trails, especially up at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Bears are feeding on berries very close to trails and bikers/runners are coming up on them quickly with little warning to the bears. In addition to letting wildlife know they are coming down the trail (by making noise), bikers/runners should slow down to avoid surprise encounters with wildlife, especially around blind corners, at the tops of hills, or in areas with thick vegetation and poor sight lines.
An important point about when it is appropriate to use bear spray. Bear spray is used to save your life and should not be used as a convenience tool to clear bears off the trail. We need to give bears a chance to do the right thing, and if we do the right thing (such as make noise, give them space, back away slowly, slow down), it may not be necessary to use your bear spray and everyone can go their separate ways. For example: It is not approriate to use your bear spray on a bear that is minding its own business, being a bear, and feeding along the trail. If a bear charges at you and is showing sign of aggression - absolutely use your bear spray.
Campers: Wildlife attractant storage (garbage, food and other scented items) is of utmost importance as bears continue to be seen in and around campgrounds and day use areas. Properly secure all wildlife attractants in your vehicle, hard-sided trailer or bear-proof lockers, never leave your food unattended even for a minute, and make sure bears do not get food rewards. If a bear approaches your picnic table with food on it, this would be an example of a good time to use your bear spray, and a good time to secure your food! We can’t prevent bears from walking through our picnic areas and campsites, but we can certainly do our best not to give them a food reward or reason to linger!
During this busy summer season, there have been many bear and wildlife jams, which puts unnecessary stress on the animals and causes public safety concerns. Motorists should obey posted speed limits and slow down near roadside wildlife - but don’t stop and cause (or be part of) a bear jam on the highway. Keep moving in order to give bears the space they need to feed undisturbed and never get out of your vehicle! The Friends of Kananaskis Country have some great Tips for Roadside Wildlife Viewing for motorists and cyclists.
WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM
Kananaskis Country is home to a lot of animals, including bears. Recreating safely in bear country means more than just knowing what to do in a bear encounter. It’s also understanding signs that bears are around, so that maybe those encounters can be prevented.
Bears are big enough that they almost always leave evidence that they’ve been present – if you know what to look for. Keeping your eyes peeled for this evidence can help you be aware if bears are present, and will decrease the risk that you’ll accidentally run into a bear. Every month we’re going to learn about some of the signs bears leave in the forest, and in this edition of Watching for Bear Signs by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide, it is Broken Logs.
Research shows that two kinds of ants that are common here make up a good part of the early season diet of both Black and Grizzly bears. You might not think that a little ant would be of interest, and a single ant is no more interesting to a bear than to you or me. But a Red ant colony can contain hundreds of thousands of little ants, and their ground hills are obvious. Red ants also like living under dead and fallen trees. The Giant Carpenter ants that live in rotten wood in particular can have a LOT of calories in their colonies. Click here to read Derek’s full article about Broken Logs!
Click on this image of a broken log to read the full article!
WEEKLY WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WHEREABOUTS
In case you have not seen them yet, our amazing Volunteer Wildlife Ambassadors have been heading out onto trails and trailheads! You can find them talking to people about responsible trail use and staying safe while recreating in bear country. Note: their locations may change at the last minute. August 9 - Canmore Nordic Centre and Heart Creek Trail
August 10 - Canmore Nordic Centre and Grassi Lakes Trail
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Fruit trees are the main attractants that will draw bears into residential areas and NOW is the time to remove the fruit before a bear points out the problem. Leaving fruit (such as crabapple, mountain ash, chokecherry and dogwood) in your trees can attract bears into residential areas, putting bears and people at risk. The best practice is to remove fruit bearing trees and shrubs from your yard, however if you decide to keep your fruit bearing trees and shrubs, please ensure the fruit is removed BEFORE it is ripe! Residents can be fined for letting fruit and berries accumulate on trees and on the ground in their yards as per the Community Standards Bylaw.
Through the Town of Canmore’s Fruit Tree Removal and Replacement Incentive Program, residents can get financial help to remove and replace fruit-bearing trees that attract bears into neighbourhoods. The program will cover 100% of the cost of tree removal up to $500/property. For 2025 only, condos or commercial properties with five or more trees for removal may be eligible for additional support up to $1,000/property. New for 2025, thanks to generous support from the G7, the Fruit Tree Replacement Incentive Program reimburses 100% of the cost to replace removed trees with non-fruit-bearing alternatives, up to $500 per residential property or up to $1,000 per condo association or commercial property (for the replacement of 5 or more trees).
These programs are first-come first-served while funds are available. Click here for details and how to apply.
WildSmart has pruning shears and extendable pole saw pruners and fruit pickers that can be borrowed (free of charge) to assist Bow Valley residents in removing fruit and berry bushes from their property. Please send an email to resource@biosphereinstitute.org to make arrangements to borrow the fruit removal equipment.
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Canmore's orphaned cougars settling into permanent home in Quebec.
Close bear encounters lead to warnings and closures in popular parts of Kananaskis.
Bear caught on camera opening door and entering Colorado home.
Despite 'good practices' bear makes repeated visits to Revelstoke camps.
‘Feisty’ 6-pound Pomeranian chases black bear from West Vancouver home.
Living with the face-clawing sloth bear that scares tigers.
G7 money going toward keeping bears out of Canmore through fruit tree removal.
#TheMoment a grizzly bear charged at the Seattle Kraken's mascot.
Canmore residents being offered cash to replace fruit trees to keep bears away.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
WildSmart had a great time presenting to the Live Like a Local Classes in Banff and Canmore recently through the Bow Valley Adult Learning Centre! So awesome to meet and connect with enthusiastic students from across the globe and to help make Newcomers feel more comfortable, safe and informed when recreating in the Bow Valley.
The Live Like a Local class in Canmore.
Bear Spray training with the Live Like a Local class in Banff.
Please watch this video of a Hikers’ response to a grizzly bear family encounter in Glacier National Park as it could save lives. Other than video taping the encounter, these hikers handled this encounter very well and did Stop, Talk and Walk successfully! They were calm, gathered their group together, they talked to the bears, backed away slowly, and they moved off of the trail to let the bears pass. They did not panic and because they were calm and gave them space, the encounter was uneventful and the mother bear did not percieve them as a threat and she merrily went along her way with her cubs. That was a pawsitively handled encounter!
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 9 - ‘Share the Trails’ in West Bragg Creek
Following the success of the past ‘Share the Trails’ events in Canmore, the Alberta Equestrian Federation (AEF) is excited to extend the spirit of trail collaboration and education to West Bragg Creek Trailhead, August 9 from 10am-2pm & Sandy McNabb Trailhead, on August 23 from 10am-2pm.
These Trail Safety Days are designed to bring together trail users of all kinds—hikers, bikers, equestrians, dog walkers, and more—for a fun and informative day of outreach, community-building, and shared stewardship. The goal? Promote respectful trail use, improve safety, and build understanding between users, while celebrating the beautiful spaces we all enjoy. Let’s continue working together to create trail systems that are safe, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone. Alberta’s trails are for everyone—horseback riders, hikers, mountain bikers, and outdoor lovers of all kinds.
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Dispatch at 403.591.7755