Night of the Grizzlies - One Terrifying Night in Glacier National Park That Changed America's National Parks Forever (Part 2 of 2)

The race to find the bears responsible for the attacks in August 1967 is in full swing. As rangers consider the events of the Night of the Grizzlies, they must grapple with park policies toward bear management and safety. Many of the reforms made to park practice are still in place today.

For today's knowledge nugget, we are going to review safety principles that you can embrace in bear country to avoid having a bad encounter with a bear. We will cover expert advice regarding hiking strategies, response to a surprise bear encounter, and what is the deal with bear spray anyway? All of our tips are practical and come from the National Park Service. Number one piece of advice is to read up on bear activity in ANY area you plan on hiking, and to chat with a park or forest service ranger to get the most up to date information if possible!

Our Night of the Grizzlies two-part series pairs well with trips to Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It also pairs well with road trips through the mountains of Montana and Wyoming on roads like I-15, I-90, Beartooth Highway, US-2, US-93, US-191 and US-26. Broadening our horizons a bit, it is also a good listen for travelers in the Canadian Rockies such as those of Alberta, British Columbia, Banff, Jasper, Yoho, etc. as well as anywhere in Alaska.

Deep Dive Recommendation: Montana PBS has a fabulous documentary on The Night of the Grizzlies if you want to see more period footage and photographs. It is available here!

Be sure to visit our website, nerdroamer.com, for show notes and links to pictures and articles relevant to each episode. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter for pictures, updates and alerts on new episodes. You can listen to our show, subscribe, and download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Podbean.