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BEAR ACTIVITY UPDATE (June 25, 2026)
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
Bears continue to be seen regularly throughout the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country along trails, roads, in and around town and in the valley bottoms where most of their available food is located. There has also been an increase in bear sightings at the Canmore Nordic Centre - no negative interactions, just numerous sightings.
Roadside wildlife: If the weather cooperates, it’s going to be a busy weekend and people need to expect to run into a bear while out on the trails, even in areas that do not have a bear warning in place. Grizzly sows and their cubs are down low in the Kananaskis Valley and need to be given lots of space. Remember to obey speed limits and slow down when passing wildlife but don’t stop on the roadside and create bear jams. Never get out of your vehicle to get closer to a bear that is roadside - it stresses out and disturbs the bear, and is potentially dangerous for you, the bear and other motorists. Give bears at least 100m of space at all times and do not linger near wildlife feeding roadside - keep moving along! 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.
For the second week in a row, there were several warnings and closures put in place this past week related to close surprise encounters and bears accessing food and other wildlife attractants in tents at campgrounds.
Bear Warning - Mount Shark Road, Mount Engadine Lodge, and Rummel Lake Trail due to a grizzly bear approaching a hiker with a dog.
Bear Closure - Tryst Lake Parking Area in Spray Valley Provincial Park due to bear activity.
Bear Warning - Lower Lake Campground due to a family group of grizzly bears that investigated and ripped a tent in the campground. Bear spray was deployed.
Bear Warning - Hard-sided camping only at Lower Lake and Boulton Creek Campgrounds due to bear activity in the campgrounds. Camping will be limited to hard-sided camping units only at Lower Lake and Boulton Campgrounds effective, June 25, until at least Monday, July 6. This restriction includes tent trailers and roof-top tents.
Managing Wildlife Attractants: Wildlife attractant management should be the highest priority in the campgrounds and day use areas. Do not leave attractants unattended and don’t be the reason a bear has to be killed because it got into un-natural food sources on your campsite! Reminder to campers 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. Always dispose of garbage in bear-proof bins. RELATED ARTICLE: Bold black bear in search of food tries to get inside occupied tent in Banff National Park.
At your picnic table - Do not have large amounts of food spread all around your table(s) as you will not have enough time to gather it and secure it if a bear were to approach. The goal is to try and make sure the bear does NOT get any food rewards. If a bear approaches your campsite or picnic table, do your best to gather up and secure all the food and USE YOUR BEAR SPRAY.
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!
On the Trails: Remember to make lots of noise (yell, shout), travel in a group (ideally 4 or more), be aware of your surroundings and look & listen for signs of wildlife (i.e. tracks and scat), keep pets on a leash, and carry bear spray and be prepared to use it in case of a close encounter. Knowing what to do when you encounter a bear is key! Even if you are going for a leisurely walk around the neighbourhood you should be carrying bear spray. It is important to remember that bears 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 a bear whenever you head out on the trails in the Bow Valley and K-Country. If you know of or have heard of bear activity in a given area, please consider recreating elsewhere!
Some reminders for trail runners and mountain bikers who move quickly and often quietly along the trails: Make lots of noise (yell, shout) to let wildlife know you are coming down the trail and 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. It is also a good idea to keep ear buds out for better situational awareness, check behind you to make sure you are not being followed by wildlife, and always carry bear spray in an accessible location, and know how to use it!
Grizzly bear with cubs in K-Country on June 18, 2026.
ELK: The Elk Calving Warning remains in effect for Canmore. Most elk calves are already mobile and moving around with less defensive mothers. However, there continue to be other cow elk showing aggression towards people who are getting too close to their calves! Be aware of your surroundings, even on popular and well-visited trails around town and along the river. Never approach elk for any reason and Stay at least 30 metres (3 school bus lengths) away from all elk. If you see any elk, immediately leave the area and DO NOT TRY TO SNEAK PAST THEM. Even bikers should not be trying to sneak past elk on the trails. Keep pets on a leash and it is a good idea to be carrying your 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. The presence of calves also attracts predators such as bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes so be aware of your surroundings, even on popular and well visited trails around town and along the river.
If you do find yourself in the cross hairs of an aggressive cow elk, get some sort of barrier between you and the elk (i.e. larger trees, car, boulders, picnic table, etc.). Do not turn your back on the elk and try and get behind the barrier as quickly as possible. Use your bear spray if needed.
Cow elk with mobile calf - Never try to sneak past them.
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Warning - YMCA Camp Chief Hector due to black bears that have been seen in and around the camp feeding on natural vegetation.
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
It is very important to properly manage wildlife attractants such as food and garbage while hiking, camping and at Day Use Areas. Keep a BEAR FREE Campsite and if you see garbage on the ground, pick it up and put it in a bear-proof bin. If the bin is full, take your garbage to another bin or take the garbage home with you, but NEVER leave garbage on the ground where it is accessible for wildlife! A fed bear is a dead bear and one lazy act could cost a bear its life! If you notice any garbage left outside of bear proof bins, or garbage bins that are full around Canmore, please report this to the Town of Canmore at 403-678-1580.
In Canmore, please report bins that are full to 403-678-1580.
It sounds like common sense, but never feed any wildlife (yes, that includes squirrels and chipmunks) and never leave food unattended, even for a minute. Even open and closed beverage containers are considered a wildlife attractant. Bears will bite and puncture beer and pop cans to drink the contents as they contain a lot of calories and sugar! Attractants must be stored inside a hard-sided vehicle/trailer, or locker at night (not in your tent) and when you’re away during the day. Attractants include coolers, food, beverages, toiletries, pet food, garbage, recyclables and other scented items.
Officials will remove unattended attractants if they are not stored correctly, and an enforcement action may follow! All park visitors and campers need to be extra vigilant in securing their food and other items that attract wildlife, even when they are still at their campsite or picnic area. It is important to always have your bear spray ready and available, just in case you get any unwanted four-legged visitors.
A Tale from the Trail: Last weekend on June 22, a group of our Wildlife Ambassadors stopped in at several Day Use and Picnic Areas in K-Country. At Wedge Pond they came across a picnic site that had food left out and no one was there (see photo below). After a while, a group of 11 people appeared and returned to their picnic table. They had gone down to the pond to take some pictures and left their food unattended. The Ambassadors explained to them the dangers and risks of walking away and leaving food unattended - they had no idea but understood and apologized. This interaction really emphazies the importance of education for those who are not aware, as well as enforcement for those who are aware but choose NOT to follow the rules, in order to help keep people and wildlife safe.
Picnic table with food left unattended at Wedge Pond on June 22, 2026.
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 Tracks.
One of the most obvious signs that bears are around is the footprints they leave. Tracks are only left on soft or wet ground. If you remember the last couple of days of the weather, it can help you understand when Ms. Bear might have passed. If you know it hasn’t rained or been wet where you are for several days, then that track in what is now dried up mud is now old. Rain and water wash away tracks, so if the ground is still wet or it’s raining, and you find an obvious track, it’s very fresh. In the fall, knowing when it snowed last can be a big giveaway as to when tracks were made. Tracks in snow exposed to sun will melt out over several days, going from quite distinct to less well defined. Tracks melting out will also get bigger… Click here to read Derek’s full article about Tracks!
Click on this image of bear tracks 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. June 27 - Upper Kananaskis Lake
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Fruit trees attract bears into our neighbourhoods which puts people and wildlife at risk and accessing fruit trees is the number one reason why bears in the Bow Valley are relocated or killed. Buffaloberries will start to ripen in the weeks to come. Please be proactive and remove berry bushes and fruit trees from your yard NOW before you attract a bear into town. Your tree blossoms will blossom into bear problems later! 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.
To make Canmore safer for wildlife and people, the Town of Canmore is once again offering their Fruit Tree Removal and Replacement Incentive Program. Thanks to the generous support from the G7, we’re continuing our partnership with the Town of Canmore this year to offer the Fruit Tree Replacement Incentive using the remaining funds from the 2025 allotment.
The removal incentive program reimburses 100% of the pre-tax cost of tree removal up to $500 per residential property and $1,000 per condo association or commercial property (for removal of 5 or more trees).
The replacement incentive program reimburses 100% of the pre-tax 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).
Click here to learn more or apply for the incentive! Applications are still open while funds are available so don’t wait until it’s too late and the funds are all gone - Apply now!
A crabapple tree in Canmore. The 1,000’s of calories in this tree will certainly tempt and attract a bear into town, getting it into trouble!
WILDLIFE IN THE NEWS
Tracking grizzlies: collaring program targets data gaps, human and bear safety.
EDITORIAL: Steeper fines should be standard for wildlife violations.
Wildlife experts urge Banff visitors to be bear-safe following close calls.
Woman attacked by bear after off-leash dog chased cub on B.C. trail.
Salmon Arm woman who was mauled by bear says her dog saved her life.
Video: Young bear caught climbing Whistler's Fitzsimmons Express tower.
Grizzly found illegally shot along Alberta highway, poaching investigation underway.
Video shows Katmai brown bear striding on two legs as it scans the river for salmon.
2 teens injured during bear attack on Mt. Si trails in Washington.
Distressed deer set free by Jaws of Life in Banff.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Living in or visiting the Bow Valley means taking extra care to protect wildlife!
The Bow Valley is a vital wildlife corridor linking the Foothills to the Rockies. Its valley bottoms offer prime habitat for wildlife and high-quality outdoor experiences for humans. But human activity in the Bow Valley has led to habitat loss and wildlife deaths.
To support human-wildlife coexistence, Parks Canada (Banff National Park), Alberta Parks, the Towns of Banff and Canmore, the Municipal District of Bighorn and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley are working together to share practical actions for residents and visitors to help keep this special place wild for wildlife and safe for humans.
We have created a new website with lots of great information and actions for you to help Keep Wildlife Alive!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Calling young women of the Bow Valley ages 14-18 interested in Fly Fishing!
Sign up now to join the Girls on the Fly program! In signing up, you are invited to participate in fly casting clinics, presentations from female experts in fly fishing and conservation, help improve riparian habitat, join a network of women in the sport and receive a beginner rod setup ($300 value, based on the needs of the participant). More information here.
Sign-up closes July 6th. Space is limited. NO COST. No experience necessary.
ABOUT: The Girls on the Fly program is all about supporting a community of women around the sport of fly fishing. The program will recruit young women ages 14-18yrs as well as women mentors who live in Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, MD Bighorn or Mînî Thnî.
The program will kickoff with an event on Wednesday, July 15 that includes trout food, fly casting and equipment workshop presentations from Lynda McLennan at Millennium Park in Canmore. The group will meet on August 18th for on-the-Bow River coaching from Lynda. August will also include the opportunity to connect with local women passionate about sharing in the joy of fly fishing (like Tatum Monod and Bexx Ferri) and invitation to participate in a beaver dam analog project for trout habitat in Waiparous with Freshwater Conservation Canada. Finally, the program will wrap up at the end of September with a Parks Canada riparian zone restoration project at Cascade Ponds in Banff. Full schedule and information here.
July 1 - Canada Day in the Park. Wildlife Ambassadors will be at the WildSmart booth in Centennial Park in Canmore from 8:30am-12pm. Come on by the booth and say hi and have a chat with them about how you can help improve human-wildlife coexistence in the Bow Valley, while watching the Fun Run and Walk and eating FREE pancakes before you go watch the parade at noon. Find out more about Canada Day 2026 in Canmore by clicking here.
Our Canada Day 2025 booth set-up in Centennial Park in Canmore.
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