Bear Encounter Victim Identified

News and Adventure from Glacier National Park

This news is a little old, but I’ve been out of town, and thought the story was still important. Sadly, a hiker was killed in Glacier National Park last week. Here’s what the park has released so far:

The body of a missing hiker has been recovered and identified as Anthony Pollio, a 33-year-old man from Davie, Florida. Pollio’s body was discovered by search and rescue crews at approximately 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6, in Glacier National Park. The National Park Service withholds victim identity until 72 hours after next-of-kin notification.

On Sunday, May 3, Pollio communicated plans to hike the Mt. Brown Trail toward the Mt. Brown Fire Lookout. Park officials were notified of Pollio’s disappearance on Monday afternoon and initiated search and rescue operations.

Search and rescue teams located some of Pollio’s personal items along the Mt. Brown Trail approximately 2.5 miles from the trailhead, which prompted a focused search of the surrounding area. Pollio was discovered deceased approximately 50 feet off the trail in a densely wooded area with injuries consistent with a bear encounter.

The sequence of events leading to the bear encounter remains under investigation; however, evidence suggests that this was a surprise encounter.

Temporary Trail Closures
The section of trail where the incident occurred has been temporarily closed while the investigation continues (it appears it’s now open). Park staff are working to determine next steps based on field assessments and wildlife behavior monitoring.

Find up-to-date trail closure information on the Trail Status Reports page.

Additional background
Media reports indicate that Pollio hiked to the lookout on Mt. Brown to watch the sunset. Thus, not only was he hiking at dusk or even in the dark, but he was hiking alone. Combined, these two facts are a recipe for disaster in grizzly country.

The last human fatality caused by a bear in Glacier occurred in 1998 in the Two Medicine Valley. The last time a bear injured a human was in August 2025.

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• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

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Source: http://hikinginglacier.blogspot.com/2026/05/bear-encounter-victim-identified.html