Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
April 10th through 13th 2026
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
~ April 2026 ~
April 10th - Friday
Friday April 10th. 37 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to a nice 67 degrees out in the park this afternoon. Blake M found two kestrels in a tree south of Picnic Pullout in Lamar Valley, my first kestrels of the year. At 6:40 a.m. Doug M called with a grizzly across the road from the Tower Ranger Station. It was, I believe, the 5 1/2-year-old female grizzly that had been seen numerous times on Junction Butte, but not in the last three days. I wonder how she got over the Yellowstone River, either swimming the river or crossing the new bridge. At 7:00 a.m. viewing from Boulder Pullout I noticed some worried elk and bison at Buffalo Ford. I spotted a single black wolf moving to the west. Blake M and Jeff A were the only two others the see the quickly disappearing wolf. At 11:10 a.m. Paul H showed me a medium sized colorful grizzly digging on finger # 3 on Norris. Paul had watched the grizzly a while before I arrived and the bear remained in sight for most of an hour and was in sight when I left the area. From 2:15 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. I watched a grizzly east and across the Lamar River from the Yellowstone River Picnic Area. How I found the grizzly is a lucky story. I was heading towards Tower Junction where a construction crew truck was parked across the road blocking the road. Three heavy flatbed trucks were coming across the new bridge and had to turn into a dirt road where the crew was disassembling the old bridge. With nothing better to do I started glassing the area across the Lamar River when I found the grizzly on the carcass. With the truck still blocking the road, I turned around and went to the Yellowstone Picnic Area and relocated the grizzly. It spent a lot of time eating on the carcass (I think a small bison), then trying to bury the carcass, and then finally sleeping on the carcass. One time it decided to leave, but the ravens got to the carcass and the grizzly returned to chase them off and bed on the carcass. It was still on the carcass when I checked it at 6:25 p.m. At 5:25 p.m. Blake M found a grizzly on Middle Ridge from the Slough Creek Restroom. As we were discussing if this was the sow with the 2 1/2-year-old cub, when the cub came out of a gully. Only in view for a minute or so but it was nice to see the family since we had not seen her in the last two days.
April 11th - Saturday
42 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to only 55 degrees this afternoon out in the park, with wind and passing rainstorms this afternoon. At 6:10 a.m. we could make out the grizzly bear still on the carcass across the Lamar River viewed from Yellowstone Picnic Area. Later this morning the grizzly had left the carcass. At 6:45 a.m. Kevin M showed me a grizzly above Buffalo Ford viewed from Boulder Pullout. It was a medium sized dark grizzly moving slowly northeast. I believe it was the same grizzly I saw at the same place and moving the same way about a week ago. At 8:40 a.m. I found a lone black wolf high in Secret Passage which is north of Fisherman's Pullout. Blake M and Jeff and Valeria B joined me to watch. We combined on agreeing on seeing seven black and one gray of the Junction Butte wolfpack. They came together for a rally and then quickly moved north and out of sight. At about the same time wolf watchers from Slough Creek were watching other Junction Butte wolves return to the Slough Creek Den from the west. Glenda M told me they returned in small groups. Four of the wolves went inside the natal den and two came out. This is great news for the wolf watchers; it is apparent that the wolves are going to den again at Slough Creek. From 1:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. I found and watched the grizzly sow with one two-year-old cub on Middle Ridge. Today you had to be at Lamar Canyon West to see them. A large crowd arrived to see the distant grizzlies digging. They actually bedded for about half the time above a strip of snow. They had only moved about a half a mile from yesterday afternoon's sighting.
April 12th - Sunday
It was 40 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to 55 degrees out in the park this afternoon, with passing rain showers and wind. At 6:20 a.m. I found a grizzly on Mom's Ridge viewed from Boulder Pullout. It was coming down the hill, which is unusual as we usually catch the bears going away and higher in the morning. It disappeared out of view as the closer hills now blocked our view. About twenty minutes later, with still no grizzly in view, the wolves had a group howl in that direction. The wolves were now on this side of the Lamar River, Doug M found them first. We counted seven black and both gray wolves of the Junction Butte pack, most of the blacks were the pups. Soon after the grizzly appeared on this side of the river. The wolves attacked and a round and round session. The grizzly never got to the carcass, out of sight but ravens around. Four and then five pups escorted the grizzly off to the east. At 8:00 a.m. Doug M called with a grizzly across the river and about one mile from Boulder, we watched from the Yellowstone River Picnic area it was a large grizzly with lighter color from the dark grizzly that was with the wolves. It appeared to be digging lightly and had not detected the carcass to the east. At 10:00 a.m. the carcass in the meadow below the fingers on Norris still had a bedded grizzly on it, who moved only occasionally. This morning a coyote came to the carcass, and I got my best view of it as the grizzly chased it off. At 2:30 p.m. Paul H showed me a smaller grizzly on the # 2 finger of Norris. It was moving around and then spent time digging. At 3:30 p.m. from Lamar Canyon West I got my best view of the grizzly sow with one two-year-old lighter cub. A couple of minute sighting as a rainstorm came in covering the hillside of low clouds.
April 13th - Monday
41 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to 44 degrees out in the park this afternoon. It was windy most of the day with storms moving through the park from time to time. I watched a golden eagle this afternoon soaring in the wind in Lamar Valley. I and others started the morning at Boulder Pullout. At 6:30 a.m. Blake M found a smaller dark grizzly approaching the carcass that was to the northeast. This grizzly was nervous and stood up lots of times to check out for any other predators in the area. It was a good thing to do. So, for the next hour we had continuous action. Randi M noticed a black collared wolf in the carcass area. Soon other wolves arrived milling around in the carcass area. Blake noticed a medium sized colorful grizzly just arrived in the area. We believe this is the 5 1/2-year-old female that has been around Junction Butte. The wolves now numbering six, all the Junction Butte pups, decided to harass the female grizzly. They had her spinning around as the wolves surrounded her. The female grizzly did exit the area with a couple of pups following her. About this time Jakob B found two other grizzlies' way across Buffalo Ford near the entrance to the Trough. Both black, they were following each other. Originally going north, they changed directions now going to the west running all the way. We believe they were two large sub adults. Later now, Blake found a different grizzly on the carcass, a larger light brown colored grizzly who held the carcass a long time and the pups milled around. Not a bad start to the morning, five different grizzlies and the six black Junction Butte pups. At 12:45 p.m. Karol B found the grizzly sow with the light blond colored two and one-half year-old cub south of Picnic Pullout in Lamar Valley. They had traveled about four miles from yesterday's sighting. The spent their time digging, playing together, and resting. The cub liked to lay on its back with all four legs in the air. They momentarily stood up and ran to the west. It was a coyote coming to check them. After a while they followed the coyote off to the west. They were still in sight as we left the area at 3:30 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. Paul H found the grizzly back of the carcass in the meadow below the fingers on Norris. Today it was moving around on the carcass, eating, standing, and chasing off a few ravens.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Bob J, Jeremy S, Marisa F, Mike and Jill B, Taylor R, and Wendy B. From Colorado: Karol B. From Utah: Paul H. From California: Bruce and MaryJean Mc, and Glenda M. From England: Jakob B. From Wyoming: Christy and Paul G. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Doug and Joanne M, Margaret L, and Jeff and Valerie B. From Idaho Blake M. From Wyoming: Kevin M. And From Washington: Randi M. Others seen this report: From Montana: Quinn H, Nate U, Michael S, Cliff B, Chris H, Scott B, Jim H, George B, Evan S, Cam H, and JoJo K. From Washinton: Nick and Diane L. And From Florida: Bill 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
Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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