Terrified Hikers Panic After Encounter With 2 Grizzlies at Glacier National Park: 'We're Gonna Die'
Bears make the news a lot this season as they sleepily come out of hibernation to greet the new year (for them). Inevitably, that involves getting into human spaces and coming into contact with us. If your life flashed before your eyes reading that headline, just wait until you see the video.
Two hikers were out on a trail in Glacier National Park and watched as two separate bears zoomed by. ABC7 News provided the footage captioned, "A bear-y close encounter! Two hikers in Glacier National Park got the surprise of a lifetime as two young Grizzly Bears raced down a trail past them on Memorial Day Weekend. The woman who took the video said the bears were 5 feet away from them."
@abc7newsbayarea A bear-y close encounter! Two hikers in Glacier National Park got the surprise of a lifetime as two young grizzly bears raced down a trail past them on Memorial Day Weekend. The woman who took the video said the bears were 5 feet away from them. #animals#hiking#glaciernationalpark#bear#outdoors
original sound - ABC7 News - ABC7 News
In the clip, you can hear the woman exclaim, "We're gonna die. We're actually gonna die." A harrowing experience, for sure. Luckily, the bears continued on their romp, and no one was harmed, human or ursine.
The top comment went to @puppy_breath143, who got into the bears' heads with, "'Hold up, you smell human?' - the bear." It seems they barely noticed the hikers in their backyard. Others pointed out that these may have actually been Black Bears, not Grizzlies. Regardless, it was certainly a shock to the people who witnessed it.
Related: Yellowstone Tourists Have Close Encounter as Grizzly Bear Steps Onto Boardwalk
How To Be Prepared for Bear Encounters on Trails
The common bear safety advice is counterintuitive at first glance. When hiking, you want to make noise, stay in large groups, and announce your presence as much as possible. That's because you absolutely do not want to startle a bear.
Most importantly, though, the National Park Service advises hikers to stay alert. Knowing where bears are and watching for signs of them will help you steer clear. You also may want to avoid peak bear times: dusk and dawn.
All the preparation in the world won't fully prepare you for standing in front of a male Grizzly Bear. Don't run or try to shrink away. You need to make yourself look bigger without provoking an attack. Talking to the bear or moving your arms can help establish that you're human and mean no harm. Finally, if the beastie doesn't walk away, you should shuffle off slowly. But never get between a mom and her cubs.
In this case, the bears whizzed on by, and that's what usually happens. It always pays to be prepared for bears on the trail, though.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 7:20 PM.