Yellowstone National Park 2025 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
15 through 18 October 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
~ October 2025 ~
October 15th - Wednesday
35 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 51 degrees north of the park this evening. It rained on and off most of the day. l had a fox near Silver Gate this morning entering the park. At 9:00 a.m. I found a medium sized dark grizzly in the Bowl. It was digging. At 11:30 a.m. Larry and Char T showed me a black bear far to the north from Boulder Pullout. We are seeing fewer black bears now, I think a lot are already in the dens. I stopped by the Petrified Tree Pullout where a black bear had a den right off the road for the last three years. No activity and no signs of fresh digging. I was in Gardiner for a shower today and decided to go north of the park to look for grizzlies tonight. A lot of low clouds made a lot of the clearings unseeable. I ended up with seven grizzlies: a sow with three cubs of the year, and a sow with two large yearlings. I camped north of the park this evening.
October 16th - Thursday
32 degrees this morning north of the park warming up all the way to 46 degrees this afternoon out in the park. A cold breeze made it feel less than 46 degrees. I searched for grizzlies again north of the park this morning and ended up with nine grizzlies: a sow with two large yearling cubs, another sow with two yearlings, two singles but fairly close to each other and a large boar grizzly. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. Returning to the park at 11:15 a.m. Frank H had eight black and two gray Junction Butte wolves bedded east of the Western Foothills. We were missing 1478F and the six black pups. I stayed to watch them sleeping but at 2:30 p.m. they got up and within a few minutes had disappeared to the south into the Chalcedony Drainage and out of sight in the heavy trees. I watched for a long time to see if they would cross the high K Meadow, but I and others never saw the wolves again today. At 11:00 a.m. I found a medium sized dark grizzly high in the Bowl. It slowly traveled downhill, then sat down in the ridgeline looking all around. It then bedded. At 11:20 a.m. I located the grizzly Frank, and others had watched from around 9:00 a.m. who had disappeared behind the Western Foothills. It had passed through the wolves earlier. It was a tall grizzly with a nice Yellowstone Stripe. It was mainly grazing today and moved very slowly to the west. After seven hours it was still in view now just below Amethyst Bench. It took a couple of long naps and was in view from the road. At 3:00 p.m. we had a smaller colorful grizzly digging in the southern part of the Bowl. It kept busy and when I passed by at 6:15p.m the grizzly was still digging in the same place.
October 17th - Friday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 48 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I checked out the black bear den at Petrified Tree Pullout today. The past three years a black bear has occupied the den just off the road there. I saw no activity or signs of any digging. Most of the black bears are probably in the den already. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 8:00 a.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. It was in view for quite a long time. At 8:15 a.m. I found the tall grizzly with the Yellowstone Stripe again, today crossing Amethyst Bench to resume eating just across the Lamar River viewed from the Institute. It was in sight again most of the day. At 8:40 a.m. Rick M called with wolves in sight on the Southern Divide Ridge. Today fourteen blacks and to grays, again missing only 1478F. They took their time going up the ridge, then chased a group of bull elk with no success. At 1:00 p.m. I found the Ski Slope sow with one yearling digging near the Little Tree/Big Tree in the Bowl. They were busy digging until just before 6:00 p.m. when Jeff B called that they were going over the ridge line towards to the west.
October 18th - Saturday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to a chilly 49 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I viewed Limpy/Tripod, the male coyote, which entertains the tourists hoping to get a handout. I saw him twice, nearer Ex closure Pullout today. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 7:20 a.m. I found the tall grizzly with the Yellowstone Stripe bedded just across the Lamar River; his back was covered with snow. After an hour it walked up and across Amethyst Bench into the tree line. I returned at 3:10 p.m. and the bear was in view again just across the river. I saw him just before 6:00 p.m. still in good view. At 10:00 a.m. wolf watchers showed me two black Rescue Creek wolves on the Blacktail viewed from the Nature Trail. At 3:30 p.m. on advice from Larry and Char T, I got to see the medium sized grizzly that has been at Ice Box Canyon. Larry and Char found it bedded and watched from 1:00 p.m. through 2:10 p.m. I watched it for over an hour, and it bedded a lot of the time. At 4:30 p.m. I found a colorful grizzly digging near the Little Tree/Big Tree in the Bowl. Others had viewed the grizzly before I found it later. It was in view at 6:00 p.m. on my way back to Silver Gate. At 5:40 p.m. I found a pair of sub adults grizzlies on the second clearing behind Ski Slope. They appeared around the same size and color. Kim and Joyce C had seen them recently in that area.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Jeff B, Dan and Laurie L, Helena E, Marisa F, and Ilona P. From Missouri: Frank H. From Colorado: Mark, Carol, and Roch R. From North Dakota: Sandy H. From California: Bruce and Maryjean Mc. From Wyoming: Dale and Fay B. From Washington: David and Stephanie O, And from Virginia: Des and Colleen C. Bear Watchers: From Idaho: Kim and Joyce C. From Connecticut: Geoff F, Tennile Luke, and Kate. From Oregon: Larry and Char T. From Wyoming: Sandi R. And from Montana: Kathy M. Others seen this report: Dan and Cindy H, Russ K, Audra C, Jamie and Michele H, Matt D, MacNeil L, and Bob L.
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
| Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2021 | 2016 | 2011 |
| 2025 | 2020 | 2015 | 2010 |
| 2024 | 2019 | 2014 | 2009 |
| 2023 | 2018 | 2013 | 2008 |
| 2022 | 2017 | 2012 | 2007 |
| Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 2000 |
| 1996 | 2002 |
| 1997 | 2003 |
| 1998 | 2004 |
| 1999 | 2005 |
| Yellowstone Geyser and Thermal Videos | |
|---|---|
| Beehive Geyser Eruption | Old Faithful with Bison |
| Beehive Geyser Eruption Two | Pocket Basin |
| Fan and Mortar | Roaring Mountain |
| Grand Geyser | Rocket and Grotto |
| Old Faithful One | West Thumb |
| Yellowstone Waterfall Videos | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cave Falls | Mesa Falls | Undine Falls |
| Gibbon Falls | Rustic Falls | Upper Falls |
| Lower Falls | Tower Fall | Wraith Falls |
| Yellowstone National Park WebCams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Faithful Live | All Old Faithful | Old Faithful Static | Old Faithful VC |
| North Entrance | Mt Washburn | Mammoth | YVO WebCam |
| Entrance Cities and Gateway Towns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner, Montana | Silver Gate, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana | Cooke City, Montana |
| Livingston, Montana | Cody, Wyoming | Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park |
| Links | |
|---|---|
| The Great Outdoors Net | Great Outdoor Recreational Places |
| Gardiner, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana |
 |
 |