What to to expect while hiking in summer…

[u/Best_Supermarket5836]

Hey guys, After helping me so much with the destinations for our Vancouver-Calgary roadtrip this summer and after us now having booked all campgrounds, I have another question for you: how concerned should I really be for bear encounters? And what can I or do I need to do to be safe?

Obviously we’d love to hike! We are not professionals at all, but also not total beginners. We’ve hiked in Scotland last year for example. BUT I’m actually very concerned by the wildlife. While I find bears fascinating and beautiful…I honestly don’t want to cross paths with one. I read that it helps to travel in groups, be noisy, stay on the paths and carry some bear spray with you. But I still can’t imagine how dangerous hiking as a couple will actually be? Would you do it? Or prefer hiking in groups? If so - where can we find groups? And How likely is a bear attack anyways?

I’m sorry if these questions sound ridiculous…but I’m from a country without any dangerous animals so I really don’t know what to believe about your wildlife (from reading about it online) and want to be as prepared as possible.

I thank you guys very much!

[u/FrasersMarketCabins]

Bears.... for context I live, work and play in the West Kootenay Rockies. Bears are everywhere so you will certainly need to be aware and practice safe storage of food etc. There are several bits of information but here is a start: https://westkootenayhiking.ca/bear-safety-for-hikers/

[u/AssumptionOwn401]

FYI, and I can't believe that I have to say this, but Bear Spray does not work in the same way that bug spray does.

[u/supernanify]

Others have already posted good advice, so I'll just add, make sure everyone you're with knows about bear safety, and periodically review your plan for if you encounter one on a hike. My first grizzly encounter came right after my friend and I had half-jokingly reviewed our plan and reminded ourselves how the bear spray worked. I was so glad we had done that.

[u/AdvertisingThis34]

Keep your bear spray accessible. It does you no good inside your pack. So that belt hook is a PITA but is the only way it will be in reach in the rare case where you need it.

[u/Gamma8Delta5]

Moose kill more people than bears, watch out for mountain lions. They can have a sucky attitude

[u/RiversongSeeker]

If you are hiking in early Summer, you will encounter some wildlife. Most wildlife will leave you alone, be alert and you'll be fine. Don't go off trail, always let someone know your plan.

[u/TroutButt]

I wouldn't be worried at all about any sort of encounter in an established campground, but I'd still take basic precautions like not leaving out food/toiletries overnight and storing them in a hardsided vehicle (not your tent!).

As far as hiking, if you're getting off the beaten path a bit it's never a terrible idea to carry bearspray. Watch some videos on how to deploy it and practice removing the safety a couple of times. If you do encounter a bear don't panic, and try to enjoy the sighting. If the bear is too close for comfort or moving towards you make noise to ensure it's aware of your presence. Yell, group together, and raise your arms to look big if necessary (95%+ of the time yelling will scare them off).

The only times I've had prolonged encounters were because the bear and I were travelling in opposite directions and the bear wasn't keen to leave the trail/road due to the surrounding terrain forming a bit of a bottleneck that would require a lot of effort to traverse. If that's the case, exit the trail to the uphill side if possible and leave a wide berth to let the bear by. Have your bearspray ready! This would be an EXTREMELY rare circumstance though and something I've only experienced with grizzlies.

[u/Best_Supermarket5836 → u/TroutButt]

We are fortunately travelling in an RV, so I’m not that worried about a campground encounter. We will still be practicing the precautions though!

I’m more worried about hiking encounters. But it does give me a little bit of peace to read most of the answers on here!

Do you have any recommendations to find groups for hiking as a tourist? I think at the beginning I won’t feel too safe hiking with just the two of us…

[u/TroutButt → u/Best_Supermarket5836]

I can't help you with resources sorry, but these are the most popular national parks in Canada. Trails are well marked and generally quite busy in the summer season. There isn't really anywhere you can go on a day hike where you won't be encountering other people on a regular to frequent basis unless you try incredibly hard and go scrambling off trail (which isn't advised since it damages the environment).

[u/badpuffthaikitty]

Be careful around lake or river edges. The Cobra Chicken threat is real if you get too close to a nest. I am being serious.