09/21/2026
🐻 Planning a trip to Banff? Stay bear-aware and always check current trail and area safety advisories before heading out. Your safety, and the wildlife’s, comes first! 💚🏔️
🐻 Whether you’re on a hike, or along the road, seeing a bear in Banff National Park can be a special experience.
But did you know Parks Canada does a lot of work helping bears and people coexist? Our wildlife teams are dedicated to responding to and managing risks to both the bears and visitors.
Some of the tools we use that you might encounter include:
🟡 Bear warnings - warnings are implemented based on current bear behaviour, bear activity and human-use in an area and they include specific recommendations for how visitors should behave to help prevent negative bear encounters.
🔴 Area closures - area closures are legally enforceable and is used when bears show sustained defensive behaviour or when warnings aren’t enough to reduce risk to people or bears.
🟠 Restricted activity orders - these are legally enforceable orders that can direct visitors to take certain actions to keep bears and themselves safe. Common examples are requiring a minimum group size of four for hiking and no-stopping zones.
Before heading out, check current trail, area and safety bulletins: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/bulletins
Parks Canada makes decisions about which of these tools to use based on bear activity and behaviour, which is why it is important to report bear encounters and bear jams to Banff Dispatch at (403) 762-1470. Prompt & detailed reporting helps Parks Canada take actions that keep bears and people safe.
