Coffee isn’t necessary to shake the cobwebs out in the morning if you wake up to a bear inches away from your face staring at you through the flap of your tent. Check out this tense moment caught on video inside Glacier National Park where Samantha Woods and her husband were fast asleep in their tent when a bear came strolling through her campsite. You can hear her disengage the safety mechanism on her bear spray as she tries to control her breathing and remain calm. Thankfully the bear was just having a look and moved on after this brief but intense encounter.
“Don’t mind our shaky breathing, but we were scared. Figured it didn’t seem aggressive so we just waited and sure enough it moved on!” –Samatha Woods
Samantha Woods and her husband were asleep when a bear appeared at their tent opening. The startling footage is also a reminder to keep a clean camp and bear spray within reach.
Originally published July 22, 2024. Updated July 17, 2026 with current Glacier National Park camping and bear-safety guidance.
There are bad ways to wake up while camping, and then there is opening your eyes to find a bear looking through the flap of your tent.
That was the situation Samantha Woods and her husband faced while camping in Glacier National Park. In video recorded from inside the tent, the animal pauses just beyond the opening and looks directly inside while the campers try to control their breathing.
Woods can be heard quietly readying her bear spray. Rather than charging or entering the tent, the bear studies the scene for several tense seconds and eventually moves away.
“We were scared,” Woods wrote when sharing the footage, adding that the bear did not appear aggressive and eventually continued on its way. The original account did not report any injuries.
The video is dramatic, but it is not a universal bear-safety playbook
The campers’ quiet response worked during this particular encounter, but every bear encounter is different. A short video also cannot establish why an animal approached a campsite, what happened immediately beforehand, or how the same bear might behave in another situation.
Glacier National Park advises visitors to pay attention to the bear’s behavior. Standing upright or approaching for a better look is not automatically aggression. Signs of agitation can include huffing, head swaying, teeth clacking, a lowered head, or ears held back.
If a bear is moving toward a campsite without appearing defensive, the park advises campers to gather together, discourage the bear from approaching, secure any food, and prepare to use bear spray. If the bear appears agitated or defensive, visitors should stop, avoid running, speak quietly, and have the spray ready.
The key point is not to copy the precise reaction seen in one viral clip. It is to learn the park’s guidance before entering bear country and remain prepared to respond to the behavior in front of you.
A tent is not a food-storage container
Glacier’s most important campground rule is straightforward: keep a clean camp.
Food, empty food containers, cookware, garbage, toiletries, sunscreen, and other scented products should never be left unattended. When they are not being used, the park requires these items to be secured in a vehicle, designated food locker, approved storage system, or designated hanging device.
That applies during the day as well as overnight. Even cookware that looks clean or a container that appears empty can retain enough odor to attract wildlife.
The clip does not prove that an attractant brought this particular bear to the tent. Still, reducing food and scent rewards is one of the most important things every camper can do for both human safety and the long-term safety of bears.
Keep bear spray accessible—but never spray it on the tent
Woods had her bear spray close enough to ready it without leaving the tent. That matters: spray buried in a backpack or stored elsewhere in camp may be of little use during a sudden encounter.
Glacier National Park recommends carrying bear spray somewhere immediately accessible and knowing how to deploy it before an emergency occurs. The park also warns that bear spray is not a campsite repellent. Campers should never spray it on tents, packs, clothing, or equipment; residue on pre-sprayed objects can actually attract a bear.
Visitors should also check the expiration date, practice removing the safety mechanism, and account for wind direction before using it.
Give Glacier’s bears plenty of room
Glacier National Park is home to both black bears and grizzly bears. Under normal circumstances, visitors should remain at least 100 yards—91 meters—from bears and wolves and report bear sightings or encounters to a ranger, campground host, or visitor center.
When a bear unexpectedly appears much closer, the National Park Service’s general advice is to stay calm, avoid running, leave the animal an escape route, and follow the local park’s behavior-specific guidance. Most encounters end without injury, but no single response can guarantee safety in every situation.
This bear eventually moved along, leaving Woods and her husband with a remarkable video and one of the most effective wake-up calls imaginable.
The broader takeaway is less cinematic: secure every attractant, keep bear spray within reach, understand how to use it, and never let a viral encounter make wild animals appear predictable.
