St. Mary Campground closed temporarily due to bears

Glacier National Park officials announced Sept. 20 that the St. Mary Campground will be closed temporarily because of a recent increase in black bear and grizzly bear activity and the potential for human/bear interactions. Officials are unsure when the campground will reopen.

The campground was restricted to hard-sided camping earlier this week. Since then, there’s been increase in bear activity in and around the campground, and efforts to haze the bears have been unsuccessful.

Bears are entering hyperphagia right now — a period of concentrated feeding to prepare for hibernation — and there has been an exceptionally abundant berry crop in the campground this year, which attracted bears to the area.

For more information, visit online at www.nps.gov/glac/naturescience/bears.htm or call the Park at 406-888-7800.