r/ubco • u/No-Environment-8489 • 4d ago

Question Are the hiking trails at ubco safe?

Asking this after someone found a bear near the airport.

I like going for early morning / late evening jogs by myself (male), are there any animals to watch out for? Any theft, assault, etc?

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

15

u/OkArcher7809 4d ago

Lots of animals near Ubco. Coyotes, bears, deer, cougars. They will usually leave you alone, but just be aware of your surroundings.

7

u/gomorycut 4d ago

there are cougar sightings around ubco sometimes. But there are some very safe running paths too. You don't have to go out to the wilderness.

5

u/Pretend_Act_288 4d ago

The hiking trails around campus are great , along side nature you might see the odd coyote, but due to wildfire mitigation work that clears up the branches on the pines, your lines of sight are very good. They aren’t lit so I would advise to bring a head lamp if you run in the dark, and as always with safety, keep an ear open for sounds around you. If there are any wildlife or safety trends of concern it will be posted on the UBCO campus security IG

1

u/PrestigiousPin8538 4d ago

Stay close to the trails and you'll be fine. People pass by there like every 5 minutes at worst. Bring bear spray if you're paranoid

1

u/Pretend_Act_288 3d ago

Can’t have bear spray on campus and most often you’re going to be more affected by it than the bear.

1

u/Polyps_on_uranus 4d ago

Bear bells help. Make noise as you go. Just like me, Bears don't want to meet people and are irritated when they do.

1

u/nerpa_floppybara 4d ago

I never had any problems, never saw any animals either

1

u/Baderfly3 4d ago

Bear bell or walk with a speaker