Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
June 2025
Biking with Wildlife and Alaska Visitors
Moose and bear encounters on the trails
I have been biking in Anchorage for 35 years. In the early nineties I trained for the Wednesday Night Bike Racing Series at Kincaid Park. To truly date myself, fat-tire bikes, front fork suspension, and electronic bikes were not invented yet. I’m originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and had never seen a moose or bear while riding a bike until I moved to Alaska. The first time I rode on the Coastal Trail in Anchorage in 1990 was the first time I saw a moose. I was doing what most people do when they are recreating in bear and moose country for the first time; I was riding too fast and not paying close attention. I was heading towards the Kincaid Chalet, and I sped around a curve. I looked up and suddenly there was a big dark wall in front of me. It took a second for my brain to process that I was going to broadside a huge bull moose, if I didn’t do something fast. I slammed on my brakes, dropped my left foot to the ground, spun my bike around my leg, and then pedaled as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Fast forward 35 years and I am now a Wildlife Education and Outreach Specialist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
I had to stop riding my bike after a shoulder injury. Three years ago, I decided to get back into riding. I was so happy and started riding further and further from my house. I tried to go early to avoid the rush of bikers and hikers that occur later in the day on the Coastal Trail. Nearly every trip I had to turn around because of moose, especially cows with calves, blocking the trail. Going out later in the day helped me avoid as many moose encounters as possible. I’m not sure if moose are less active later in the day because of the relative warmth, a lot of recreators, or both. Although there are less moose and bears during the day I still have observed or been a part of many interesting encounters. I’ll highlight three that stick out in my brain the most.
Respect and Avoid
One sunny afternoon as I was riding the Coastal Trail I had to stop and turn around due to a cow and calf laying on the trail. I started to ride in the opposite direction then stopped to let a family group know about the moose. It appeared to be two sets of parents with four young children. I stopped to warn them of the moose and pointed in the direction where they were located. The adults looked very pleased, readied their iPhones, and with kids in tow they started walking towards the moose. Confused, I explained that I wasn’t telling them about the moose so they could take a picture. I told them that a cow with a calf is dangerous, and they need to be respected and avoided. I mentioned that not only is it dangerous to harass wildlife it is also illegal. They were obviously disappointed, and I wonder whether they took pictures of the moose anyway.
Four Bears and a Moose
I was riding back from a two-hour bike ride on the Coastal Trail on another day and slowed down to round a corner. In front of me was a black bear with three cubs. I stopped, kept my eyes on the bears, and slowly backed away. I sat on a trail bench out of sight of the bears and waited. Soon after, there were two bikers riding towards me (and the bears) and I told them about the family of bears. The woman and man were from the East Coast and were enjoying their visit to Alaska. We waited for a while hoping the bears would move on. About twenty minutes later we slowly and quietly rode up to where the bears were last seen and peered around the corner. They were still there. We slowly backed up and when the bear was out of sight we started to get on our bikes. Suddenly a huge bull moose rounded the corner away from the bears and towards us. I told the visitors that we had to get out of the way and quickly. We were riding down the trail away from the bears and the moose started gaining on one of the visitors. I yelled out that she had to bike faster. I saw that there was another trail that was 90 degrees off the main trail, and I told the others to follow me as I did a quick turn onto it. The visitors followed, as did the moose. I told them that we had to get behind something, and then the moose finally stopped. It didn’t seem like a full-on charge, it was more like it was running from the bear. I didn’t test that theory. The visitors thanked me for helping them get away from the moose, then we went back to the bench and waited. We eventually saw the sow and cubs in the woods making a wide berth around us. We were finally able to go on our way.
Face the Bear
It was a cool late morning, and I was riding on the Coastal Trail heading home. There was a large group of people, maybe 15, gathered ahead of me. I knew there was either a moose or a bear present, so I stopped to assess the situation. A bull moose was standing on the trail eating from a willow. I was tired and hungry, but I had to wait. I was a good distance from the moose. A person popped out of the woods on a trail that went around the moose at a distance. We all went on this trail and safely got around it, I continued my ride. A few minutes later I was going up a hill and passing two people who were near me during the moose encounter. Suddenly, a moose calf came running out of the woods towards us. I said, “where is the mother,” and we all stopped and looked around. In the meantime, three more people joined us, and the calf ran by us all. I looked up and a cinnamon black bear was in pursuit of the calf. We were in a precarious situation since we were between the bear and its prey. I told everyone to stand side by side, to face the bear, to make ourselves big by lifting our arms, and make noise. The group were all visitors to Alaska and had no idea what to do but listened to me. I had my bear spray ready but with six adult humans facing the bear and doing the proper things the bear turned around. I was ready to be home at this point. I chatted with the visitors for a few minutes and found that three visitors were from the South and the other two were from Wisconsin. They thanked me and said that they were glad that I was with them during this encounter.
Many of our visitors don’t know how to respond around moose and bears and I am glad to share my knowledge with them. Most of them listen closely and are thankful. Biking in Alaska can be a lot of fun, especially if you are well versed in what to do in bear and moose country. In Alaska we share our trails with moose and bears, be respectful of them and give them space.
Videos and more
Running and biking in bear country video
Single-track biking in moose country
Single-track biking in bear country This page also includes excellent videos showing how to use bear spray, what to do in a bear encounter, and more.
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