Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
May 12th through 15th 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 12th - Tuesday
37 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a hot 81 degrees this afternoon out in the park. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 6:00 a.m. we had the courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl. This was, we believe, the Ski Slope sow with a large boar. They were in sight a couple of times today. At 6:05 a.m. we found a single small colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 6:15 a.m. the small colorful sub adult grizzly (3 1/2-year-old Druid Peak) was digging north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:40 a.m. Gary G found a dark medium sized grizzly digging on # 1 finger on Norris. At 6:45 a.m. Gary found the two- and one-half year-old light-colored sub adult grizzly digging in the old Druid Rendezvous area, this was the Ski Slope now sub adult. It was seen several times throughout the day and this evening. At 6:50 a.m. Dean D found a black bear grazing on K Meadow. At 8:10 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly digging northeast of Coyote Pullout. In sight for a long time this morning. At 8:30 a.m. Gary found a black bear on the east flank of Ski Slope viewed from Coyote Pullout. At 9:00 a.m. I finally got to see the small colorful grizzly north of Hubbard Hill. Gary had it early this morning, but I missed that sighting. Good to see it now. At 9:15 a.m. there was a small colorful grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. Much closer to the road than this morning sighting. At 10:30 a.m. we had a large black bear grazing near Chalcedony Fan. At 10:30 a.m. we also had a collared black wolf moving west through Lamar Valley. Lots of people got to view it. At 12:00 noon we had a black bear viewed northeast of Footbridge Pullout. At 7:00 p.m. Gary found a black bear sow with one black and one cinnamon colored yearling cub in the tree line south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 7:10 a.m. Gary found a large cinnamon boar black bear also in the area south of the Soda Butte Cone.
May 13th - Wednesday
41 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 81 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. This evening, I watched a cow and yearling calf moose at Warm Creek. At 5:45 a.m. Gary G found the courting pair of grizzlies again in the Bowl. Today they were in sight off and on for quite a while. At 6:00 a.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging way up on Druid Peak. At 6:15 a.m. there was a large cinnamon black bear south of the Soda Butte Cone. At 6:20 a.m. We had a large black bear in the tree line near the Chalcedony Fan. At 6:25 a.m. we had a small black bear in the tree line near the Chalcedony Fan. At 8:25 a.m. I found a large grizzly north of Coyote Pullout. Not in sight very long, only a few people got to see it. At 9:25 a.m. we found a small colorful grizzly digging north of Picnic Pullout. We believe this is the light two and one-half year-old sub adult from the Druid Peak family that we have been seeing in this area for quite a few days in a row. At 10:15 a.m. I traveled to the Soda Butte Valley and watched the nice sized light-colored grizzly south of the Soda Butte Cone. Bob J had originally spotted it. It was digging when I watched it and then it napped for a while. At 10:40 a.m. I got to watch the two and one-half year-old Ski Slope sub adult in the old Druid rendezvous area. We have been fortunate that we have also seen this grizzly on a lot of days recently since she was driven off by the Ski Slope sow. Gary had found it earlier this morning, and I just got to see it. At 12:00 noon Frank H showed me two black Junction Butte wolves in Crystal Drainage. Earlier they had gotten a bison calf. The cow stayed around for a few hours but then left. Frank said that today it was 1489M and an uncollared black adult that was seen. At 12:30 p.m. from the road to the northeast of Pebble Creek I found a bear jam. It was a black bear sow with one black and one cinnamon yearling cub. Close to the road but probably legal at one hundred yards. The people were staying on the road when I passed, I hope they continued to respect the rules and the bears after I passed through. At 6:45 p.m. Mike F showed me a medium sized grizzly digging high in the Bowl. At this time, the courting pair were lower in the Bowl. At 7:10 p.m. Mike F found a medium sized dark grizzly grazing low northeast of Picnic Pullout.
May 14th - Thursday
41 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 62 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I watched a cow moose at Warm Creek this evening returning to Silver Gate. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:45 a.m. Glenda M told us of a grizzly bear at the Confluence. It was the same grizzly we have seen there a few times. A medium sized grizzly was in view more today, seen several times throughout the day in good view not behind the willows. At 6:00 a.m. Gary G had a large black bear near the Chalcedony Fan. At 6:05 a.m. Randi M found a courting pair of grizzlies in the Bowl; they were in and out of sight most of the morning. We believe that the female is the Ski Slope sow. At 6:30 a.m. the two- and one-half year-old light-colored sub adult grizzly was viewed south of Picnic. This is the Ski Slope's sub adult. At 7:15 a.m. Allen K, Yellowstone Wildlife, told me of a small colorful grizzly north of the eastern curve east of Footbridge Pullout on the north side of the road. It was digging a little and traveling up hill and only in view for ten or so minutes. At 10:00 a.m. Terri W found a medium sized grizzly digging at the top of A-Z Meadow. It moved to the east and was in view in the Bowl for an hour of viewing. At 10:30 a.m. I found a medium sized tall colorful grizzly in the high saddle northeast of the Institute. In sight for only ten minutes, but some people got to see it. At 12:00 noon I finally got to see the 3 1/2-year-old colorful Druid Peak sub adult below the Moosehead viewed from Picnic Pullout. Others had seen it earlier, but now I got to watch it. At 2:00 p.m. we had a black bear in the clearing east of Slough Creek. At 4:30 p.m. I watched two black and a gray wolf just above and east of the Slough Creek Den. Moving around a little and bedding in good view for twenty minutes or so. Still no puppies seen at the den, might be a little early yet. At 5:50 p.m. we had a large black bear on the west end of Round Prairie.
May 15th - Friday
37 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 62 degrees out in the park this afternoon. With the afternoon chilly wind, I never took off my jacket today. Lots of snowmobile traffic this morning as this weekend is Sled Fest. Hundreds come to Cook City for the weekend. At 5:35 a.m. Gary G found a bunch of animals south of Hubbard Hill. We were looking from the Institute so hurried down to Hubbard Hill. We had three grizzlies in sight up and moving around. We also had ten of the Junction Butte wolves bedded near the three grizzlies. Today we watched eight black and both grays. Apparently, the wolves had a small carcass, and the grizzlies invited themselves for breakfast. The wolves soon got up and moved to the east. The wolf watchers had good viewing for twenty minutes or so before the wolves moved into the tree line near the Western Foothills One black collared wolf decided to head west, we saw it go far west at Amethyst Bench. The other nine wolves were still bedded out of sight behind the Western Foothills when I left at 5:00 p.m. Now the grizzlies were a confusion as to what they were and their relationship with each other. One large dark boar was there. Two smaller, sow sized grizzlies were close to the boar. The lighter one of the two was a little smaller than the second. Several times the two small grizzlies played a little. Later the boar attempted to engage the smaller colorful grizzly. That did not work as the little one kept walking away. They all moved off into the tree line. Later we got a couple of quick looks at the light one trailed by the boar, and later the two smaller ones moving on Ski Slope. Not sure what to make of that action this morning. At 6:05 a.m. Gary showed me a courting pair in Bear Meadow. We believe this is the Ski Slope sow with a large dark boar. As is the practice in a courting arrangement, the sow leads and the boar follows. Then they disappeared but showed up later in the meadow behind Bear Meadow, but then later returned to Bear Meadow with the boar following. This afternoon we saw them again this time in the Bowl, they were now digging separately but close together. At 6:35 a.m. I pulled into Coyote Overlook and saw Doug and Hayden G with a group of eighth graders They were watching a medium sized colorful grizzly northwest of Coyote traveling northeast. About four hundred yards away the view was good. At 7:00 a.m. Gary found a grizzly high up in Secret Passage which is north of Fisherman's Pullout. We were watching from the Institute, since that is the closest pullout to the east that particular clearing can be viewed. At 7:00 a.m. Doug M spotted a large black bear near the tree line on the west end of Amethyst Bench. At 8:00 a.m. I found a black bear grazing on K Meadow watching from Footbridge Pullout. At 8:05 a.m. someone found a grizzly under the Ledge Trail north of Hitching Post Pullout. We were at Footbridge and found the grizzly low just above the trees. It came back into view at 8:45 a.m. and it was a nice sized grizzly. Both sightings were only a couple of minutes, but the grizzly was a large one digging in openings in the trees. At 9:45 a.m. I found a black bear southwest of Fisherman's Pullout grazing near the trees and rocks. At 10:30 a.m. others spotted the three and one-half year-old Druid Peak light-colored sub adult north of Picnic. It was out of sight when I arrived, but it came back into view. It was walking the skyline and a great view with the blue-sky background. At 3:05 a.m. Mike F found a medium sized grizzly across the Soda Butte Creek south of Footbridge. It was moving through the willows and decided to come and cross the Soda Butte Bridge. Thinking nothing of the people in the parking lot it slowly crossed the road to the north. This appeared to be the grizzly that we have seen in the Confluence on many different days. At 3:10 p.m. Mike F found a small colorful grizzly digging on K-3 Meadow. A really colorful grizzly, it showed up good against the yellow grass. At 4:30 p.m. Jeff and Valerie B found a medium sized grizzly north of Picnic. This was a different grizzly as the three and one half year old was seen just below in the Inverted Triangle Clearing below Druid Peak. At 4:35 a.m. Jeff and Valeria B had a small to medium sized cinnamon black bear in the Inverted Triangle. The small grizzly was now out of sight.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Bob J, Dan and Laurie L, Bob P, Wendy B, and Mike and Jill B. From California: Glenda M, Bruce, and MaryJean Mc. From Oregon: Michael and Debbie O. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Celia L, Charlie M, Denny, and Pam D. From South Carolina: Greg and Renee B. From England: Jakob B. And from Idaho: Roger and Lynda S. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Washington: Randi M. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Utah: Dean and Jeri D, Dave H, Doug and Hayden G, CD and Brenda C, and Bill and Chris M. From Idaho: Marc H. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Oklahoma: Paul S. From South Carolina: Don P, Margaret P, and Scott P. From Alabama: Marcia H. From Montana: Chuck W and Debbie H, Doug M, Shari S, and Jeff and Valerie B. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From Wyoming: Kevin M, Tom H, Terri W, and Rita R and Will. And from Iowa: Steve S and Bob A. Others seen this report: From Montana: Cam H, Russ K, Kate J, Chris H, Allen K, Audra C, Quinn H, MacNeil L, Mike S, Michael S, Jayden A, and Grant J. From California: Carol B. From Colorado: Jim F. From Florida: Mark L. And from Idaho: Ray T.
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
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