Yellowstone National Park 2018 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
20 through 25 Setember 2018 - Yellowstone National Park
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~ September 2018 ~
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Thursday - September 20th
I left Idaho around noon planning to spend the night and tomorrow morning outside of the park. A nice day warming up to 61 degrees. I had seven grizzlies during the viewing tonight: two sub adults and five single grizzlies with one a large grizzly. I camped outside of the park this evening.
Friday - September 21st
28 degrees in the morning warming up to 68 degrees. I had six grizzlies this morning with four singles and a sow and coy (cub of the year) of the year. A friend pointed out what eventually ended up being three wolves who we thought that we were watching grizzlies. One black, one gray and a collared gray wolf were in view for over a half an hour. I viewed a cow moose outside the park this morning also. I got into the park mid morning but did not find anything else today. The park has installed a three way stop sign in Mammoth now eliminating the stop only sign coming back from Tower Junction. The park has paved the road from Mammoth to the Nature Trail driving towards Tower Junction. Even the Junction Butte wolf pups were not found today, they had been a regular sight at their new rendezvous area south of Trash Can Pullout in Lamar Valley. I camped outside of the park near Silver Gate this rest of this trip.
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Saturday - September 22nd
28 degrees this morning warming up to 67 degrees. The new chip seal on the road from the Northeast Gate to Tower Junction looks great. The road construction from Fishing Bridge going six miles to the east is a mess. After a day with no Junction Butte wolves I was surprised that during the night the three pups, one gray and two blacks had returned to the rendezvous area in Lamar Valley. They were in view for quite a while this morning and despite a couple of hikers crossing the river and going into the rendezvous area the pups came out this evening also.
Sunday - September 23rd
40 degrees and windy this morning warming up to a nice 65 degrees. Rainy Lake is far fuller then it has been in fifteen years. The Lamar River is lower than other years for this time of year. At 6:45 a.m. John G found the Junction Butte wolf pack, all eleven of them (black adult wolves: 1047M, 1048M, 996M, 907F, uncollared male, and uncollared female, two black pups, two gray adults 969F and 907F and one gray pup). Good viewing until past noon but only one or two sighted tonight as more hikers decided to walk into the rendezvous area. At 7:15 p.m. I found what turned out to be my only grizzly of the trip on top of K Meadow viewed from the confluence.
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Monday - September 24th
33 degrees this morning with low clouds and low visibility throughout the morning warming up to a cool 51 degrees. I found a mountain goat west of the fingers on Norris today, farther to the west then I have seen a goat on the south side of the road. At 6:45 a.m. all eleven of the Junction Butte wolf pack out again in the rendezvous area. They were in view all day, maybe because of the cool temperatures; they did not go into the woods to bed for the day.
Tuesday - September 25th
36 degrees and lightly snowing in Silver Gate this morning but 28 degrees in Lamar Valley. At 7:45 a.m. after not finding the wolves in the rendezvous area everyone spread out to search and Dusty found them at the mixed conifer aspen forest in Slough Creek. I only saw six wolves, but others had most of the pack there. At 9:15 a.m. I found a black bear in a low clearing below the number 2 finger on Norris. I made it a short day and headed home today.
People Seen:
Wolf watchers: From New York: Rick and Maureen B. From Indiana: Jeff and Terri B. From Washington: David and Stephanie O, and Larry and Linda R. From Iowa: Jim and Joellyn B. From Florida: Reve and Susan and Rick and Vicky K. From Virginia: Big John. From Pennsylvania: Dusty. From the Netherlands: Jort V. From California: Kathie L. From Montana: Rick M, Melba C, and Amy T. From Mississippi: Chuck and Wynelle M. From Missouri: Don and Carol L. Bear Watchers: From Wyoming: Terri W. From Washington: John G. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Joe and Jeanne L. Others seen this trip; From Montana: MacNeil L, Emil M, Bob L, Brad O, Brandon, Kevin and Tammy, Leo L, Nathan V, Chris H, and Carl S. From Vermont: John K. From Wisconsin: Boyd and Scott G. From Kansas: Bill but not Jan. And really last from Utah: Bob B.
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Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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| Yellowstone Geyser and Thermal Videos | |
|---|---|
| Beehive Geyser Eruption | Old Faithful with Bison |
| Beehive Geyser Eruption Two | Pocket Basin |
| Fan and Mortar | Roaring Mountain |
| Grand Geyser | Rocket and Grotto |
| Old Faithful One | West Thumb |
| Yellowstone Waterfall Videos | ||
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| Lower Falls | Tower Fall | Wraith Falls |
| Yellowstone National Park WebCams | |||||||
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| Old Faithful Live | All Old Faithful | Old Faithful Static | Old Faithful VC | North Entrance | Mt Washburn | Mammoth | YVO WebCam |
| Entrance Cities and Gateway Towns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner, Montana | Silver Gate, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana | Cooke City, Montana |
| Livingston, Montana | Cody, Wyoming | Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park |
| Links | |
|---|---|
| The Great Outdoors Net | Great Outdoor Recreational Places |
| Gardiner, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana |
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