Popular Lake Minnewanka Trails Closed After Bear Rips Through Camper's Tent

The closure, issued June 15, affects the Lake Minnewanka Trail, Aylmer Pass Trail, and six backcountry campgrounds along the lake's north shore: LM8, LM9, LM11, LM20, LM22 and LM31.

While the popular Lake Minnewanka day-use area remains open, the closure effectively shuts down much of the lake's backcountry trail network with no reopening date announced.

The decision comes after a series of bear-related incidents in the area, including one described by a backpacker on Reddit who returned from a day hike Saturday evening to find their campsite destroyed.

"We came back that night to our tent in absolute shambles," wrote the user, who posted under the name SufficientJunket9943. "Sleeping pad popped, stuff all over, and the tent completely ripped from all stakes with a massive opening in both sides."

The camper said the group had hiked roughly 12 miles into the backcountry and spent Friday night without incident before leaving camp Saturday to explore the Ghost Lakes and Mount Costigan.

When they returned, the tent had been torn apart.

"Originally we thought it was a deer, but I don't know any deer with claws," the camper wrote.

The group reported the incident to Parks Canada and later turned over the damaged tents so wildlife officers could collect DNA samples.

According to an update posted by the camper, wardens are attempting to identify which bear was responsible.

The closure notice cites "black bears displaying food-seeking behaviour" as the reason for restricting access.

In an edit to the original post, the camper emphasized that no scented items had been left inside the tent.

"We ate everything over by the bear boxes, and moved everything in there," the camper wrote. "We were skeptical that we had left deodorant but it was in the bear boxes with everything else."

Wildlife experts note that bears can learn to associate tents and campgrounds with food after repeated exposure to improperly stored attractants, even when individual campers follow proper protocols.

The Lake Minnewanka area has experienced similar incidents in previous years, with campground closures and bear warnings issued periodically as wildlife and recreational use overlap along one of Banff National Park's busiest backcountry corridors.

Under the closure order, all travel within the affected trails and campgrounds is prohibited. Violators can face fines under the Canada National Parks Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $25,000.

For now, visitors can still access the Lake Minnewanka shoreline, boat launch and day-use facilities, but anyone planning overnight trips or hikes toward Aylmer Pass will need to make alternate plans until Parks Canada determines the area is safe to reopen.