News Release

Effective Response Ensures the Safety of Hiker After Bear Incident

Date: October 30, 2019
Contact: Jason J Taylor, 907-983-9200

A successful rescue occurred on the Chilkoot Trail on October 30, 2019.  At approximately 2:00 am a distress call was received by the NPS Alaska Region Communications Center as well as Skagway Fire Department.  With little information to act on, Skagway Fire Department and NPS staff, via TEMSCO Helicopter Inc., coordinated a flight to search for the source of the distress call.  At approximately 9:00 am. the rescue crew located an injured hiker at the Canyon City ranger cabin. The solo hiker was able to exit the cabin to greet the rescue team.  The hiker reported that they had been involved in a bear incident on the Chilkoot Trail in the early evening of October 29, 2019 sustaining a bear bite on the lower leg. The bear was described by the hiker as a “brown bear.”  The hiker was able to walk to an NPS ranger cabin; from there they were able to use the NPS radio to call for assistance.  The hiker was then transported via helicopter to Skagway and then on to Dahl Memorial Clinic to receive medical attention.

This was a successful rescue thanks to the effective response by the Skagway Fire Department and NPS staff, as well as the self-care by the hiker.