Hungry Horse News

The Ptarmigan tunnel trail and the Iceberg Lake Trail on the east side of Glacier National Park has been closed since July 18 due to bears feeding in the area.

Both trails have had a significant number of bears, causing the closure and an indefinite re-opening.

Bear rangers have been monitoring the area to see when the bears move away from the area. Black bears as well as grizzly are not uncommon to the area and it is not unusual for the trail to close.

Signs posted at the trailhead inform hikers that until there can be three passes of the trail without bear sightings, the trail will remain closed.

Also on the east side, backcountry campgrounds, Morning Star and Old Man campground at Two Medicine, remain closed. They have been closed for the summer due to a grizzly lingering around the campsites.

Aversive conditioning was started late last week to try to modify the bear's behavior. Hazing was supposed to start earlier, but was postponed due to the Red Eagle Fire.

As such the Park has closed the Pitamakan Pass Trail from the Dry Fork junction to the junction with Cut Bank Pass and the Cut Bank Valley Trail from the Atlantic Creek junction to Pitamakan Pass. Dawson Pass to Pitamakan Overlook and the Cut Bank Pass will remain available to hikers.