Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
12th through 15th May 2025
Yellowstone National Park
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
~ May 2025 ~
May 12th - Monday
39 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 75 degrees out in the park. At 5:45 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly on an old carcass south of Hubard Hill. At 5:50 a.m. a larger second grizzly approached the carcass from the west. The first grizzly moved into the tree line and was not seen again. The second grizzly remained on the carcass for quite some time. At 5:55 a.m. an uncollared Junction Butte wolf approached the carcass and the grizzly. It succeeded in getting a piece of meat both times it tried. At 6:20 a.m. I found a grizzly on the # 6 finger on Norris. I was sure that the cub of the year was with it, since no other grizzlies have been around that finger, but I did not see it or heard of any sightings today of the sow and cub of the year. At 6:50 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two yearlings digging in Bear Meadow. At 6:55 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 7:05 a.m. Jeri D found a black bear grazing on Amethyst Bench. At 8:20 a.m. Dean D found four grizzlies digging in Secret Passage viewed from a long way away at Hubard Hill. We could not see a size difference, but believe it was the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs that we had seen recently. At 11:10 a.m. Michael S, Wolf Tracker, found the grizzly sow with two yearlings digging on the Northern Divide Ridge. At 11:20 a.m. Gary G found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging north of the Moosehead. At 11:30 a.m. we had a large black bear grazing low north of Coyote Pullout. At 2:30 p.m. we watched a black sow and two yearling cinnamon cubs grazing below Square Meadow. At 3:50 p.m. we had a collared black wolf northeast of Coyote Pullout, bedded most of the time. At 6:25 p.m. I sighted a large black bear north of the Soda Butte East Pullout.
May 13th - Tuesday
38 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up 59 degrees with afternoon showers. I had a THREE DOG (coyote, fox, and wolf) DAY today plus two additional foxes. At 5:40 a.m. Dean D found two moose high in the Salad Bowl, they were in the same place this evening. At 5:50 a.m. I found a grizzly digging in a meadow southwest of Fisherman's Pullout. It was in view for quite a while. At 6:30 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly apparently hunting elk calves north of Hubard Hill, it was zig zagging back and forth in the sagebrush. At 6:35 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly in the flats south of Hitching Post. At 6:55 a.m. 1090F the black alpha female and four gray wolves were in the den area of the Mollies wolfpack above the new growth forest west of Dead Puppy Hill. At 7:30 a.m. Randi M found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on the # 4 finger on Norris. At 8:00 a.m. Jeri D found a black bear on Amethyst Bench. At 8:50 a.m. Shari S found the Ski Slope grizzly sow with one yearling cub on the # 1 sliver on Ski Slope, viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 9:10 a.m. Gary found a really large grizzly on the skyline northeast of Coyote Overlook. It was in view for only a couple of minutes. At 11:00 a.m. a black bear seen in the Bowl. At 11:30 a.m. the grizzly sow with two yearlings was seen again in Bear Meadow. At 4:50 p.m. Gary G found five gray and two black wolves, one of which was 1090F (the oldest wolf in the park, now eleven years old) bedded near the den site above the new growth forest. At 5:05 p.m. we had a black bear on the southern divide ridge. At 5:55 p.m. Gary G found a medium sized grizzly digging northeast of Picnic Pullout.
May 14th - Wednesday
37 degrees with light rain in the morning at Silver Gate warming up to 55 degrees out in the park this evening. The park has closed the access to the barn at the Institute, now only available to park employees and Yellowstone Forever, I do not know if it is temporary or permanent. It has always offered a little higher view of the Lamar Valley and provides more parking when either wolves, grizzlies or black bears may be in few. Also, the western pullout on the south side of Round Prairie is under construction. The Soda Butte Creek has cut badly into the pullout, and they are currently hauling in large rocks to shore it up. We had three golden eagles around that old carcass south of Midpoint Pullout this morning. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:40 a.m. two moose were again high in the Salad Bowl. At 5:45 a.m. I found a dark grizzly digging in the Secret Passage viewed from Coyote Overlook. At 5:50 a.m. I found a grizzly south of Picnic Pullout on some type of small carcass; I viewed it from Coyote Overlook. At 6:00 a.m. Evan S found the grizzly family with three two-year-old cubs just as you enter the Lamar Valley on the northside. They were north of Fisherman's Pullout, but you could not see them from there, had to go to dirt pullouts further to the west. Great views of them for a long time this morning as they were digging away. At 7:00 a.m. I found a tall grizzly low on Norris heading south, viewed from the Institute. At 7:10 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly on the A-Z Meadow, it moved over the hill later seen for a long time in the Bowl digging. At 7:45 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on the # 3 finger on Norris. They kept moving back and forth in the meadow, not sure what that was about. At 8:00 a.m. Gary G found the mixed grizzly family, the sow, one large two-year-old size cub and one small yearling size cub across the Soda Butte Creek. They moved towards the river and later crossed the bridge over the creek at Footbridge and spent the rest of the day in the willows south and east of the Confluence. The rangers were there for a while to keep the grizzlies at a distance from the tourists. About this time someone noticed a black collared and a gray wolf east of Footbridge checking out a bison herd. So now we had the two wolves, the grizzly family with the sow and cub of the year, and the mixed family with her two cubs all in view at the same time. At 8:45 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with one yearling in the Bowl; this is kind of out of the territory of this the Ski Slope grizzly family. At 9:45 a.m. Gary G found two black wolves of the Junction Butte pack, one collared on the Southern Divide Ridge moving west. They disappeared west and were seen by watchers at Slough Creek, then came back over to the Lamar side where they finally disappeared into the trees, not sure what was going on there. At 10:45 a.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging near the Moosehead. I heard it later crossed the road to the south and seen by others digging in the willows south of the Confluence. At noon Mike F found the grizzly sow with two yearlings high in a clearing behind Bear Meadow. Tough viewing at that distance of three miles plus. At 1:30 p.m. the black bear sow with one of the two cinnamon cubs was in view for a few minutes above Amethyst Bench. The other cub was in the area; I just did not see it today. At 4:35 p.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging high on the Southern Divide Ridge.
May 15th - Thursday
38 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming but to 53 degrees with afternoon showers. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 6:00 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs to the north between Dorothy's Pullout and Coyote Overlook. You had to see them from west of Dorothy's Pullout. In view for hours today digging away. At 6:20 a.m. Gary G found a small dark grizzly digging in the main clearing of Ski Slope. At 6:40 a.m. Gary G found a large dark grizzly on Middle Ridge viewed from the Institute. Long viewing but the dark grizzly showed up well against the ridge. At 7:15 a.m. Doug M found a large cinnamon black bear in the tree line south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 7:30 a.m. I found a black wolf in a bison herd south of Picnic. It turned out to be the Mollies on some sort of carcass just across the river. I viewed four grays and old 1090F in the area, the wolf watchers had a higher count today. At 8:10 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly going into the tree line under K-Meadow. At 8:20 a.m. I found the medium sized colorful grizzly near the Moosehead. At 8:25 a.m. I found a large dark grizzly digging in the Bowl; it was in view a long time. At 9:05 a.m. I traveled to Lamar Canyon West Pullout and was rewarded by seeing the grizzly sow with two yearlings high on Middle Ridge. Good viewing as they were digging away. At 10:10 a.m. Mike F found the mixed grizzly family of the sow, one large two-year-old sized cub and one small yearling sized cub on Penny Lane. At 10:30 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on # 3 finger on Norris. We were able to watch both families at the same time. At 11:30 a.m. Michael S, Wolf Tracker, called with the grizzly sow with one yearling, the Ski Slope family, was back again just under Ski Slope in a clearing called Square Meadow. They were digging today and in view for a long time. At 11:40 a.m. the black bear sow with two yearling cinnamon cubs were in a clearing under Square Meadow.
People Seen
Wolf watchers seen this report: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Kristina G, Melba C, Helena E, and Jeremy S. From Sweden: Jacob B. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. From Missouri: Frank H. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. From California: Glenda M and Rick G, Bruce and Maryjean Mc. From Utah: Celia L, and Paul H. From Oregon: Michael and Deb O. And from Colorado: Bob P. Bear watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Randi M. From Montana: Doug M, Howard A, Carolyn G, and Kathy M. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D and CD and Brenda C, Hayden G, Chris and Jack B. From Iowa: Terry N, Mark S, Tom H, and Dan S. From Missouri: Fred and Linda. From Vermont: Don P. From Wisconsin: Jim and Karen S. From Virginia: Big John B. From Georgia: Ken C. From Florida: Chris C. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From South Carolina: Margaret P and friend Marsha. From Wyoming: Rita R, Kevin M, and Sandi R. From Oklahoma: Paul S. And from Idaho: Wes W. Others seen this report: From Montana: Michael S, Mike S, Quinn H, Audra C, Andrea B, Scott B, Hunter G, Evan S, and Kate J. From Wisconsin: John and Marie E. From British Columbia: Eric and Debbie. From California: Jim and Amber H. And from Idaho: Rob M, Karyn de, and Ray T.
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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