Parks Canada says a habituated black bear is the reason the campground at Bruce Peninsula National Park remains closed.
The Cyprus Lake Campground was closed on August 28, and will remain closed until at least September 7, if not longer.
The evening parking slots at the Grotto have also been cancelled for Thursday due to bear activity.
Park spokesperson Sarah Quinlan Cutler said in an email that the park works extensively to support the coexistence of people and wildlife, but one bear has been getting too close to familiar this summer.
"Despite extensive management measures, Parks Canada has observed repeated activity from a habituated bear within the campground area," she wrote. "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."
Parks Canada has tried reduce human-bear interactions with enhanced visitor education, increased staff presence, active bear monitoring, and the use of aversion techniques to discourage bears from remaining in visitor areas.
There has also been repeated campaigns for its Bare Campsite program.
"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," wrote Cutler. "Visitors can help prevent bear encounters by keeping a “BARE” campsite and ensuring that bears do not have access to food or scented items. 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."
Parks Canada said the closure will continue to be guided by the level of risk to public safety.
