If you have ever pondered what it looks like to a empty a can of bear spray on an approaching grizzly this will satisfy your curiosity. It’s not uncommon to see grizzly bears roaming around Brooks Lodge inside Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve, but it’s not everyday that rangers have to deploy their bear spray cans to keep the apex predators at bay. Usually yelling and kicking dirt are sufficient deterrents to keep grizzlies from lingering around the cabins but in this case a more potent method was required.
Its justifiable to be concerned about grizzly bear encounters at Katmai but visitors can rest assured that ample precautions are in place to keep them safe. The National Park Service has implemented special regulations to protect both bears and visitors at Katmai including a mandatory “Bear Etiquette” talk for guests upon arrival. Grizzlies are such an ingrained aspect of visiting Brooks Camp that visitors are warned to incorporate extra time into their schedules when arriving or departing by float plane as bear encounters can cause delays.
BROOKS CAMP BEAR SAFETY GUIDELINES:
At Brooks Camp, encounters with bears are common, so please stay alert. Remain at least 50 yards (46 meters) from any bear at all times. Approaching any large mammal within 50 yards and remaining within 50 yards of a bear using a concentrated food source, like spawning salmon, is prohibited. Brooks Camp is a unique situation where bears are often given the right-of-way. Within Katmai, bears are less likely show curiosity or defensiveness towards people when we maintain distances greater than 50 yards.
When traveling, avoid surprising bears and make your presence known. Travel in groups and talk to each other as you do so. Alerting bears with your voice can be especially important where visibility is limited. The purpose of noise is to alert them to your presence, not scare them away. Once a bear identifies you as a human, making loud noises may agitate the animal.
Never run from any bear. During a close encounter, speak to the bear in a calm voice and back away from the bear until it resumes normal activities like resting, traveling, or feeding. Bears may not recognize children as humans due to their small size. Children should be supervised and under the control of an adult at all times, and should not be allowed to run free.
National Park Service rangers may direct you at any time. There are occasional exceptions to the wildlife distance regulations, and rangers will inform you of these circumstances. Bears frequently pass beneath the new bridge over Brooks River. When bears are nearby, rangers will ask you to keep walking across the main span and to only stop at the designated viewing areas. Access to the bridge may be closed when bears are within 50 yards of the trail on either end.
