More details emerge on Glacier National Park grizzly attack

A grizzly bear broke a man’s arm last week in Glacier National Park in what the park is calling a “surprise encounter.” A 32-year-old man was hiking on the Grinnell Glacier Trail just after noon on Thursday, May 28, when the grizzly bear charged him. 

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“The incident occurred in a snowfield approximately 3.5 miles up the trail where the sound of loud rushing water made it difficult for either the man or the bear to detect one another,” the park said in a news release.  

The Grinnell Glacier Trail is a popular trail to one of the park’s best-known glaciers. It’s situated on the park’s eastern side near the Many Glacier Hotel. 

The man was flown in a helicopter to a hospital in Kalispell, Montana. His injuries were described by the park as “non-life-threatening.”   

The Grinnell Glacier Trail remains temporarily closed, and the park is not releasing any further information about the attack at this time. It is not clear whether the injured man was hiking solo or as part of a larger group. 

The section of the North Shore Trail along Lake Josephine that connects the Grinnell Glacier Trail to the trailhead was closed due to bear activity before the attack. It was reopened on Wednesday, May 27, a day before the encounter occurred. 

The bear attack is the second bear attack in Glacier National Park this year. Anthony Pollio, a 33-year-old hiker who went missing near the Mount Brown lookout earlier this month, was found dead on May 6 with injuries consistent with a bear attack. 

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“The sequence of events leading to the bear encounter remains under investigation; however, evidence suggests that this was a surprise encounter,” a park news release from May 9 states. Park officials have not shared whether a grizzly or black bear was involved in the attack.

Visitors to Glacier National Park can stay safe in bear country by hiking in groups and making noise “near streams, dense vegetation and blind corners,” the park’s news release states. Stay alert to your surroundings by not wearing headphones, carry bear spray, and never run from a bear. 

“If you encounter a bear, stay calm, speak in a steady voice, back away slowly and do not make sudden movements,” the park said. “Visitors should report bear encounters to park staff as soon as it is safe to do so.”