This is

the moment a mother bear and her cubs brought traffic to a halt with park rangers stepping in to ensure their safe crossing.

Ashley Brooke Wise, 42, was traveling down Highway 1 in Banff National Park, Canada, when traffic suddenly stopped.

Park rangers had blocked the highway in both directions to allow a mother bear and her two cubs to cross safely.

A video captured the moment the mother bear, followed by her cubs, made her way across the busy road.

Ashley, a teacher from Madison, Alabama, said: "We couldn't see what was causing the holdup at first. "

"There were probably six or seven cars stopped. "

"I got out to take a look and that's when I saw the bear."

"We were at a safe distance but had a great view! "

"It was so cool to see the bear and then the cubs came across. I was just in awe. I love seeing wildlife and I felt so lucky to witness it."

Every summer, Ashley travels across the country visiting national parks.

She said: "Two years ago, I did a 54-day tour of the West. I drove to Vancouver for an Alaskan cruise and hit 19 national parks across eight states. "

"I completely fell in love with national parks and decided I wanted to visit every one in the U.S."

"Then a family friend told me about Banff. I saw a picture of Lake Louise and knew I had to see it in person. "

"So this summer, I visited four new US parks, eight in Canada and returned to two I'd been to before."

Though this wasn't Ashley's first bear sighting, it was the most memorable.

She said: "I saw two bears in Yellowstone once, but they were far off in the distance. "

"This experience was way better. It was close and totally unexpected."

The footage was filmed on on July 2.