Grizzly bear approaches woman and dog near Alberta campsite
Jessie threw her coffee mug as a grizzly circled her and Skoki near Spray Valley Provincial Park, then reached safety and watched the bear chase a moose.
A grizzly bear came within a few feet of Jessie and her dog Skoki near Mount Engadine Lodge in Kananaskis Country on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, triggering an Alberta Parks warning that remains in effect until further notice. The encounter unfolded in Spray Valley Provincial Park near Mount Shark Road and Rummel Lake Trail, where video showed the bear walking toward Jessie before quickening its pace as it circled her and the dog.
Jessie had stepped outside with her morning coffee to walk Skoki down a gravel driveway when the bear appeared. She said she felt "scared" and "very confused" as the animal closed in, and she threw her coffee mug to distract it before running for safety. Jessie and Skoki got inside without injury, then spent about 15 minutes rewatching the footage as the bear wandered off and later chased a moose.
The footage was recorded by Jelmer de Blois, a licensed hiking and wilderness guide with Wilderness Escape Adventures, and it spread quickly online after the encounter. Alberta Parks issued the bear warning for the area because a grizzly had approached a hiker with a dog, and the alert covers the section near Mount Engadine Lodge, Mount Shark Road and Rummel Lake Trail.
Bear sightings in Kananaskis Country should be reported to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403-591-7755. Garbage and food attractants should be secured and kept out of tents, and food should be stored in the trunk of a vehicle rather than brought into sleeping areas.
The species is listed as one of special concern in Canada and as threatened in Alberta. A provincial estimate puts the grizzly population at 691.
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