A lone hiker encountered a brown bear in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge late Sunday afternoon and was bitten on her upper leg, officials said.
The woman was hiking with her two dogs on the Lower Kenai River Trail at the time of the attack, according to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bulletin.
The bulletin says the woman spotted the bear when it stood up on the trail about 20 feet in front of her in an area of tall grass adjacent to the river.
"She fell while retreating, and the bear was upon her immediately," the bulletin says. "It quickly left either distracted by or in pursuit of one of the dogs."
The woman started hiking back toward a trailhead along Skilak Lake Road with one of the dogs and was helped by passers-by. The second dog was found later and reunited with its owner, the bulletin says.
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After being treated at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, the woman was released, officials say.
"This appears to have been a defensive attack triggered when the bear was surprised at close quarters," said Refuge Manager Andy Loranger.
Bear activity along the Kenai and its tributaries typically increases in June with the arrival of salmon.
Signs warning of bear activity have been posted along the river trail. Refuge law enforcement officers also increased patrols in the area, the bulletin says.
This attack comes two days after a grizzly bear charged, bit and scratched a woman in Denali National Park.