Photo of the Week: Face to face with a Brown Bear in Banff

Big Brown Bear in Banff, Alberta

We captured this photo on our recent road trip through Alberta, while driving the Bow Valley Parkway from Lake Louise to Banff. There’s a section of the parkway that splits into a one lane road that twists and turns through dense forest, making it an ideal spot to see wildlife.

As we zig-zagged around a steep corner, we approached a park ranger vehicle that had come to a stop. Curious, we slowed down to take a look. Then we spotted him (or her?) – a beautiful brown bear! He was sniffing around the grass on the side of the road, likely searching for berries and/or edible plants.

I was hoping to capture that perfect National Geographic wildlife shot, but that would have required me getting out of the vehicle and setting up the camera. Seeing as this big guy is a wild animal with really big teeth and claws, I thought it would be best to remain in the vehicle and shoot from there. He was really bad at posing for the camera… no matter how many times I asked him to stop moving and work the camera.

More from our road trip through the Canadian Rockies