The Cyprus Lake Campground at Bruce Peninsula National Park will remain closed until at least September 7th due to increased bear activity.
Parks Canada spokesperson Fatima-Zohra Hamidi tells Bayshore Broadcasting in news in an email response to questions, it posed a risk to visitor safety.
“Parks Canada takes campground closures seriously and implements them when necessary to protect visitors, staff,” says Hamidi.
She says, “Despite extensive management measures, Parks Canada has observed repeated activity from a habituated bear within the campground area. While bears are present throughout the park as part of a healthy ecosystem, the current public safety concern is related to the behaviour of a specific individual bear in a high visitor-use area, rather than a general increase in bear numbers across the park,” says Hamidi.
She adds, “This specific bear has repeatedly accessed human food and other attractants, became food-conditioned, and demonstrated a significant loss of natural fear of people.”
The campground was closed on August 28, 2026, and remains closed until September 7th, with the possibility of an extension. She says visitors with reservations are being notified of the extended closure and they’ll be refunded.
Hamidi explains, “Bruce Peninsula National Park is home to a black bear population, and bears are a natural and valued part of this ecosystem. Visitors are entering bear habitat when they visit the park, and Parks Canada works extensively to support the coexistence of people and wildlife.”
She says, “Throughout the summer, Parks Canada has implemented extensive measures to reduce human-bear interactions at Cyprus Lake Campground, including enhanced visitor education, Bare Campsite messaging, increased staff presence and compliance efforts securing attractants, active bear monitoring, and the use of both soft and hard aversion techniques to discourage bears from remaining in visitor areas.”
Parks Canada says visitors can help prevent bear encounters by keeping a “BARE” campsite and ensuring that bears do not have access to food or scented items.
They say, all food, food-related items, garbage, pet food, dishes, coolers, drinks, and scented products must be stored in a hard-sided vehicle with the windows closed when not in use, when the campsite is unattended, or while campers are sleeping. These items should never be stored in tents, tent trailers, or left outside.
Campers should also:
Never feed wildlife or leave food scraps behind.
Keep cooking areas, stoves, and barbecues clean.
Dispose of garbage and recycling regularly in designated areas.
Keep pets on a leash and do not leave them unattended, as they can attract bears and other wildlife.
Hamidi explains, “Poor campsite etiquette, such as leaving food, garbage, or scented items unattended, can have serious consequences for bears and other wildlife. When bears find human food sources, they can lose their natural fear of people and begin associating campsites and other areas with easy meals. This can lead to increased human-bear conflicts and create situations where a bear may be considered a risk to public safety.”
She notes, this is the first time Bruce Peninsula National Park has cancelled campground reservations and fully closed the Cyprus Lake campground during the peak summer operating season due to bear-related public safety concerns.
The park has implemented localized wildlife management measures in the past, including a brief partial campground closure in fall 2022 to support preventative bear management activities.
Hamidi notes, based on ongoing monitoring and risk assessments, day use areas currently remain at a lower risk and are open to visitors during daytime slots. Evening parking reservation slots for the Grotto (4pm-8pm; 5pm-9pm) are cancelled for Thursday September 3rd. All other parking reservations remain unchanged. Evening parking reservation cancellations at the Grotto will be reassessed daily and communicated via the website and Facebook.
Day visitors are encouraged to stay alert, make noise while hiking, keep their distance from wildlife, and follow all posted safety information.
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