Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
05 through 08 September 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
~ September 2025 ~
September 5th - Friday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to a nice 77 degrees in the park this afternoon. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:00 a.m. entering the park and passing the first Soda Butte Creek bridge I had a large grizzly come out right in front of me. I was going about thirty-five miles per hour and quickly moved to the other side of the road. All over in five seconds, pass the grizzly by about two feet. Scared the hell out of me. At 12:30 p.m. we had a large black bear walking east to west above the Slough Creek. The bear was in view for fifteen minutes, taking it's time to avoid the bison herd near the creek. From 1:30 p.m. through 3:00 p.m. I watched up to five Junction Butte wolves near their rendezvous area close to the southern round tree in Slough Creek. They were five of the six black puppies of the year. A lot of playing and chasing, then bedding and sitting.
September 6th - Saturday
32 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to a warm 82 degrees out in the park. We had smoke in the afternoon, with the haze watching anything into the sun was difficult. At 7:45 a.m. sixteen of the eighteen Junction Butte wolves were near the southern round tree at Slough Creek. Today we had fourteen blacks and two grays, missing one black and one gray wolf. They moved around in and out of sight and in and out of view for hours this morning. At 8:30 a.m. we had a small black bear right off the road at Calcite Springs near Tower Store. At 9:00 a.m. we had a medium sized grizzly east of Honeymoon Pullout (T-57) at Antelope Creek. It was traveling slowly; it had a big Yellowstone Stripe around its shoulders.
September 7th - Sunday
42 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 69 degrees out in the park. The smoke was back again today making wildlife viewing difficult, particularly glassing the high meadows. Gary G found a mountain bluebird near Dunraven Pass today. I thought they had all moved on to warmer areas. At 6:45 a.m. seven black Junction Butte wolves in the rendezvous area by the southern round tree at Slough Creek. It appeared to be one adult and all six of the pups. In view for quite a long time this morning, with brief appearances throughout the day. At 11:00 a.m. we had a very small black bear near Calcite Springs it had to be a yearling just kicked off by the sow this spring. At 11:20 a.m. we watched a nice sized colorful grizzly bedded in a tree line three hundred yards from the T-57 Pullout at Antelope Creek. The pullout was full, so I parked further up the road and walked back to view it. The grizzly would occasionally pick up its head. At 4:25 p.m. an uncollared black wolf was seen north of Aspen Pullout in Little America. The wolf watchers had seen several wolves on the south side of the road in Little America this morning that I did not see.
September 8th - Monday
42 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 75 degrees out in the park this afternoon. Gary G found a badger digging just off the road near Fisherman's Pullout in Lamar Valley this afternoon. At 6:30 a.m. glassing from Dave's Hill at Slough Creek Ginny G found a small black bear above the Diagonal Forest. In view for quite a while. At 6:40 a.m. Gary G found a medium sized dark grizzly above the Slough Creek Den moving away to the north and uphill. At 6:50 a.m. five black wolves had been seen in the rendezvous area, appeared to be all pups. After I left, they moved around a lot. At 7:00 a.m. Matt, a tour guide, made a good spot finding a large dark grizzly west of Crystal Rock viewed from Dave's Hill. It was slowly moving away and uphill. At 10:45 a.m. 1478F, a gray Junction Butte wolf was seen this side of the Lamar River corridor moving to the west. It was moving slowly and in view for twenty minutes before going south and over Jasper Bench and out of sight. 1478F appears to be the lowest ranking female in the pack now and is often seen out alone. This early afternoon I watched five pups around the southern round tree. Not much action, as one was bedded and the second moved north and out of sight. The last three came into the area and visited the bedded wolf. It looked like they were all pups.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Jeff B, Jeremy S, and Janice and Cindy H. From South Dakota: Sam and Ginny G. And from Utah: Denny and Pam D, and Paul H. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Montana: Greg and Tracie R, Kathy M, Bob J, and Jeff and Valerie B. From Wyoming: Tom H, Debbie M, and Sandi R. From Mississippi: Gary G. And from Illinois: Wayne K and his son-in-law John. Others seen this report: From Montana: Quinn H, Jamie and Michelle H, Evan S, Kyle D, Anu L, Mike S, Matt D, Hunter G, Andrea B, Audra C, Alexander M, Kate J, Russ K, Dan and Cindy H, Jayden A, Mac Neil L, and Michael S. From Vermont: John K. And from Washington: Aaron M.
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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