This news story about a hiker who survived a grizzly bear attack in Denali National Park was adapted from an August 24 National Park Service press release. You can read the original press release here.
On the evening of August 23, 2021, a grizzly bear attack took place in Denali National Park and Preserve.
The victim, a 55-year-old man from Indiana survived the attack and is in stable condition today, August 24. The unidentified hiker was hiking solo at the time of the attack.
Solo Hiker Survives Grizzly Bear Attack in Denali National Park
The visitor was hiking alone in the Thoroughfare Pass area of Denali National Park, to the south of the Park Road, when a grizzly sow suddenly charged him.
According to the hiker himself, he was hiking through an area of dense fog when a grizzly bear with two 1 or 2-year-old cubs attacked him from bushes about 100 feet away. The man was able to deploy his bear spray, but only after the bear had knocked him to the ground.
After he sprayed the bear, the sow and her cubs quickly left the area. The hiker was then able to walk the 1.5 miles to the Eielson Visitor Center, where he met a park transit bus.
Luckily, there was medical personnel on that bus, who were vacationing in Denali National Park. They administered first aid to the hiker and treated him for puncture wounds to his calf, left ribs and left shoulder.
The bus driver made 911 call to park rangers at approximately 8:19 pm on August 23, who subsequently transported the hiker out of the park via ambulance. He was transferred to the Tri-Valley medical team and brought to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. Today, August 24, he remains at that hospital in stable condition.
The Park Service stated that “due to the apparent defensive nature of this attack, there are no plans to locate the bear involved. Female bears with cubs are naturally defensive of their young, especially when surprised. There is no indication that this bear is unusually dangerous.”
Park officials have, however, closed backcountry units 11 and 12 to all backcountry travel for one week after this grizzly bear attack in Denali National Park
Grizzly Bear Safety
This latest grizzly bear attack in Denali National Park is another one in a series of bear attacks in and around national parks this summer. In May, for example, a grizzly injured a hiker in Yellowstone National Park. That man was also hiking alone.
This brings us to some critically important grizzly bear safety tips. While you’re never 100% safe while hiking in grizzly country, there are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of negative bear encounters.
- Carry bear spray and know how to use it. You can learn how to use bear spray correctly here.
- Make lots of noise. Clap your hands regularly, sing, whistle, talk loudly… to avoid surprising a bear.
- Never, ever, run away from a bear. Running away may trigger a chase response in the bear.
- Don’t hike alone. If you can, hike in groups of three people or more.
- Avoid hiking early in the morning or late in the evening. Bears are more active at dawn and dusk.
If you do encounter a grizzly bear while hiking or in the unfortunate event you’re attacked, there are ways you can increase your chances of survival.
This blog post outlines what to do when encountering a grizzly bear. I strongly recommend reading it before starting a hike in grizzly country.
