Yellowstone National Park 2022 Trip Reports

Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin

10th through 13th June 2022
Yellowstone National Park

~ June 2022 ~

Friday - June 10th

43 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up into the high 50's. I had a moose run across the road in front of the car this morning near Soda Butte Picnic area. There are three fussy white, red tailed hawk chicks in the nest in the rocks at Lamar Canyon East. Two young badgers near their den down the Slough Creek Campground Road below Bob's Knob. Tonight, I had a new moose calf confused in the middle of the road near Soda Butte Picnic. It was confused going left then right and finally running down the side of the road past the cars. I hope it rejoined with the cow. At 5:20 a.m. I had a gray adult wolf moving around near the split rock viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 5:30 a.m. we had a black bear in the meadow behind the eastern end of Jasper Bench. At 5:50 a.m. a small colorful grizzly seen on the high western end of Amethyst Bench. At 6:10 a.m. John G found a colorful grizzly high south of Trashcan Pullout. At 6:10 a.m. Randi M found a courting pair of grizzlies in Bear Meadow viewed from the Buffalo Ranch. At 6:25 a.m. a small colorful grizzly was digging on Penny Lane viewed from the Confluence. At 6:15 a.m. I noticed a black wolf on Norris viewed from Trashcan and later much closer from Footbridge Pullout. It turned out to be 1228F and her black male partner and another gray wolf who was a yearling from the Junction Butte pack. At 7:00 a.m. a black Junction Butte wolf traveling west south of Picnic Pullout. At 7:00 a.m. I found a black and a cinnamon black bear on K-2 viewed from Footbridge Pullout. A brief sighting but probably a courting pair. At 7:25 a.m. Terri W found the Specimen Ridge grizzly sow with her one remaining cub of the year (coy) on Ski Slope viewed from Trashcan Pullout. At 7:30 a.m. Gary G found a tall young grizzly on the skyline north of Trashcan Pullout. At 8:00 a.m. we found four different black bears grazing on Amethyst Bench. At 1:05 p.m. the Mount Norris grizzly sow with her one remaining coy crossing the road just east of the Soda Butte cone from north to south. At 2:30 p.m. a black bear seen in the tree line south and west of the Confluence. At 4:35 p.m. I finally found the Junction Butte sow with two either large yearlings or two small two-year-old cubs on the top of Junction Butte. Terri W had seen them near the Butte and much closer this a.m. but they moved up into the trees and out of sight on Junction Butte. So, I finally got to see them today. At 7:00 p.m. we had a small colorful grizzly digging on the # 3 finger on Norris.

Saturday - June 11th

46 degrees this morning in Silver Gate and I made a short day leaving in the morning for Idaho Falls. A big moose jam at Elk Creek this morning. At 5:35 a.m. a black bear southeast of the Buffalo Ranch. At 5:40 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly behind the clearing just behind the eastern end of Jasper Bench and below the Bowl from the Buffalo Ranch. At 5:45 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies in Bear Meadow. At 6:05 a.m. Randi M found a small colorful grizzly on the west end of the Inverted Triangle viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 6:30 a.m. I found the Mount Norris grizzly sow with her one remaining coy on a long skinny clearing east of Penny Lane viewed from the Confluence. At 6:40 a.m. Randi M found a small colorful grizzly digging on the # 3 finger on Norris. At 7:15 a.m. we had a cinnamon black bear grazing in the tree line south of Picnic Pullout. At 7:20 a.m. several people told me about a courting pair of grizzlies in the Inverted Triangle below Druid Peak viewed from Trashcan Pullout. I left soon after this sighting on my way home.

Sunday - June 12th

I returned the park very late in the evening. Lots of rain. I had a mud slide north of Dunraven Pass that blocked half the road. Traveling through Silver Gate there was 6-8 inches of water from the Soda Butte Creek on the road for two hundred yards of more. I got to bed around 11:00 p.m. and it rained all night.

Monday - June 13th

Water still on the road at Silver Gate and the Northeast Entrance was closed. Soon they closed the road at Silver Gate. The road from Mammoth to the Northeast Gate plus the road from Tower to Canyon closed. Flooding and rockslides with no estimate of when the roads will open again. In Silver Gate and Cooke City the two bridges over the Soda Butte Creek Road to the Bannock Road and all the homes and cabins were washed out. They are trying to get them out now. A large rockslide in the Gardiner Canyon may take days to clear. Closing and evacuating Roosevelt tourists and workers. The bridge at Tom Miner has been washed away. A rockslide outside of Gardiner makes leaving Gardiner currently impossible. Randi M is camped at the RV park near the river, and they moved them to the rodeo grounds across the highway. Rumors of no power and water in Gardiner. And I am currently in Silver Gate. The park is closed and the road east towards Cooke City has a blockage with a front loader trying to remove debris and dirt as the water is crossing the road. My next report may be a view days.

People Seen

People seen the report: Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Taylor B, Jeremy S, Joe K, Chloe F, Becky C, Doug M, and Reve and Susan C. From Colorado: Dale and Fay B. From Kansas: Calvin and Lynette J; From Tennessee: Terry and Betty C, From California: Bill W. And from Florida: Ray and Lynn R. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: John G, and Randi M. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Wyoming: Terri W. From Oklahoma: Shaun and Regina W. From Montana: Alan C, Linda K, and Joe and Jeanne L, From Colorado: Rick and Len H and Rick and Tanner H. Others seen this report: From Montana: Quinn H, Evan S, Mike S and Michael S. From Vermont: John K and Beth. From Arizona: David and Phyllis.

Yellowstone National Park

Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park