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BEAR ACTIVITY UPDATE (July 23, 2026)

(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

There continue to be numerous bear sightings and reports of bears feeding on berries along trails, roadsides, in residential areas, and campgrounds throughout the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country. Bears, mostly black bears, have also been seen in the Redwood Meadows, Bragg Creek and Cochrane areas as well, likely looking for ripe berries.

Some of the recent warnings and closures are due to surprise encounters at close range with family groups of bears on trails and in campgrounds. Both new and experienced mother bears will be very defensive of their cubs when surprised by people at close range. This can result in bluff charges (a warning behaviour intended to create space rather than initiate an attack), or the bears will make contact and cause injury. This is what recently happened in Jasper, where a hiker was bitten by a mother bear with cubs during a surprise defensive encounter at close range – the mother bear was defending her space and family. This can get even worse during berry season when bears will be focused more on eating than what is going on around them, so extra caution is needed. Mothers with cubs have a limit on their tolerance and may charge at people who get too close. If you like bears and want to keep them safe - give them lots of space, at least 100m at all times. RELATED ARTICLE: Trail in Jasper National Park temporarily closed after grizzly injures hikers. A reminder that a warning gets put in place for an elevated risk of encounters, and closures are put in place to give bears space and protect the public - so please respect them!

Be prepared and on the lookout for bears feeding on buffaloberries while you recreate, as many berry bushes are found in sunny areas along popular trails, roads, and recreation areas. Bears will have their heads down focused on eating berries and not paying attention, so it is up to all of us to make lots of noise to alert them of our presence to help avoid those surprise encounters - and never try to sneak past them on a trail. That being said, bears will be focused on eating berries and even if you make noise, bears may not move off berry patches. Bears can be very possessive of their berry patches and may exert their dominance. As such, you should be expecting close encounters during berry season and always have good situational awareness. Mentally prepare for this and understand how you should react!

Trail users should also travel in a tight group of four or more people, be aware of their surroundings (especially in areas with poor visibility), watch and listen for bears and signs of bear activity (like scat and tracks), keep pets on a short leash at all times, and carry bear spray where it can be accessed immediately rather than stored inside a backpack. A reminder that bear spray is the last resort and trail users need to make good choices to avoid encounters so that they never have to pull out their bear spray. We need to give wildlife a chance to do the right thing, and if we do the right thing, it may not be necessary to use your bear spray and everyone can go their separate ways.

Bears will have their heads down focused on eating berries and not paying attention so it is up to us to make lots of noise to alert them of our presence to help avoid those surprise encounters.

Mountain bikers and Trail Runners need to be making lots of noise (yelling and shouting) 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.

Managing Wildlife Attractants: Reminder to campers and picnickers to be diligent in keeping ALL wildlife attractants secure from bears including food, garbage, recycling, pet food and any other scented items. Lock them in vehicles, hard-sided trailers or bear-proof storage lockers and never leave these items unattended, even for a minute. Never leave food and scented items in tents as bears can easily access them and always dispose of garbage in bear-proof bins. 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!

At your picnic table: Do not let bears and other wildlife get any food rewards as a Fed Bear is a Dead Bear! If you are sitting at your table eating and a bear starts approaching your food and table, do your best to deter the bear by yelling and/or using your bear spray to prevent it from getting your food. If safe to do so, try moving your food into your hard-sided vehicle/trailer or locker nearby to prevent the bear from getting that food reward. Your safety and the bear’s life might depend on it!

Cougars: In case you were wondering if we have cougars in Canmore…the answer is yes! Check out this video below of a cougar walking through a backyard in the Rundleview Area on July 17, 2026 at 2:30am. With all the focus on berry season and bears, people often forget about cougars. It is important to remember that wildlife can be encountered anywhere, anytime (not just in areas with an active warning or closure in place) so you should always be expecting to run into wildlife whenever you head out on the trails in the Bow Valley and K-Country!

ELK: Even though elk calving season is over, this is no time to become complacent. Mother elk will still aggressively defend their calves if they feel threatened by people getting too close! Never approach elk for any reason, stay at least 30 metres (3 school bus lengths) away from all elk and DO NOT TRY TO SNEAK PAST THEM on a trail! Even bikers should not be trying to sneak past elk on the trails. Keep pets on a leash and always carry bear spray whenever you leave the house to go out for a walk, run or ride around Canmore. When walking with dogs, stay well clear of all elk (we recommend over 100m) and leave the area immediately. Mother elk will charge at dogs from a distance, even when on leash, in order to protect their offspring.

VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES

Bear Warning - Eau Claire Campground due to a black bear that has been frequenting the area.

Bear Warning - Mount Kidd RV Park due to multiple black bears frequenting the area.

A reminder to 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 first hand reports from the people who see the wildlife!

SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND

Remember to give wildlife the space they need, which is at least 100 metres for carnivores such as bears, and 30 metres for ungulates such as elk. That includes bears feeding roadside, elk feeding along trails, squirrels looking for food and bighorn sheep standing in the middle of the road. The safety and well-being of wildlife is far more important than you getting that perfect picture. Remember to obey speed limits and slow down when passing wildlife but don’t stop and create bear jams. Stay in your vehicle and keep moving to avoid putting any unwanted stress on the animals. Never feed wildlife or encourage wildlife to come closer to you or your vehicle. That includes smaller animals such as squirrels when you are out having your picnic. Be extra vigilant at dawn, dusk and during night time hours to avoid collisions with wildlife. The Friends of Kananaskis Country have some great Tips for Roadside Wildlife Viewing for motorists and cyclists.

Give all wildlife space, space and more space! Visitors often don’t realize that their enthusiasm and excitement to take pictures and to view a bear in the wild causes them to get too close or to crowd these sensitive animals.

RELATED ARTICLE: Bear breaks into unlocked car in Colorado. We always talk about storing food and scented items in your vehicle when camping and at day use areas, but for that to be effective, you need to make sure you lock your doors and close your windows. Bears often break into cars looking for food but they are just following their noses to something that smells like food, cleverly opening an unlocked door or window and making themselves at home. Unfortunately, vehicle doors can close on their own, trapping the bear inside. Bears don’t have thumbs, so vehicle doors are much harder for a bear to open from the inside. Click here to find out more and read the full article: The Two-Second Solution That Keeps Stuff Safe and Bears Wild.

WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR WORDS OF WISDOM

Wildlife Ambassador Derek is back to talk about Buffaloberries and how YOU can try them without getting a mouthful of soap!

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. July 25 - Mut Hut’s 20th Anniversary at 2pm in Rotary Friendship Park in Canmore for a 30-minute dog safety/bear spray workshop.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

Be proactive and remove berry bushes and fruit trees from your yard NOW before you attract a bear into town. It is your responsibility to make sure that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed. Take advantage of the Town of Canmore’s Fruit Tree Removal and Replacement Incentive Program NOW before the money runs out AND before you attract a bear into town and/or get a large fine! Applications are still open while limited funds are available so click here to apply now!

Berry season is here and there have already been sightings of bears feasting on delicious ripe buffaloberries! This is a crucial feeding period for both black and grizzly bears and they take this job very seriously, eating up to 200,000 berries per day and focusing on it for over 20 hours per day! As such, bears will have their heads down feeding on berries. They can be very defensive of their berry bushes, especially if surprised. We need to make extra noise and be vigilant (that means NOT wearing headphones/earbuds) when travelling through bear country.

*Shepherdia canadensis*, more commonly known as Buffaloberries are often found in sunny areas along trails, roads, and recreation areas. Red berries are most common but they can also be orange or yellow. Photo taken in Canmore on July 22, 2026.

Bear scat can be an indication of bear activity in the area. During berry season bear scat looks a lot like strawberry jam! Keep an eye out for it on the trails and do not linger in areas with fresh scat. If you do stumble upon some fresh scat out on the trails, remember to be extra vigilant, make extra noise to alert potential bears of your presence, and consider turning around if you are not prepared to handle a possible encounter with a bear. Always have your bear spray readily accessible!

WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS

Grizzly bear numbers rising slightly in Banff National Park.
Backcountry campgrounds reopen at Banff's Lake Minnewanka after bear incidents.
Black bear injures man trying to get his unleashed dog near Cumberland, B.C.
Regina couple killed in bear attack at McTavish Lake.
VIDEO: Regina couple killed in bear attack at McTavish Lake
Bear-y season prompts warning for Jasper National Park.
Is there an alternative to killing nuisance black bears?
Injured Big Bear bald eagle rescued by Los Angeles wildlife officials.
Hiker injured in ‘surprise encounter’ with bear on brushy South Anchorage trail.
Cougars moved into a tiny Californian preserve. What happened next astounded scientists.
Check out this incredible grizzly bear encounter at Saint Mary Lake in Glacier National Park.

Buy the Environment a Coffee... Join the Biosphere's Summit Club!

Looking for a meaningful way to give back to the Bow Valley? Join the Biosphere Institute's Summit Club, our community of monthly donors helping protect the places we love. Whether it's conserving wildlife habitat, FireSmarting, inspiring climate action, or bringing neighbours together through community programs, your monthly gift creates lasting local impact.

Even a small monthly donation (about the cost of a coffee!) helps build a healthier, more resilient Bow Valley. As a Summit Club member, you'll also receive invitations to exclusive experiences, along with other behind-the-scenes opportunities throughout the year! Together, we can invest in the future of the Bow Valley one month at a time. Click here to join now!

AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS

Canmore Residents Call for Stronger Protections for Parks and Trails - Canmore residents overwhelmingly support the town's parks and trails, but they're also sending a clear message: as the community grows, don't let those spaces lose the wild character that makes them special. Public engagement on the Town's updated Open Spaces and Trails Plan found protecting natural areas emerged as residents' top priority, even as many also called for better amenities and trail connections.” Find out more in this recent article by Madalyn Beach from the Bow Valley Insider.

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 soccer wrapping up last weekend, we thought it would be fun to share this video taken recently in Banff National Park by @paulzizkaphoto. Even the local wildlife here got World Cup Fever!

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 25 - Wild Life's 9th Birthday Shindig. Come celebrate 9 WILD years with our friends at Wild Life Distillery this Saturday for the parking lot party of the year! They would like to say thanks to the Bow Valley for the love and support over the past nine years. Festivities will run from 1-9pm with cocktails, great company, and live performances from incredible local bands (Tony Melo, Hannah Avery & Brett Down, Mike Petroff, Nurdjana feat. Six by Four Blues, The Ducks and Side Hustle) along with tasty bites by Valbella's Food Truck & handcrafted Lovely Ice Cream. This is a FREE event, so no need to buy tickets. Saturday, July 25th from 1-9pm at the WLD Tasting Room at 160-105 Bow Meadows Crescent.

August 12 - Harnessing the Power of Food Workshop #2: Cooking Out of the Box!
What's in the box? Join us to find out! Gather for an evening of creativity, community, and delicious surprises as we transform a mystery selection of fresh, seasonal produce from the Bow Valley Food Alliance's Good Food Box program! We'll explore how to cook intuitively, embrace what's in season, and discover just how much is possible with a handful of local ingredients from the Good Food Box program that week.
Wednesday August 12 at 6pm at the Co+Kitchen in Canmore.
Sliding Scale Tickets: $0-50. Click here to register and buy your ticket now!

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

Bear Report - July 23, 2026