Yellowstone National Park 2022 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

30th April through 3rd May 2022
Yellowstone National Park

~ April 2022 ~

Saturday - April 30th

33 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to 52 degrees in the afternoon. Today was my rush back to Idaho Falls to return my motel supplies and repack the car with camping stuff. I left Gardiner about 5:00 a.m. and was back in the park by 3:00 p.m. I had a grouse on the road on the way back Silver Gate this evening. I will stay this entire report in Silver Gate. At 1:00 p.m. we had a collared black wolf near Frying Pan Spring, probably a Wapiti Pack wolf. At 1:25 p.m. I ran into a small bear jam, the Obsidian 3 1/2-year-old sub adult napping near North Twin Lake. At 3:15 p.m. we watched a black yearling of the Junction Butte pack around the Slough Creek den. At 4:55 p.m. Jim H and Amber K showed me a small grizzly digging low on Ski Slope Meadow viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 5:40 p.m. we had a black bear low on Specimen Ridge viewed from Slough Creek. At 6:00 p.m. five black and four gray wolves of the Junction Butte wolf pack left the den area traveling east and out of sight. At 6:15 p.m. we had a grizzly digging high up in the clearing east of the Slough Creek den. At 6:30 p.m. Jim H and Amber K found a cinnamon black bear about one-half mile west of the Slough Creek Den.

~ May 2022 ~

Sunday - May 1st

Sunday May 1st. 35 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 47 degrees out in the park. I had a couple of kestrels in the park today and one pair appears to be nesting near Aspen Pullout in Little America again this year. I have two golden eagles today, one near the confluence and the second north of Crystal Pullout in Little America. At 8:50 a.m. we watched four gray and three black wolves one of which was 1048M hunting south of the Buffalo Ranch moving west. We were up at the barn watching. Sam and Ginny's dog starting barking, we turned to see a grizzly crossing between the barn and the main Yellowstone Forever building at 50 yards. A younger maybe 5–6-year-old colorful grizzly. It checked out the door at the YF building then moved to the steps, then on the ranger's car and rangers building checking everything out. John K arrived to get everyone back to the cars and shoo the grizzly across the road. The grizzly walked to the river corridor and spent another forty-five minutes searching for something to eat. At 10:30 a.m. we had a black bear grazing southeast of Footbridge Pullout. At 1:20 p.m. I spotted a black bear low on Square Meadow viewed from the Buffalo Ranch. At 2:30 p.m. we had two black wolves near the Slough Creek den. At 4:10 p.m. we had a large black bear in the tree line south of Picnic Pullout. At 5:30 p.m. Kevin M found a small grizzly running around on A-Z Meadow viewed from the Buffalo Ranch. At 6:40 p.m. we had a gray wolf near the Slough Creek Den.

Monday - May 2nd

34 degrees at Silver Gate this morning warming up to 56 degrees. Last week the park closed the area across Slough Creek except for a small strip on both sides for the fisherman for the wolf den. Today 907F's son was seen in Crystal Drainage. Closure signs were put up to prevent people disturbing the wolves near the den. At 8:30 a.m. a gray collared wolf crossed the road in front of me traveling north to south. At 9:45 a.m. Bruce P found the two 3 1/2-year-old sub adult grizzlies south of Midpoint Pullout. In view for over two hours digging and even had time to take a nap all in good viewing. At 1:30 p.m. Emil M found a medium sized grizzly digging in the Bowl viewed from Hubbard Hill. In view for over two hours the grizzly did a lot of digging and moving to different spots in search of the best places to dig. At 1:25 p.m. I had a thirty second sighting of a large grizzly on the Divide Ridge viewed from Hubbard Hill. We moved west but were never able to find it again. At 1:45 p.m. we had a large black bear on the Divide Ridge who later moved to A-Z Meadow. At 5:45 p.m. I found a large grizzly digging on Calfee from the Confluence. In sight for thirty minutes before I left and never moved more than ten yards.

Tuesday - May 3rd

37 degrees with morning rain in Silver Gate warming up to 46 degrees with a biting wind. At 6:30 a.m. Randi M spotted a collared black wolf in the old rendezvous area viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 6:35 a.m. Kevin M found a large grizzly in the Chalcedony Drainage. After disappearing behind the foothills, it came out to the west of the foothills for good viewing. At 7:30 a.m. I found a grizzly on the Northern Divide Ridge viewed from the Buffalo Ranch. We moved west to get a good look at it and found that the wolf people had seen it earlier in Crystal Creek viewed from Slough Creek. At 7:45 a.m. we had a black bear in the tree line east of Amethyst Bench. At 9:25 a.m. CD C called with a small light grizzly north of Picnic Pullout fairly close. It was a light colorful grizzly who entertained with digging for over an hour. Later it came to the road and with the aid of the rangers crossed the road north to south. At 10:25 a.m. the two 3 1/2-year-old sub adults were again digging south of Midpoint Pullout. They eventually moved to Amethyst Bench and were in sight until 6:00 p.m. tonight. At 10:35 a.m. John G found a large dark grizzly high in the Divide Ridge viewed from Dorothy's Pullout. It eventually moved over the hill and out of sight carefully avoiding the snow cornices on the top of the hill. At 1:45 p.m. a black wolf bedded near the Slough Creek den. At 4:45 p.m. Jim H and Amber K showed me a black collared and a gray wolf near 907's den in Crystal Drainage. At 5:45 p.m. four black and one gray wolves got up and met for a brief rally at the Slough Creek den area. At 6:25 p.m. I found a large grizzly digging in the Bowl viewed from the Buffalo Ranch.

People Seen

Wolf Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Wendy B, Dan and Laurie L, Rick M, Taylor B, Jeremy S, Doug M, Reve and Susan C, and Mike. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. From Washington: David and Stephanie O. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Utah H, CD and Brenda C, and Denny and Pam D. From California: Bill and Karen M, and Bill W. From Wyoming: Larry and Linda H. From Colorado: Karel B. From Switzerland: Peter D. and From Michigan: Susan and Dan. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Doug M, Jack G, and Shari S. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Washington: John G, Randi M, and Steve L. From Colorado: Rick and Len H. From Virginia: Big John. From Idaho: Jon and Karen E, and Emmett W. From Ohio: Jim and Twyla E. Others seen this report: From Montana: Cliff B, Quinn H, Emil M, Claire L, Audra and Lish, Cara M, Grant J, Evan S, and Michael S. From Indiana: Jeff and Terry B. From California: Jim H and Amber K. From the Midwest: Bob A, and Steve S. From Vermont: John K. And from Florida: Mark L.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park