Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
May 4th through 7th 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
~ May 2026 ~
May 4th - Monday
31 degrees this morning warming up to a nice 64 degrees out in the park this afternoon. The park has opened the Slough Creek Road down to the bathroom before the campground. This is helping spread out the crowds of people watching wolves at the Slough Creek Den. They have also opened the Soda Butte Picnic area and Warm Creek Picnic areas. At 5:40 a.m. Gary G found the Ski Slope grizzly sow with the two and one half year old light cub in the river corridor below Amethyst Bench. They were in and out of sight most of the day in that area. At 6:00 a.m. Dean D found a small colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 6:15 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly digging in Secret Passage north of Fisherman's Pullout. At 6:20 a.m. Doug M found a grizzly on the skyline north of the Institute. It was slowly moving around. At 6:30 a.m. Gary G found the Institute Family, a grizzly sow with two two and one-half year-old cubs north of Picnic. They were digging away and in view for a long time. At 6:40 a.m. I found a large dark grizzly digging three hundred yards east of the Institute family. Neither seems to notice each other, but the sow moved the cubs into the tree line. At 6:45 a.m. Doug found a small colorful grizzly digging well below and east of the other grizzlies. It was in sight off and on for hours. At 7:15 a.m. Kevin M showed me a medium sized grizzly north of Hubbard Hill. A brief sighting of ten minutes, it moved over the hill and out of sight. At 8:30 a.m. Gary found a large grizzly east of Chalcedony Fan. It was difficult to see moving behind trees, but it was a big grizzly. At 8:35 a.m. there was a large black bear in the tree line in the area and behind the large grizzly. Never appeared to notice. At 9:10 a.m. Gary found a grizzly moving south high on the Southern Divide Ridge. A long spot because the grizzly was moving uphill in heavy sagebrush. At 9:15 a.m. Randi M found a black bear above the east end of Ski Slope. At 10:15 a.m., back at Slough we watched 1385F, the alpha female, and a black wolf on the porch of the den at Slough Creek. The wolf watchers now believe that both the uncollared black and 1385F made have pups in the den, the uncollared black's pups would be about one week older than the alphas. At 10:55 a.m. I found the Middle Ridge sow and one large two- and one-half year-old light-colored cub on Specimen Ridge. They were at the skyline but soon moved down and into the trees and out of sight. Only a few people got to view them. However, that evening they were insight again for about an hour still on Specimen Ridge. At 3:45 p.m. there is a large cinnamon black bear at Geode Creek. At 4:15 p.m. we had a black bear sow with a black yearling cub at Elk Creek. At 4:50 p.m. Bob J had a black bear south of Straightaway Pullout in Little America. At 5:00 p.m. a black bear on Middle Ridge, Gary found this one. I did have a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:20 p.m. Gary found a cinnamon black bear high well above Sough Den. At 6:50 p.m. Gary found a grizzly high and just east of the top of Middle Ridge, digging away. At 7:00 p.m. I had a pretty cinnamon black bear northeast of Pebble Campground, high in the clearing and rocks. At 7:10 p.m. I found the Pebble Creek grizzly sow with two two and one-half year-old cubs northeast of Pebble Creek in some rock clearings. The two cubs are quite light and have a lot of blond
May 5th - Tuesday
Tuesday May 5th. 30 degrees this morning warming up to 52 degrees, but a little snow flurries this evening. At 5:40 a.m. I found a grizzly digging on Amethyst Bench, not a long sighting. At 6:10 a.m. Dean D found a medium grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. It was in view again late this morning. At 6:15 a.m. I found a grizzly on the skyline north of the Institute, in the same place as Doug's sighting yesterday. Today only a backside view of the grizzly, but tonight it was broadside. Still in the same place as this morning, eating at something in the same place. At 6:30 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly in the old Druid Rendezvous area. It had been in thick sagebrush, and nobody saw it before it moved south and into a meadow. At 6:40 a.m. Dean D found a medium sized colorful grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. We suspected that this was one of the Institute's cubs, and we saw only the last one going out of sight. At 6:45 a.m. Gary had a black bear west of Chalcedony Fan. At 6:40 a.m. Gary had a large black bear behind the Western Foothills. At 6:45 a.m. Gary found a large dark grizzly in the tree line east of Chalcedony Fan. At 7:00 a.m. Gary found a large cinnamon black bear north of Picnic. At 7:10 a.m. Kate J, Silver Gate Guides, found a black bear in a high meadow south of Picnic Pullout. At 7:20 a.m. Gary found a large cinnamon black bear east of Footbridge. At 7:35 a.m. Gary found a large black bear on K Meadow. It looked a lot like a grizzly, but it was not. At 7:35 a.m. Terri W found the Ski Slope grizzly sow with her one light two and one-half year-old cub in the Bowl. Later others found them widely apart, not sure what caused that. At 9:00 a.m. Bob J found a grizzly on the A-Z Meadow but had moved up and over to the Bowl when I got to see it. At 9:15 a.m. I found a colorful grizzly traveling south over the large meadow behind the eastern end of Jasper Bench. Perhaps the light cub from this morning, but not sure. At 10:00 a.m. there is a large black bear north of Coyote Overlook. It looked like a grizzly, but it was not. At 10:20 a.m. we had a tall black bear northwest of the Institute. At 11:10 a.m. Bruce P found the Pebble Creek grizzly sow with two two and one-half year-old cubs northeast of Pebble Creek Campground. They were digging and flipping rocks over for what was under them. At 12:30 p.m. there is a cinnamon black bear south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 4:30 p.m. Gary found a small colorful grizzly digging in front of the mixed conifer aspen forest. At 5:35 p.m. Gary found the Institute grizzly sow with both two and one-half year-old cubs north of Picnic. We were right this morning in that we did see the last cub moving out of sight this morning.
May 6th - Wednesday
19 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 60 degrees but a cool wind in the evening. I viewed three bull moose north in Soda Butte Valley. Two of the three had just started growing anthers in velvet, the third had about fourteen inches of growth already. This evening a cow moose was in a clearing to the north of the Pebble Creek Campground. At 5:55 a.m. the grizzly was still on the skyline south of the Institute. In the same place it was broadside this morning and eating on something. At 6:15 a.m. Randi M found a black wolf east of Amethyst Bench moving east. At about the same time Doug M found three black wolves also from the Junction Butte pack were seen north of Picnic Pullout but went out sight quickly. All the wolf watchers watching at Slough Creek came to Lamar Valley to follow this wolf to the east. At 6:20 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging north of Picnic. It was in view for a long time this morning. AT 6:20 a.m. Gary G found the Institute grizzly sow with two large two and one-half year-old cubs. They were digging and in view for about fifteen minutes. At 6:35 a.m. Gary found a grizzly in Secret Passage viewed from Picnic Pullout. It was digging and in view for about fifteen minutes. At 6:50 a.m. Eric, from Yellowstone Wild, called with a medium sized grizzly moving and then running towards the road. We were watching from Footbridge Pullout looking east down on the valley floor. It did get across the road to the north. Then at 6:55 a.m. Randi M found a large dark grizzly in the area where the medium sized grizzly had just left. This large grizzly was following the medium sized grizzly. We assumed that it may have been a courting pair of grizzlies, but we left the area to glass other places and did not know how it turned out. At 7:00 a.m. Gary found a colorful grizzly south of Picnic Pullout traveling to the east. At 7:10 a.m. Dean D found a black bear in the tree line behind the western foothills. At 9:10 a.m. Gary found the two and one-half year-old cub, now on its own, as the sow had thrown it out yesterday. We did not view that. From 10:00 thru 11:20 a.m. I watched the Middle Ridge grizzly sow and one two and one-half year-old light-colored cub behind the Crystal Rock from the Slough Creek Restroom. Today they were all business, digging away and finally moving east and out of sight. At 10:05 a.m. Don P found a large black bear in the drainage just east of the Slough Creek den. At 10:05 a.m. Gary found a black bear grazing east of the Diagonal Forest. At 1:05 p.m. two different black collared wolves returned to the Slough Creek den, leaving only one bedded black wolf north and being watched by Jeff A. At 3:00 p.m. Gary found a medium sized grizzly grazing to the north of Soda Butte East Pullout. It remained in sight for hours. At 4:30 p.m. I found a grizzly northeast of Pebble Creek. I was looking for the Pebble Creek sow and two cubs but found this grizzly. Moving slowly and often stopping and looking around. At 5:00 p.m. I found a black bear sow with one black yearling cub northeast of Footbridge Pullout. At 5:30 p.m. we had a black bear sow with one cinnamon and one black yearling cub north of the Pebble Creek Campground.
May 7th - Thursday
Thursday May 7th. 41 degrees in Gardiner this morning warming up to 60 degrees out in the park this afternoon. Last night we had a nice rain shower, we need the moisture as it is dry here. The bald eagle nest across the river from Coyote Overlook has two chicks on it now. At 6:00 a.m. Gary G found a small grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 6:05 a.m. Dean D found the grizzly on the skyline south of the Institute, this is the fourth day we have had it in view. Today it was slowly moving away and was not in sight this afternoon. At 6:10 a.m. a second grizzly was spotted near the first grizzly in the Bowl. Later Randi M and I had two grizzlies in the Bowl; not sure it was the same two as this morning. At 6:20 a.m. Gary found a medium sized grizzly south of Trashcan. At 6:30 a.m. Dean found the Institute grizzly sow with her two two and one-half year-old cubs northeast of the Institute. They were all quite close together this morning, digging, but were not in sight for very long. At 7:10 a.m. Dean showed me a grizzly north of the Picnic Pullout traveling to the west. It was a medium sized grizzly. At 7:10 a.m. Dean found another grizzly east of Chalcedony. Later in the day Randi and I found a grizzly digging in the K Meadow, we assumed this was the same grizzly. At 7:20 a.m. Doug M showed me a small grizzly digging north of Picnic. We think this is the Druid Peak three and one half year old colorful sub adult. We have seen her several times in this same area. At 7:25 a.m. we had a black bear on the tree line west of Chalcedony Fan. At 7:30 a.m. Dean found a large dark grizzly traveling to the east from south of Midpoint. I noticed it later crossing Amethyst Bench. At 8:00 a.m. Gary found the two- and one-half year-old light-colored sub adult that was recently run off by the Ski Slope grizzly sow, it was in the same place this evening in the eroded area of the old Druid Rendezvous area. At 8:05 a.m. Paul S and Don P found two grizzlies on the # 2 finger on Norris; Paul H had a single grizzly earlier on finger # 1. It turned out to be a courting pair of grizzlies. The small one, the sow, was leading the larger one, the boar. They were in sight off and on all day mainly on the # 2 finger on Norris. At 8:10 a.m. Dean found a large black bear west of the Chalcedony Fan. At 9:30 a.m. Doug called with two grizzlies on the Northern Divide Ridge. It was the Middle Ridge grizzly sow with the large light two- and one-year old cub. They were digging away with the pullouts of Coyote and Dorothy's full of people watching the grizzlies. This afternoon they crossed the road just west of Fisherman's Pullout to the north. We had a great view at less than one hundred and fifty yards. The sow nursed the cub for about five minutes one time while we watched. 1489M, a black Junction Butte wolf, was seen moving east today from Footbridge Pullout. Frank H was in the parking lot and being a good wolf watcher identified the wolf for us. At 3:10 p.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly digging north of Hubbard Hill. A short view as a bison herd decided to cross the road south to north at Hubbard Hill
People Seen
.Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Bob J, Mike and Jill B, Dan and Laurie L, and Marisa F. From Utah: Paul H and Celia L. From Missouri: Frank H. From Oregon: Michael and Debbie O. From California: Glenda M and Rick, and Bruce and MaryJean Mc. And from South Carolina: Greg and Renee B. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, Gayle and Brett, Bill and Chris and Scott M. From Wyoming: Terri W, Kevin M, and Sandi R. From Montana: Doug M, Howard A, Scott M, Shari S, Tim R, and Jeff and Valeria B. From Idaho: Terry and Marsha T. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Florida: Chris C. From Georgia: Ken C. From California: Carol B. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From South Carolina: Don P and Scott P. And from Wisconsin: Jim and Karen S. Others seen this report: From Montana: Dan H, Emil M, Jayden A, Hunter G, Quinn H, MacNeil L, Allen K, Michael S, Mike S, Cam H, Kate J, Evan S, Ken S, and Pete B. From Florida: Mark L. And From Idaho: Adam B.
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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