From Saturday, Oct. 24 until the bears den, three things overlap on the Cedar Flats trail system above Columbia Falls. Deer and elk carcasses become more common on the surrounding land, dusk arrives earlier each week, and bears keep eating in a year when their natural food came up short. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has already shown how much one of those factors can matter on these trails.
In the encounter the Flathead Beacon reported on Sept. 1, a bear attacked a woman on the trail system around 7 p.m. on Aug. 31. FWP later said the bear was a female with "at least one cub of the year," and that a deer carcass had been found about 100 yards off the trail, according to montanarightnow. The agency's explanation: "Given the presence of the cub, the nearby food resource, and other information, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks specialists have concluded the incident was a surprise defensive encounter."
The trail system reopened Sept. 5, after authorities concluded the bear was unlikely to be a threat to the public. A food source near the trail was one of the factors FWP named. Over the next several weeks, more of them are likely to turn up across the surrounding countryside, while FWP's general bear-country guidance keeps warning against two other conditions the season brings, outings at dusk and bears that are actively feeding.
The calendar sets all three
Each of these conditions runs on its own fall schedule.
| What FWP's guidance flags | Where it stands in late October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Travel at dawn, dusk or night | The days keep getting shorter, so an after-work outing on the same schedule now starts closer to dark. FWP advises against traveling at dawn, dusk or night in bear country. |
| Carcass sites | General deer and elk season in Hunting District 170, the Flathead River district, runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 29, 2026, under FWP's 2026 deer, elk and antelope regulations. |
| Bears on the move for food | FWP describes fall as an especially active time for bears, and Montana bears typically den from roughly November through March. |
Those windows overlap for about a month. The general season opens Saturday, Oct. 24. FWP's denning estimate is a statewide figure, not one specific to the Flathead, so the exact date bears go quiet above Columbia Falls is uncertain. Until then, the trails are open, carcasses are more likely on the landscape and the bears are still eating.
A hungrier fall than most
This would matter less in a year when the mountains had fed the bears well. 2026 was not that year.
The Flathead Beacon reported in early September that the valley had already recorded five grizzly mortalities in 2026, compared with two the year before, and that the jump in conflicts was attributed in part to a poor wild berry harvest after an early frost. The same article described hyperphagia, the fall stretch when bears try to pack on pounds before winter and may be more likely to come into residential areas looking for easy food. Jeremiah Smith, FWP's Region 3 grizzly bear specialist, named improperly secured food as a top attractant drawing bears into town.
A month later the count had grown. On Oct. 1, a landowner near Trego shot and killed a radio-collared male grizzly after encountering it at close range, and the Flathead Beacon reported that FWP's dashboard listed it as the seventh grizzly death in Flathead County this year. That article also recalled FWP bear specialist Jamie Jonkel's July description of 2026 as "one of the worst natural food failure years on record." FWP Director Christy Clark's statement after the Trego incident sums up the season:
"Fall is an especially active time for bears as they move more in search of food, which can increase the potential for bear-related conflicts."
A short berry crop leaves bears with fewer natural calories to bank before denning. That makes a deer carcass more valuable, and in a few weeks, so is anything left behind after a successful hunt.
How rifle season changes the woods around the trails
Cedar Flats sits on Flathead National Forest land, and Trailforks records its land status that way. The Forest Service's general hunting guidance says hunting happens on national forests under state seasons and licensing, and that some areas may be closed. It sends people to the local ranger district for specifics, which here means the Hungry Horse–Glacier View Ranger District. The same page says firearm discharge is prohibited in or within 150 yards of a developed recreation site, a residence or any place where people are likely to be.
The effect on a walk doesn't depend on whether anyone hunts the trail corridor itself. Hunting District 170 surrounds Columbia Falls, and the general season puts more field-dressed animals and gut piles across the countryside bears use. FWP's guidance for hunters tells them to pack meat out promptly, avoid processing carcasses at dusk or night, and drag gut piles into open areas at least 100 yards from the carcass when they can. That advice keeps hunters safer, and it also means leftover food can be scattered in more than one spot. In September, the food source FWP identified was about 100 yards off the trail.
Hunter orange works on a narrower rule than many people assume. Montana's 2026 deer and elk regulations require firearm hunters, along with their outfitters and guides, to wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange above the waist. The rule applies to hunters, not hikers. The Forest Service recommends orange as the outermost layer for hunters and visible orange on dogs that go along with them. Anyone wearing bright colors on a dog walk this month is choosing to, not following a requirement.
What's new on the ground this fall
The trail system has also grown since last fall. Gateway to Glacier Trails, the nonprofit building Cedar Flats, has worked in phases since 2021 toward a planned network of more than 25 miles of nonmotorized, multi-use trail. Phase I brought Snowberry and the 4th Avenue trailhead with parking, a vault toilet and a kiosk. Phase II added Birch Branch, Beargrass, and Lower and Upper Cedar Ridge.
Phase III is underway now:
- TR10 is complete. Trailforks lists it as "Trail 10 TR10" and puts it at 2 miles.
- The Cedar Ridge trailhead got its gravel this summer. Its vault toilet and kiosk are scheduled for spring 2027.
- TR08 was in progress this summer.
- TR07 is projected for 2027.
The new mileage spreads trail users across more of the system, and the 4th Avenue trailhead is still the one with full facilities. Until the Cedar Ridge kiosk goes in next spring, nothing will be posted on-site there. People starting from Cedar Ridge this fall should check for closures and alerts online before they leave the house.
To reach the 4th Avenue trailhead, Gateway's directions follow 2nd Avenue WN and 4th Street WN to a large dirt parking area on the right. The group also asks visitors to respect the 15 mph residential speed limit on Barnett Road.
A late-fall routine built from FWP's own list
When FWP announced the September closure, it repeated its standard bear-country advice: carry bear spray, stay alert, travel in groups, make noise, avoid recreating after dark and stay away from carcass sites. Applied to Cedar Flats between rifle opener and denning, that list becomes a fairly specific routine:
- Move outings earlier. FWP's recreation guidance advises against dawn, dusk and night travel, and the light is going earlier each week. A lunch-hour loop fits that advice better than one after work.
- Keep the spray where your hand can reach it. FWP calls for spray that is accessible, not packed away. The Flathead Beacon reported that FWP collected old cans during Bear Aware Month in September and urged people to have a fresh can ready for hunting season.
- Slow down on wheels and on foot. FWP warns that cyclists and runners can surprise bears and recommends slowing down, looking ahead, and riding or running in daylight and in groups.
- Turn around if you find a carcass. Ravens, a strong smell or a dog suddenly pulling toward the brush are all reasons to back out the way you came. FWP's guidance is to stay away from carcass sites.
- Check status before you park. Trailforks listed Cedar Flats as open as of Sept. 14, 2026. In September, the Flathead National Forest's closure release shut roads and trails inside a defined boundary within a day, so the forest's alerts page is worth checking before each outing.
This is general information drawn from agency guidance, not legal advice. Hunting rules and area restrictions change, so confirm them with FWP or the Hungry Horse–Glacier View Ranger District.
If you want a higher-country outing before snow, our post on Jewel Basin's fall trails covers a different set of conditions on the other side of the valley. For more on daily life in town, see our Columbia Falls neighborhood page.
If you own or are thinking about property near Cedar Flats or anywhere along Columbia Falls' forest edge and want to talk through what that means through the year, Alida Tinch is glad to share what she knows. Let's Connect.
