Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
16 through 19 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 16th - Friday
37 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 50 degrees out in the park. I watched two bull moose north of Soda Butte East with about 14-inch antlers this morning. At 5:25 a.m. I watched a grizzly digging north of Fisherman's. At 5:35 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with one yearling cub east of Amethyst Bench. At 5:40 a.m. I found a small grizzly on the west end of Jasper Bench. At 5:50 a.m. Kim C and Gary G located the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs just north of Hobard Hill. At 6:00 a.m. Gary G found a small colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 6:10 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly in the tree line at the Chalcedony Fan. At 6:15 a.m. Jeri D had the black bear sow with two cinnamon yearling cubs just above the Amethyst Bench. At 6:20 a.m. Dean D found a different grizzly near the Western Foothills. At 7:45 a.m. I found a large grizzly at the bottom of Bear Meadow. At 8:15 a.m. Dean D found a grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 8:20 a.m. we had a gray wolf east of the old Druid rendezvous area (not sure if a Junction Butte or a Mollies pack member). At 9:15 a.m. Frank H found the mixed grizzly family with the sow, one large two-year-old size cub and one small yearling sized cub. They were low on Norris above the Mollies den area. At 9:30 a.m. Hayden and Doug G found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on the # 3 finger on Norris. At 9:45 a.m. we had a large cinnamon black bear near the tree line in Round Prairie. At 10:30 a.m. John G found a grizzly digging on Penny Lane. At 11:35 a.m. we had a gray Mollies wolf on the skyline above the den area viewed from Footbridge Pullout. This morning, we heard reports of a grizzly family on a carcass south of the Lamar River Bridge. At 3:00 p.m. Gary G visited the area and the grizzly sow with two yearlings had just left the carcass. Bedding a way back from the out of sight carcass, they napped and then the sow nursed the cubs. At 4:30 p.m. we had a small colorful grizzly digging north of Trashcan Pullout. At 5:00 p.m. Kathy M showed me 1090F, the alpha female and now eleven years old, bedded near the Mollies den area. At 5:30 p.m. Gary G found what turned out to be the grizzly sow with two yearling cubs' northeast of Pebble Creek (the western flank of Baronette we believe). The light was terrible, but Margaret L stayed and when the light got better, she got a better look at the sow with two yearlings.
May 17th - Saturday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 59 degrees out in the park. I had four foxes today, all of which were close to the NE Entrance, but no wolves today. This is the last big weekend for snowmobilers in Cooke City. Terri B went past the vehicles parked near Lulu Pass and counted 248 vehicles parked on both sides of the road east of Cooke City. At 4:25 a.m. I had a small colorful grizzly in the road near Ice Box Canyon. At 5:50 a.m. I found a tall grizzly northeast of Coyote Pullout. At 5:55 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging on Amethyst Bench. At 6:00 a.m. Kim and Joyce C found a grizzly digging low in Square Meadow. At 6:05 a.m. John G found the grizzly sow with one yearling west of Amethyst Bench. The small colorful grizzly from Amethyst Bench passed close to this family but caused no problems with the sow and yearling. At 6:45 a.m. John G found a grizzly on the Southern Divide Ridge traveling south. At 6:45 a.m. Kim C found a large grizzly northeast of the Institute. At 7:10 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging near the Moosehead. At 7:35 a.m. Randi M found a grizzly in the deep sagebrush north of Picnic Pullout. At 7:55 a.m. Margaret L and John G found a dark grizzly on the skyline north of Picnic. It was in a snowbank eating snow. At 8:45 a.m. we had a cinnamon black bear low on # 1 finger on Norris. At 9:30 a.m. Jeri D found the black bear sow with two cinnamon yearling cubs above Amethyst Bench. At 9:45 a.m. Grant J called with grizzlies' northeast of Footbridge Pullout. It turned out to be the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs digging. Really good viewing and they were in sight for quite a while. At 11:40 a.m. Gary G found the grizzly sow with two yearlings on the Northern Divide Ridge; they were in view a lot of the afternoon also. At 11:50 a.m. a black bear was seen in Secret Passage. At 1:20 p.m. Kim and Joyce C found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on # 2 finger on Norris. Once found they remained in view for large parts of the afternoon. At 1:45 a.m. Howard A found a cinnamon black bear in a sagebrush clearing north of the fingers but south of the road. It looked like it was hunting for elk calves (which we have not seen yet) by zig zagging back and forth with nose down. At 5:10 p.m. a cinnamon black bear was in the same clearing as the grizzly with one cub of the year earlier # 2 finger on Norris.
May 18th - Sunday
40 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 50 degrees out in the park. I saw a cow and yearling moose calf in K Meadow today. I had a THREE DOG (coyote, fox, and wolf) DAY today. At 6:25 a.m. Helena E had a grizzly crossing the road into the willows at Confluence, I got to see it before it disappeared into the willows. At 7:20 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with three two-year-old cubs north of Picnic Pullout. At 7:45 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with two yearlings in the Bell far south viewed from the Institute. At 7:55 a.m. I found the grizzly sow with one yearling on Ski Slope; this is the Ski Slope grizzly family. At 8:05 a.m. Gary G found the mixed grizzly family on Calfee. This is the family of the sow, one large two-year-old cub, and one yearling sized cub. We were at the Institute and had all twelve of these grizzlies in view for a few minutes at the same time. Moments later all were out of sight. At 8:10 a.m. Donna F found a tall grizzly on the skyline north of the Institute. At 8:45 a.m. we had a black bear near two bison low on Calfee. At 9:00 a.m. Mike F found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 9:10 a.m. Dean D found a black bear low below the snow cornices southwest of Footbridge Pullout. At 9:15 a.m. John G found a grizzly walking south in K-2 Meadow. At 9:20 a.m. I found a lone grizzly northeast of Pebble Campground in a high clearing we think is the west end of Baronette. From 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. I turned into a wolf watcher. Watching the Slough Creek den site, we watched six black and two gray adult wolves along with three black puppies all from the main road. Yesterday the wolves moved the pups from the natal den to the sage den which is below all the trees for good viewing. The wolf watchers now have a count of six black pups, one a little smaller and not as dark as the others. Driving down the Slough Creek Campground Road gets you a better look. At 4:15 p.m. there was a black bear in the tree line south of Long Pullout. At 4:35 a.m. Gary G found a black bear on the top of the big meadow behind the east end of Jasper Bench. At 4:40 p.m. Gary G found a colorful grizzly digging in the Salad Bowl or Southern Divide Ridge.
May 19th - Monday
33 degrees and snowing going into the park this morning, but the snow was not sticking on the roads, warming up to 55 degrees out in the park. I watched two bull moose near Pebble Creek this morning with starting of the paddle antlers. I saw one of the two moose again this afternoon in the same place as this morning. Tonight, there was an adult moose at Soda Butte Picnic area. At 6:00 a.m. Jeri D found a black bear on Amethyst Bench. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found a dark grizzly on the top of A-Z Meadow that quickly walked into the Bowl. At 6:25 a.m. Dean D found a grizzly digging on Ski Slope, the sow with yearling was not seen this morning. At 7:40 a.m. I watched a dark grizzly on the top of Junction Butte viewed from Lamar Canyon West Pullout. At 8:50 a.m. Evan S found the grizzly sow with one cub of the year on the valley floor south of the Soda Butte Cone. The first time since April 5th they have ventured off the fingers of Norris. I left to a huge bear jam that got busier as the sow led the cub across the Footbridge and across the road going south. In her travels a Mollies Wolf harassed the pair for a few minutes. At 10:50 a.m. I found the small colorful grizzly that Paul H had in the Bowl earlier. It was still in the Bowl as I watched it cross snow patches moving south. At 11:15 a.m. we had a black bear sow with one black cub of the year in a clearing above Amethyst Bench. Others have seen and watched this family for a few days; today was the first time I saw them. At 2:10 p.m. Randi M found a black bear sow with one black yearling cub high northeast of Footbridge Pullout. At 2:30 p.m. there was a big jam in Round Prairie. A large cinnamon black bear was out near the tree line, and a Mollies gray wolf was bedded to the east. At 6:10 p.m. Gary G showed me a dark grizzly near the tree line near the Western Foothills. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found a black bear in the tree line near Chalcedony Fan. At 6:20 p.m. Wayne K told us to follow him to the Institute where he pointed out the grizzly sow with two yearlings napping in Bear Meadow. At 6:30 p.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. Friends had seen the sow with the three two-year-old cubs northeast of Fisherman's Pullout earlier. We went to Coyote pullout and at 6:30 p.m. I found one grizzly going over the skyline, no way of telling if it was a single or the last of the four. I then gambled and went to Long Pullout in Little America to look back and high above Fisherman's Pullout. At 7:05 p.m. I did not see the four or the one grizzly but found two equal sized grizzlies digging near a strip of snow. At 7:20 p.m. Gary G showed me the mixed grizzly family on the # 1 finger on Norris, this is the sow, the one large two-year-old sized cub and the one yearling sized cub.
People Seen
Wolf watchers seen this report: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Jeremy S, Kristina G, Helena E, Jeff B, and Wendy B. From Utah: Paul H, and Celia L. From South Dakoka: Sam and Ginny G. From Missouri: Frank H. From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. From California: Glenda M and Rick G and Bruce and Maryjean Mc. From Oregon: Michael and Deb O. And from Colorado: Bob P. Bear watchers seen this report: From Idaho: Kim and Joyce C. From Montana: Doug M, Howard A, Margaret L, Kathy M, Mike and Kathy W, Sarah W with mother, auntie, and Lily. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From Washington: Randi M and John G. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, CD and Brenda C, Chris and Jack B, and Doug and Hayden G. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Iowa: Terry N, Mark S, Tom H, and Dan S. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Oregon: Bill and Karen M. From Wyoming: Rita R and her friend Will, Kevin M, and Tom H. From Vermont: Don P. From South Carolina: Margaret P and your friend Marsha. From Virginia: Big John B. From: Missouri: Don and Carol L, and Fred and Linda. From Minnesota: Kevin and Barb B. And from Illinois: Wayne K. Others seen this report: From Montana: Kate J, Alexander M, Ashea M, Emil M, Audra C, Andrea B, Pete B, Kyle D, Mike S, Michael S, Quinn H, and Grant J. From Idaho: Rob M and Karyn de. From Washington: Aaron M. From Colorado: Jim F. And from Utah: Dave F.
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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