Yellowstone National Park 2017 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wildlife Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

27 through 29 June 2017 - Grand Teton National Park

~ June 2017 ~

Tuesday - June 27th

I left mid morning with plans to camp at Gros Venture Campground for a couple of nights. The road to the campground is closed, three washout areas I was told. So I had to go up to Moose then east and back south to get to the campground. Surprisingly the campground was pretty full both nights I stayed. Leaving the campground after checking in the temperature was a nice 72 degrees. The skies blackened and a thunder and lightning storm moved thru the area. The temperature dropped to 49 degrees and only warmed up to 55 for the rest of the day. I had a yearling moose near the Oxbow and a beaver at the Oxbow this afternoon. At 3:00 p.m. I found a large cinnamon black bear with a slightly smaller black bear following it around above the Lupine Meadows. At 3:15 p.m. I found a large black bear and a smaller brown bear also above Lupine Meadows. This pair was a courting pair. Between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. I watched grizzly sow 399 with her two cubs of the year digging between Jackson Lake Lodge and Pilgrim Creek. They looked good and 399's collar was quite thick. The cubs on several occasions climbed nearby conifer trees while mom dug for dinner.

Wednesday - June 28th

40 degrees this morning warming up to a pleasant 64 degrees with a couple small storms coming across the valley today. Between 7:00 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. and again from 8:00 a.m. thru 8:25 a.m. grizzly sow 399 and her two cubs of the year again digging between Jackson Lake Lodge and Pilgrim Creek. At 11:05 a.m. I spotted a large black bear above Lupine Meadows. At 1:00 p.m. I found a large black bear and a smaller cinnamon black bear with the black bear following the cinnamon above Lupine Meadows. At 3:00 p.m. I was treated to a black bear jam near Signal Mountain. Apparently a black bear had crossed the road followed by a grizzly bear. I only saw the second bear which looked like a nice sized cinnamon black bear. At 4:00 p.m. I found a large black bear high above Lupine Meadows. As I was getting back to the campground just before darkness another thunder and lightning storm hit. Lots of lighting and noise followed by a nice rain shower. All the rivers and lakes are full. Jackson Lake is at 99%. And lots of white stuff high on the peaks.

Thursday - June 29th

37 degrees this morning as I made it a short day in the Tetons. At 6:25 a.m. I spotted a small black bear in a high clearing across Jackson Lake on the north end. Near Moose a mule deer doe with a new fawn just off the road. There was a cow moose in the first pond on the Moose to the Mountain Resort road and finally another cow moose bedded just off the road heading to the Mountain Resort.

People Seen

From Wyoming: Diana S. and Paul B and Kevin from the Teton Science School.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park