Parks Canada bans stops on Bow Valley Parkway after bear jams spike

Parks Canada has closed a 1.5-kilometre section of the Bow Valley Parkway to vehicle stops after a surge of unsafe roadside gatherings to photograph bears.

The restriction runs between Baker Creek Chalets and Protection Mountain Campground and came after repeated reports of "bear jams" — crowds leaving their vehicles to approach wildlife.

"Crowding bears along the roadside and actively pursuing them causes bears stress and may result in them avoiding critical food sources and habitat," Parks Canada said. "Crowds of people can block critical escape routes for bears trying to avoid oncoming trains."

Kim Titchener, a bear safety specialist and president of Bear Safety & More, explained that higher-than-normal mountain snowpack is forcing bears down to lower valley elevations where spring vegetation is more readily available. June is also mating season, when male bears display more unpredictable behaviour, and more females are travelling with cubs following an extended berry season last fall that boosted pregnancy rates.

Kevin Wilson, owner of Wild Encounters Ltd., warned that repeated human-wildlife interaction in park settings leads bears to lose their natural wariness. "The more we stop along roadways, the more comfortable wildlife gets with that. We don't want bears to grow accustomed to humans being close to them."

The no-stopping zone is a reminder that a photo isn't worth the risk — for visitors or the animals themselves.