Early last Wednesday morning, a woman stepped outside near Mount Engadine Lodge for a short walk with her dog and a cup of coffee. Within minutes, a young grizzly bear had locked onto the dog and showed very little interest in leaving.
The resulting video – 82 seconds of the hiker yelling “no,” “stop,” “enough,” and “go away” while the bear circled and lunged – has since gone thoroughly viral. The Kananaskis grizzly bear encounter has prompted an official bear warning and a useful reminder that bear country requires more than good intentions.
What Actually Happened Near Mount Engadine Lodge
The encounter took place just before 6 a.m. on June 24, along Mount Shark Road and Highway 742 near Rummel Lake Trail. The grizzly showed no particular interest in the hiker herself, repeatedly manoeuvring around her to stay focused on the dog. It reared up on its hind legs several times and closed to within approximately one metre.
The dog was on a leash throughout. Bear spray was not in the picture.
Alberta Parks issued a warning for the area around Mount Engadine Lodge, Mount Shark Road, and Rummel Lake Trail following the incident. Staff are monitoring the situation.
The Bear Wasn't the Problem. The Preparation Was.
Bear safety experts point out that the video only captures a slice of what happened – nothing before the camera started rolling, and nothing about what the bear may have been responding to. What the footage does show clearly is a grizzly that perceived the dog as something worth pursuing, and a hiker without the tools to change that calculus.
Kananaskis Country is home to an estimated 40 grizzly bears. Encounters near lodges, campgrounds, and popular trailheads are not as rare as people tend to assume.
Before You Head Out to Kananaskis This Weekend
Alberta Parks is consistent on this: make noise on the trail, especially near water or in thick brush. Keep dogs on a leash at all times. Carry bear spray in an accessible holster – not at the bottom of your pack – and know how to deploy it before the situation arises.
Filming a bear encounter instead of managing it is, experts note, a fairly common and fairly poor trade-off.
Report bear sightings and incidents in Kananaskis Country to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403-591-7755.
The grizzly, for its part, has returned to whatever grizzlies do when they're not trending.