Close call for this young grizzly strolling the train tracks near Morant’s Curve, a popular photography locations in Banff National Park where trains on the Canadian Pacific Railway curve alongside the turquoise Bow River against a dramatic mountain backdrop. The bear seemed in no great hurry as the train barreled down but thankfully escaped an impact at the last second.
There are various reasons why grizzly bears often linger on the trains tracks that bisect Banff National Park including simply being the path of least resistance and wildlife being attracted grain spilled by train cars.
Parks Canada has recorded 19 grizzly deaths on the Banff rail line since 2005, the most recent occurring in May 2026 when a grizzly cub was struck and killed. Researchers have identified train strikes as one of the most serious human-caused threats to Banff’s grizzlies. A seven year study concluded in 2007 found that the Canadian Pacific Railway was the leading human-related cause of grizzly mortality in the park, and several cubs orphaned by those collisions did not survive.
Wildlife managers have tried to reduce the problem by improving grain-car sealing, recovering spilled grain, and testing warning systems to make trains less deadly for bears. Even with those measures, the Banff rail line remains a conflict zone where a bear’s search for food or a convenient travel path can quickly turn fatal.
