Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
April 18th through 21st 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 18th - Saturday
25 degrees in Gardiner but 11 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to a nice 52 degrees with only a light wind. We watched six bighorn rams north of Hitching Post this afternoon. We watched a golden eagle soar around Hitching Post this afternoon. Bill L told us it was the male and it had an antenna on its back; Bill was here in the winter and knew this. At 7:30 a.m. I found one grizzly on the seven-to-eight-day carcass in the meadow below the fingers on Norris viewed from Footbridge Pullout. Later Paul H had a grizzly on the carcass and another walking away from the carcass. At 8:25 a.m. someone found a grizzly bedded northwest of Picnic Pullout. Quinn H showed me the light colored three and one-half year-old sub adult. It finally got up and moved away and out of sight, apparently on its own now. At 8:40 a.m. Randi M spotted the dark colored three and one half year sub adult to the northeast of Picnic Pullout. It was digging and in and out of sight for a long time, apparently on its own now. At 11:30 a.m. a large black bear was sighted in Slough Creek between the Horizontal and the Diagonal Forest is Slough Creek. At 11:45 a.m. a smaller cinnamon black bear was in the same area, two separate black bears. At 1:00 p.m. Bill L called with a grizzly near the top of the rock formation east of the Moosehead from Hitching Post Pullout. It turned out to be one the two light three and one-half year-old sub adults, apparently now on its own. The viewing was good from the Hitching Post Pullout. Later Paul H called saying the grizzly had moved out of sight past the Moosehead. Paul knew that we could now see the sub adult grizzly when my location at Trashcan Pullout. For a time, the subadult could be seen from the west side, Trashcan Pullout. Other times the grizzly sub adult could be seen from only the east side, Hitching Post Pullout. And a few times before it disappeared the sub adult could be seen on the skyline from both our locations. Lots of people got to see the sub adult. At 4:00 p.m. Jeff and Valerie called with the Ski Slope grizzly sow and one two and one half year old really light-colored cub in view south from Trashcan Pullout. I arrived to see them for ten seconds before this disappeared. At 5:00 p.m. I left but was called back and they came into view again, a one-minute sighting this time. I left again and about 6:00 p.m. I heard they were back in sight and out in the meadow, I did not return as I was halfway back to Gardiner. Possible sighting: This afternoon a grizzly was digging in about the same place as the dark sub adult from this morning northeast of Picnic Pullout. This grizzly appeared much bigger, sow sized and had a slight Yellowstone Stripe around behind its shoulders. I think this was the Druid Peak Sow and mother of the three sub adult grizzlies that were in the same area yesterday. I need to check with Randi who found and watched the dark sub adult grizzly longer this morning. I am guessing that the dark sub adult moved on and the sow moved back to digging in the same area as yesterday.
April 19th - Sunday
34 degrees in Gardiner but a cool 24 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to a nice 64 degrees with a cool wind later in the afternoon out in the park. This afternoon on the way back to Gardiner I was in the longest bison jam ever. Over one hour and fifteen minutes, it started at Floating Island Pond and lasted to Geode Creek which is west of Upper Hellroaring Pullout. In my opinion the bison population is at an all-time high in the Northern Range of Yellowstone. Getting through the jams this year when the crowds of tourists arrive is going to be frustrating for a lot of visitors. Construction on the High Bridge east of Gardiner is to start very soon. With possible fifteen-minute delays as they are going to one lane of traffic over the bridge, 24 hours a day until sometime in October. At 6:55 a.m. Kevin M found a medium sized grizzly digging behind Ranger Rock which is north of the Institute. It was digging and turning over a lot of sod leaving bare black soil as he dug away. In view for a little while this morning. At 7:15 a.m. Kevin M found a grizzly grazing by the rock formation east of the Moosehead. Randi identified it as the Druid Peak sow, strange to see her alone since she had the cubs for a long three and one half years. At 7:30 a.m. I found a large really fat black bear near the Chalcedony Fan. It kind of looked like a grizzly but we agreed it was a black bear. It was moving through sagebrush and was difficult to see at times. At 8:30 a.m. I found a grizzly rubbing on a tree that sets out from the tree line on the west side of Chalcedony Fan. It rubbed several times in various parts of the tree then moved off to the east and out of sight in the trees. At 11:05 a.m. a wildlife watcher pointed out the three and one half smaller colorful grizzly sub adult northeast of Picnic Pullout. We watched for only ten minutes or so when she stood up looking at the road and ran off to the east and out of sight. At 12:00 noon Wendy B had a grizzly crossing the road from north to south at the Confluence East Pullout. It quickly crossed the Soda Butte Creek and began to graze on the grasses. It was in view for over an hour viewed from the Confluence Pullout and Hitching Post Pullout. Lots of people got to see the grizzly. Randi identified it as the grizzly we watched at the Confluence a week ago. It has a light face and a large scar above its eyes. Randi was at the Confluence and got a good look to identify the grizzly. We originally thought it might be the Druid Peak sow which was seen high above the road to the north this morning, but it was not. At 1:10 p.m. Randi M was lowering her scope for Karol B and found the Ski Slope grizzly sow with one two and one-half year-old light-colored cub. Today they were grazing and not digging. We moved to Picnic and others were watching from Trashcan Pullout when there was no parking left at Picnic Pullout. In view for over an hour. At 2:45 p.m. a guide from Brush buck Wildlife showed me a dark medium sized grizzly digging northeast of Picnic Pullout. It had some light color in its shoulders and on its front. In view for about thirty minutes. At 3:45 p.m. a large black cinnamon bear was grazing to the south between Lamar Canyon West and the Slough Creek Restroom. A beautiful looking fairly large black bear.
April 20th - Monday
43 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to a pleasant 72 degrees, the light afternoon breeze in the afternoon felt good. I watched a vulture soaring in Lamar Valley this afternoon. Six big horn rams not too far from the road north of Picnic Pullout this afternoon. At 6:45 a.m. I found a large dark grizzly crossing behind the old Druid Rendezvous area moving north to south. We were watching from Coyote Overlook three or four miles down the valley. The grizzly took his time and was in view for about ten minutes. At 7:45 a.m. I found what turned out to be the same large fat black bear that we saw yesterday in the tree line on the east side of the Chalcedony Fan. Others stopped to watch with us at the Confluence, all debating whether it was a grizzly or black bear. Still not sure if a black bear or grizzly, but most concluded a black bear. Paul H commented that we had a bear last year in the same area we could not agree as to the type either grizzly or black. At 8:45 a.m. I found the Ski Slope grizzly sow with two and one half year old light cub south and west of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Coyote Overlook. They were digging today. A nearby bison herd ran into the area and both grizzlies stood up and ran back about one hundred yards. They soon resumed their digging. They slowly fed over the ridge. This afternoon we found them again in the same place as this morning. After forty minutes or so they stood up looking to the south and ran away. We watched them run through some rocks and out of sight. We never found what scared them. At 9:40 a.m. I found the smaller light three and one half year old now sub adult on the rock formation north of the Moosehead. Today was like yesterday in that we first watched from the west at Picnic Pullout until she disappeared, then went to the east at Hitching Post to watch her again. Finally, they were seeing her again from Picnic Pullout to the west. She appeared to be grazing or licking at something to eat, but no digging. At 4:45 p.m. while watching from Elk Creek I found a medium sized black bear on the north side of Junction Butte. At 5:00 p.m. I noticed a few people down the road from Upper Hellroaring Pullout. I walked down to see a cinnamon sow with a cinnamon yearling cub grazing one hundred yards off the road. From 5:05 p.m. through 5:20 p.m. I watched a medium sized grizzly travel on the slopes of Hellroaring about halfway up the slope. It was moving west to east and every single, or group of bison close to the grizzly stopped and watched it pass by.
April 21 - Tuesday
46 degrees this morning in Gardiner but only 32 degrees near Slough Creek warming up to a nice 73 degrees out in the park with an afternoon breeze. At 7:15 a.m. Larry and Char T showed me a grizzly north of Fisherman's Pullout. It was below the basalt cliff but in heavy sage. Randi M had two black wolves on Jasper Bench this morning. I missed them but Frank H called later with the wolves coming down through Amethyst Bench. Today we had six blacks and a gray. Both alphas were present this morning. Good viewing as they slowly traveled east eventually losing them in the river corridor as they traveled south and out of sight. At 8:10 a.m. Kevin M found a colorful grizzly in the sagebrush near the Chalcedony Fan. I arrived later and finally saw the grizzly by walking up on Trashcan Hill. A colorful grizzly was digging this morning. At 9:20 a.m. I found a large, tall grizzly high in a meadow northwest viewed from the dirt pullout east of the Institute. Not in view for over five minutes. At 10:15 a.m. someone pointed out the Ski Slope grizzly sow and two and one half year old light cub. They were digging in the same spot as yesterday. They were in and out of sight behind a couple of trees they were in sight for a long time. At 1:40 p.m. I found a large black bear grazing near the tree line south of the enclosure at the east end of Lamar Valley.
People Seen
From Montana: Rick M, Wendy B, Dan and Laurie L, Ilona P, Jeff A, and Randy T. From Utah: Paul H. From Missouri: Frank H. From California: Glenda M and Rick G. From Wyoming: Christy and Paul G. And from England: Jakob B. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Montana: Margaret L, Jeff and Valerie B and Chuck W and Debbie H. From Washington: Randi M. From Wyoming: Kevin M and Sandi R. And from Oregon: Larry and Char T. Others seen this report: From Montana: Lee H, Quinn H, Pete B, Andrea B, Matt D, Scott B, JoJo K, Nate U, Amada E, Cam H, Michael S, Jayden A, Evan S, Byron F, and Byron B. From Florida: Bill L and Mark L. From Idaho: Warren B. and From Washington: Nick and Diane 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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