Glacier National Park is one of the most breathtaking places, in my opinion, and the Highline Trail is one of my favorites in the park. The path hugs the side of a mountain, offering incredible views of deep valleys, jagged peaks, and endless stretches of alpine meadows. It’s also prime grizzly territory, something my cousin and I were well aware of before setting out.
On the ascent, were fortunate to spot one at a comfortable distance. Close enough to watch, far enough away to not mean trouble. We sat for a while, munching on our trail snacks, watching the lumbering bruin bumbling about the meadow below. It was far enough away that I felt safe, just sitting there in awe, watching it move through the grass, completely uninterested in us. Seeing a grizzly in the wild is one of those unforgettable moments, a reminder of just how powerful and untamed these places really are.
Hours later, as we made our way back down the trail, we started realizing we hadn't passed any hikers heading uphill for quite a long time. It wasn't that late in the day, so it seemed peculiar. It was only later that we the trail had been closed due to high grizzly activity. We were unknowingly already in a hot spot that the rangers had deemed unsafe.
At some point, we started noticing fresh bear scat. Not old, dried-up piles—fresh. Like real fresh. That served as a clear warning that we weren’t alone. We hiked with our bear spray within quick reach and we made lots of noise and chattered non-stop. We never saw a bear, never heard anything in the brush, never got that gut feeling that something was lurking just out of sight. We thought that maybe the scat just wasn't as fresh as we thought...everything seemed so quiet.
At the end of the trail, though, we talked with other hikers who had finished right before and after us. Both groups had seen two massive male grizzlies during their time out. That meant that, at some point during our descent, these bears had been very close—close enough that we should have seen them. But somehow, we didn’t.
Grizzlies are massive animals, but they’re also surprisingly silent and elusive when they want to be. They can move through thick brush without making a sound and disappear into the landscape even when they’re only yards away. Just because you don’t see one doesn’t mean they aren’t there. The fact that two huge bears had been near us without us ever noticing was both unsettling and humbling.
The whole experience reinforced the fact that wildlife must always be respected. They weren’t out to get us, but we were in their home, and it was pure luck that our paths didn’t cross in a more obvious way.
The Highline Trail is still one of the most breathtaking hikes I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. But next time, I’ll be paying a lot more attention to the signs around me! Anyone else ever have a close call in griz country?