Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
May 24th through 27th 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 24th - Sunday
32 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 72 degrees this afternoon out in the park. Yesterday and today were the busiest days in the park for me ever. Crowds everywhere, traffic never ending and bison jams up and down the valley. At 5:05 a.m. Gary H found a small grizzly that came to the old bison cow carcass, it only stayed for fifteen minutes or so. At 5:35 a.m. Bob J called with a medium sized grizzly on the Fisherman's cow bison carcass. We were watching from the Institute and finally got to see that grizzly. At 5:45 a.m. Carol R called with a grizzly moving east of Amethyst Bench moving to the west. It proceeded quickly through Amethyste Bench and into the Amethyst Drainage and out of sight. At 6:20 a.m. I found the K-3 grizzly sow with two large two and one-half year-old cubs on Calfee. At 6:40 a.m. Hayden G found a black bear sow with one black and one cinnamon yearling cub on Penny Lane. At 7:10 a.m. Gary had a medium sized colorful grizzly near the Moosehead viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 7:25 a.m. Kim C found the Pebble Creek grizzly sow with two large two and one-half year-old cubs on the high clearing northeast of the campground (west side of Baronette Peak. At 8:25 a.m. Dale B showed me a courting pair of grizzlies on the skyline west of the Bell. They were very friendly this morning. At 9:10 a.m. Gary G had a courting pair of grizzlies on the third ridge behind Bear Meadow. At 9:35 a.m. Hayden found a cinnamon black bear high between the A-Z Meadow and the Salad Bowl Meadows viewed from Coyote Pullout. At 9:40 a.m. Hayden found a black bear in Square Meadow watching from Coyote Pullout. At 10:25 a.m. Mike F found the two- and one-half year-old light-colored Ski Slope sub adult on the backside on Ski Slope. At 9:40 a.m. Gary showed us a large grizzly in the Bowl. At 9:45 a.m. I found a grizzly northwest of the Institute. At 4:55 p.m. I found a small colorful grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 4:00 p.m. Gary found a large grizzly digging north of Pebble Creek in a high clearing to the northeast. This is the same meadow that our Pebble Creek grizzly with two large two and one-half year-old cubs have been digging. I hope it did not chase off the grizzly family from this area.
May 25th - Monday
37 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a warm 74 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I had a cow moose just off the road this evening in downtown Silver Gate. At 5:05 a.m. I had a grizzly leaving the Hubbard Hill carcass. It quickly went over Amethyst Bench and into Amethyst Drainage. At 5:10 a.m. I found the reason for the first sighting; a larger grizzly was on the Hubbard Hill cow bison carcass. At 5:20 a.m. Hayden G showed us a medium sized grizzly digging in the meadow behind Bear Meadow. At 5:25 a.m. we could see three black Junction Butte wolves on the Fisherman's cow bison carcass, the wolf watchers had all fifteen this morning, the entire pack. We were watching from the Institute and missed the wolves running off the younger grizzly. At 5:40 a.m. I found a courting pair of grizzlies high near the skyline south of the Institute and behind Bear Meadow. At 5:45 a.m. Hayden found a grizzly on the lower part of A-Z Meadow. Frank H had called earlier this morning with a large grizzly on that carcass. At 6:00 a.m. Gary found a large grizzly on the west end of K Meadow; we watched it from the Institute and then as it was still in sight from Footbridge Pullout, we watched it from there. At 6:10 a.m. Hayden found a large black bear north of the Institute. At 6:35 a.m. we found a second grizzly in the Bowl. At 7:00 a.m. Gary found a courting pair of grizzlies under the snow cornices. A long look but definitely another courting pair, the boar followed her everywhere. At 7:30 a.m. I showed Hayden a grizzly on the top and closest to the cliffs on the south end of Norris viewed from Footbridge Pullout. Hayden noticed it was eating an elk calf carcass. Soon the grizzly moved off and south. At 7:45 a.m. Hayden found two sub adult grizzlies traveling together northeast of Picnic Pullout, a brief sighting. At 7:50 a.m. Gary had a small colorful grizzly on Druid Peak viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 8:15 a.m. a small colorful grizzly came to the Fisherman's' Pullout cow carcass. It did get a little to eat, but the wolves and looking at the cars made it a brief sighting. At 10:30 a.m. Hayden found a cinnamon black bear on the first skyline clearing east of Penny Lane. At 3:00 p.m. outside the park and east of Cooke City I watched a grizzly sow with two large yearlings, digging away three hundred yards from the road. At 5:10 p.m. I found the K-3 grizzly sow with two large two and one-half year-old cubs on Calfee. At 5:35 p.m. Hayden found a courting pair of grizzlies on Penny Lane. At 5:35 p.m. I found a medium sized colorful grizzly low on Penny Lane.
May 26th - Tuesday
41 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 75 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I watched a small badger running around below Dorothy's Pullout this morning. I also went down the road east of the Yellowstone River Picnic area and watched the sandhill crane family with one young one, called a colt. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:30 a.m. I found the Institute grizzly sow with two large two and one-half year-old cubs digging in a high meadow north of the Institute. They were in sight for a while this morning. At 5:40 a.m. the wolf watchers found a courting pair of grizzlies on Salad Bowl/Southern Divide Ridge. They soon went out of sight but then Paul H called that they were back in sight, which Hayden G found first at our location. We watched from the Institute. The sow led the boar up and over the ridgeline. At 5:50 a.m. Gary had the K-3 grizzly sow with two large two-year-old cubs on Calfee. Gary spotted them from the Institute, but we moved to the Confluence for a great view. At 6:15 a.m. Hayden G had a large black bear north of the Institute. At 6:15 a.m. we watched three black wolves on Jasper Bench and two black wolves on the carcass south of Fisherman's Pullout. At 6:20 a.m. Gary G had a grizzly high on the skyline on the east end of Druid Peak. At 6:20 a.m. Don P showed us a courting pair of grizzlies on Norris, viewed from Trashcan or Picnic Pullout. At 6:25 a.m. Hayden found a colorful grizzly low and north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:40 a.m. Randi M found a black bear in the Inverted Triangle clearing viewed from Picnic Pullout. At 8:30 a.m. Randi found a small colorful grizzly on the A-Z Meadow. At 8:45 a.m. Hayden found a small cinnamon black bear high on a small round clearing between the meadows of A-Z and Divide or Southern Divide Ridge. At 9:15 a.m. I found the two- and one-half year-old light-colored Ski Slope sub adult on the backside of Ski Slope. At 9:55 a.m. Hayden found a small colorful grizzly on Specimen Ridge viewed from Long Pullout.
May 27th - Wednesday
41 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to the high 70's this afternoon out in the park. I had a THREE DOG DAY today. At 5:20 a.m. Hayden G found a large grizzly digging in the Bowl. At 5:30 a.m. Hayden found the Institute grizzly sow with two large great looking two and one-half year-old cubs. One is quite light and colorful and the second is less so. They were in view tonight about 6:30 p.m. At 5:40 a.m. Hunter G, Silver Gate Guides, called with a small colorful grizzly southwest of Hubbard Hill. The grizzly was traveling to the east. At 6:00 a.m. Gary found a grizzly digging near the Moosehead. It was in view again later in the morning, and with the sun it was glowing in the sunlight. At 6:05 a.m. Gary had a second grizzly north of Picnic Pullout. This one was high near the skyline and was digging. It was out again later in the morning. At 6:10 a.m. Hayden had a grizzly crossing east to west on the first dome clearing north of Picnic Pullout. At 6:45 a.m. I found a black bear in the tree line in the old Druid Rendezvous Area. At 7:30 a.m. Hayden had the K-3 grizzly family with two big two and one-half year-old cubs on Calfee. I was late setting up my scope, and they ran out of sight. Soon Hayden found a courting pair of grizzlies just west of the K-3 grizzly family. They were the reason the grizzly family ran off. I did get to watch the courting pair. They were in view again in the afternoon and were pretty friendly. At 6:20 p.m. I found a colorful grizzly high to the northeast from the Institute. At 6:25 p.m. there was a different grizzly digging in the Bowl than this morning's grizzly. At 6:40 p.m. Gary found the K-3 grizzly sow with two big two and one-half year-old cubs again on Calfee. Gary and I had missed them this morning when they were seen on Calfee.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Marisa F, Bob J, Jeff B, Dan, and Laurie L. From Missouri: Frank H. From Utah: Paul H and Celia L. From Colorado: John and Lisa C, Mark, Carol, and Roch R. From England: Jakob B. From Wyoming: Dale, Fay and Mel B and Gene B. From California: Kathie L and Glenda M. From Oregon: Bruce and Kelly H. And from New York: Rick and Maureen B. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Randi M, and Hank L. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From South Carolina: Don P and Margaret P. From Tennessee: Mike and Donna F. From Wyoming: Terri W, Rita R and Will, and Gene B. From Idaho: Kim and Joyce C, Blake and Rachel M with family members. From Ohio: Tim and Kerrie O. From Utah: Hayden G and CD and Brenda C. From Montana: Doug M. From Illinois: Wayne K, Mike F. And from Chicago Bob and Margaret P. From Colorado: Rick and Yasman H. And from Oregon: Bill and Karen M. Others seen this report: From Montana: Kate J, Cam H, Michael S, Quinn H, Russ K, Audra C, Andrea B, Hunter G, Kyle D, Spencer S, Mike S, and Evan S. From Wyoming: Ted K. From Wisconsin: John and Marie E. From Washington: Aaron M and Matt P. 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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