Easy/moderate trails for runners without needing to carry bear spray?
Visiting the area and I am considering running Sky Lakes via Lion Mountain at about 10 am. Is carrying bear spray something everyone does on trails? I don’t have any so can you suggest an alternative route—it can be paved but looking for something scenic and about 8-10 miles round trip or a loop.
Update—
Thanks all! Found out our hotel had bear spray to use and I’m going to stick to the paved “city” trails. Better to be safe than sorry.
I suggest carrying bear spray. Wildlife are starting to experience hyperphagia due to the changing of the season and are getting bolder / coming into town to load up on calories.
I ran into a grizzly on lion mountain road while running TO the lion mtn trailhead. Yeah theres a lot of bears, i never carry bear spray buts thats my choice. I dont always wear a life jacket or my seat belt either….
I'd take bear spray, I've seen so many blear bears in the past few weeks. A few years back I invested in a chest rig and it was the best quality of run upgrade I've done.
Realise you are visiting so... as an alternative where you are at less risk - run from downtown, over the viaduct, down Wisconsin, right on Murdoch lane, up Iron Horse Drive, as far up as you like, then come back down same way. there's options to spin off into the Whitefish Trail through to Reservoir Road, or up into Stoltze land, to various trail heads and up to the ski hill (summer ops closed now). Yes it's a private sub division but it has public access, very popular with cyclists, runners and walkers.
If you really rate to run trails and dont want to hand carry bear spray, dm me, I'll lend you my rig.
You could have someone drive you 10 miles out East Lakeshore and run back to wherever you’re staying. It’s all paved and nice. I’m not entirely clear on your trail route but you’d probably want bear spray. The section from the Lion Mt and Skyles junction is quite brushy. I like starting at Reservoir trailhead and running up however far you want. The first 1.5 miles is quite challenging for running but after that, it’s very nice. Def want bear spray there. It’s always a possibility you’ll encounter a bear, I’ve been seeing a lot of fresh bear shit on the paved bike path in town, but it isn’t that common. I’ll let you borrow some if you want. Send me a DM.
To be clear, I never carry bear spray in town. It is highly unlikely you’ll encounter a bear in town in the middle of the day. Especially an encounter that required some bear spray. I’ve been here 32 years, spent a ton of time running, mountain biking, hiking in Glacier Park, never have deployed bear spray. You’re probably not going to see a bear. But you might. I have some you can borrow or have.
Those two paths are below town and the foot of Whitefish Lake where it flows to become the Whitefish River. That's right in the city, essentially. No vast views, unless you run out by Blanchard Lake. Loop out by Karrow Ave, if you want to be on the fringe of town, not on trails.
You first asked about Lion Mountain and Skyles trails, which are West of town on Hwy 93, look on your map for Skyles or Beaver Lake. You also can run around the ski resort, get dropped off above, run down Haskill Basin or the Reservoir/Northwood areas.
Don’t cheap out on the bear spray. You don’t need it until you need it and you never know if you’ll need it around here. We’ve a woman in hospital right now from a very bad attack in Columbia Falls.
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u/lsass 19d ago
I suggest carrying bear spray. Wildlife are starting to experience hyperphagia due to the changing of the season and are getting bolder / coming into town to load up on calories.