A Missouri woman suffered minor injuries after being briefly attacked by a grizzly bear on Monday morning in Yellowstone National Park.

The 37-year-old woman had been hiking alone on the Fairy Falls Trail — located north of Old Faithful — “when she encountered two grizzly bears at very close range,” Yellowstone officials said in a Wednesday news release.

The woman from Columbia, Missouri, attempted to use her bear spray, the release said, but was knocked to the ground by a female grizzly. The woman suffered a scratch on her thigh from the bear and injured her face in the fall, but ultimately declined medical attention, the release said.

“From the injured person’s statements, this appears to be a typical case of a mother grizzly bear protecting her offspring following a close-range encounter,” said Yellowstone bear management biologist Kerry Gunther. “Because this bear was displaying natural protective behavior for its cub, no action will be taken against the bear. Several trails in the area will be closed to give the grizzly family group time to clear from the area.”

Following the incident, the Fairy Falls Trail was cleared of hikers and both the trail and the surrounding area have been temporarily closed to the public.

It was the first time a bear has injured a visitor in Yellowstone since June 2019, when a black bear bit into a tent and bruised the thigh of a woman inside. That bear was believed to have become habituated to humans and was killed.

Yellowstone officials advise visitors to “always” hike in groups of three or more, to avoid hiking at dawn, dusk or at night — when grizzly bears are most active — and to be alert and make noise. They also urge hikers to carry bear spray and know how to use it.