Yellowstone National Park 2021 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
18 through 21 June 2021
Yellowstone National Park
~ June 2021 ~
Friday - June 18th
37 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a hot 87 degrees. At 5:10 a.m. Rick M called with a large grizzly eating something on Amethyst Bench. It was a large grizzly on something small that did not last long. This grizzly walked east through several small herds of bison on its way. It seemed to have an attitude this morning often not changing his path making the bison move out of its way. It remained in sight for over an hour moving east along the tree line. At 5:10 a.m. we had a gray wolf was following the grizzly on Amethyst Bench. At 5:15 a.m. we watched a black wolf on Amethyst Bench slowly moving east. At 6:25 a.m. Randi M found a small colorful grizzly near the Snow Cornice from Footbridge Pullout. At 7:15 a.m. we had another black wolf south of the Institute in the river corridor. At 7:40 a.m. I found the Specimen Ridge grizzly sow with two cubs of the year (coys) on Middle Ridge viewed from Lamar Canyon West. This family was in and out of sight for over an hour. At 8:00 a.m. Randi M found a large cinnamon black bear above the Slough Creek den viewed from Lamar Canyon West. At 9:45 a.m. Taylor B called with a courting pair of grizzlies on Penny Lane viewed from the Confluence. The pair were just above the tree line and not the best viewing. At 10:30 a.m. a brief sighting of a grizzly on the skyline above the Snow Cornice walking from south to north. At 1:40 p.m. we had a cinnamon black bear east of the Yellowstone River Picnic area. I did not stop at the bear jam, but Randi M. said it had two black coys. At 2:30 p.m. we had a large black bear near the Tower Junction. It created a huge bear jam as it finally went to the east and tried to cross the Yellowstone River Bridge. At 5:10 p.m. I found the Middle Ridge grizzly with two coys in the Bowl viewed from Midpoint Pullout. At 7:10 p.m. I found several people glassing north of Trashcan Pullout. I stopped and the visitors told me where to watch a pair of sub adult grizzlies on the Inverted Triangle just south of Druid Peak.
Saturday - June 19th
42 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 86 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:30 a.m. Gary G found an older collared black wolf south of Coyote Overlook. At 5:45 a.m. I found the Middle Ridge grizzly sow with two coys in No Bear Meadow. The grass is starting to get really high on the high meadows now and watching the family was spotty. Later they moved to bare ground in the Bowl. At 6:10 a.m. I found a large grizzly with a Yellowstone Stripe on the #3 finger on Norris. At 6:45 a.m. Randi M found a medium sized grizzly in the Inverted Triangle this side of Druid Peak (no sigh of the two sub adults that were in the clearing last night). At 7:25 a.m. we watched a large cinnamon black bear west of Crystal Creek viewed from Slough Creek restroom. At 8:20 a.m. Randi M found a lone grizzly high and right on A-Z Meadow walking down the hill. At 8:25 a.m. a second slightly smaller grizzly was seen downhill from the lone grizzly. As the lone grizzly approached within thirty yards or so the second grizzly ran into the trees revealing that she was the Specimen Ridge grizzly sow with two coys. Soon the grizzly sow returned without the coys chasing the lone grizzly across and down most of A-Z Meadow. The sow returned and disappeared into the trees later reappearing on the Southern Divide Ridge (Salad Bowl) with both coys. Meanwhile the lone grizzly stopped on the bottom east side of A-Z and was digging for well over thirty minutes. The Specimen Ridge sow with two coys remained in the Salad Bowl, despite the sun and hot temperatures and was still there at 1:30 p.m. At 9:30 a.m. a GPS spiked collared black wolf crossed the road south to north between Dorothy's and Coyote Pullouts. At 9:35 a.m. the collard black wolf joined two un-collared black wolves and all moved west. At 5:50 p.m. I had a black wolf bedded near the Slough Creek Den. At 7:10 p.m. Gary G had a small colorful grizzly high north of Coyote Overlook. At 7:50 p.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies on the second skyline clearing east of Penny Lane. They were already mating and were just breaking apart as we left twenty minutes later.
Sunday - June 20th
43 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 69 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:15 a.m. I found the Middle Ridge grizzly sow with two coys on A-Z Meadow. At 5:35 a.m. Gary G found a black bear in Square Meadow. At 5:45 a.m. we had wolves south and east of Coyote Overlook. Eventually I accounted five black and one gray Junction Butte wolves that remained out most of the morning hunting bison calves. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found a medium sized dark grizzly on the east end of Druid Peak. At 9:00 a.m. Carolyn and John G found the two 3 ½ year old sub adults north of Coyote Overlook. This was the first time in over a week that this pair had been seen. At 10:15 a.m. the two 2 1/2-year-old sub adults were south of the Institute and west of Amethyst Drainage. They were in view for over an hour and a half. This was the first time in over a week we had seen this pair. At 11:00 a.m. John and Carolyn found a large cinnamon black bear on Druid Peak. I am not sure if this was a cinnamon black bear or a grizzly, but my guess was a cinnamon black bear. At 4:45 p.m. I found the Specimen Ridge grizzly sow with two coys on Specimen Ridge in a small clearing in high grass. Others had seen this grizzly family in the morning, but I had been elsewhere so did not see them until this afternoon. At 5:00 p.m. one black adult wolf and three black pups were seen near the Slough Creek den. At 5:30 p.m. a cinnamon black bear created a "bear jam" in Lamar Canyon. At 6:25 p.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly in the low left area of K Meadow.
Monday - June 21st
34 degrees this morning warming up to 84 degrees. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 4:55 a.m. I found a large dark grizzly digging on Amethyst Bench. He left just after first light then passed through the first sliver on Ski Slope heading south. At 5:25 a.m. I found the two 2 1/2-year-old sub adults in the Bowl from the Institute. At 5:50 a.m. I found a medium sized dark grizzly digging north of Coyote Overlook. At 6:05 a.m. I found a cinnamon black bear with one cinnamon coy low on Middle Ridge from Lamar Canyon West. At 7:00 a.m. the Specimen Ridge grizzly sow with two coys were on Specimen Ridge viewed from Coyote Overlook. They soon moved up and out of sight near the cliffs of Specimen Ridge. At 8:30 a.m. the Middle Ridge grizzly sow with two coys were in the Bowl looking downhill at the two grizzly sub adults. They eventually moved west through A-Z Meadow and into the trees. At 9:15 a.m. one black un-collared wolf was seen south and west of Picnic. As the morning wolf action at Slough Creek was over, soon the pullouts of Trashcan and Picnic were full watching the single black wolf. At 6:15 p.m. I found the two 3 ½ year old sub adult grizzlies between Dorothy's and Coyote Overlooks to the north side. This evening viewing was best from Coyote Overlook.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Taylor B, Wendy B, Jeremy S, and Reve and Susan. From Mississippi: Gary G and Chuck and Wynelle M. From Florida: Andy and Missy O and Ray and Lynn M. From Minnesota: Scott W. And From California: Dorothy des L. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M. From Georgia: Sandi R. From Montana: Doug M. From Colorado: Rick and Tanner H. And from Utah: Kevin and Rosie N. Others seen this report: From Montana: MacNeil L, Evan S, Claire L, Audra C, Rick L, Grant J, Will S, and Josh M. From Vermont: John K and Beth. From Arizona: David and Phyllis. And from Idaho: Adam B.
Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |||
---|---|---|---|
2026 | 2021 | 2016 | 2011 |
2025 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 |
2024 | 2019 | 2014 | 2009 |
2023 | 2018 | 2013 | 2008 |
2022 | 2017 | 2012 | 2007 |
Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |
---|---|
1995 | 2000 |
1996 | 2002 |
1997 | 2003 |
1998 | 2004 |
1999 | 2005 |
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 | ||
---|---|---|
Cave Falls | Mesa Falls | Undine Falls |
Gibbon Falls | Rustic Falls | Upper Falls |
Lower Falls | Tower Fall | Wraith Falls |
Yellowstone National Park WebCams | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |