Now, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the area while it conducts searches for the bear, and officials are advising everyone in the vicinity to brush up on their bear safety and carry bear spray, despite the rarity of bear attacks in the Chugach mountains.

The woman was hiking the Basher Trail in Alaska's Chugach Mountains when the bear attacked and mauled her, the Anchorage Fire Department said.

A hiker was hospitalized late Tuesday after being mauled by a brown bear on a popular trail network above Anchorage, Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News reported that the unidentified female victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was able to call for help after the attack in the Basher Trail area in the Chugach Mountains.