Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
June 21st through 24th 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
~ June 2026 ~
June 21st - Sunday
49 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to 71 degrees out in the park this afternoon. At 5:25 a.m. I found the Institute grizzly sow with her two-light colored two and one-half year-old cubs northeast of the Institute. At 6:15 a.m. Gary G found a small grizzly digging in A-Z Meadow, it was in view a long time this morning. About this time, we had two black Junction Butte wolves on Jasper Bench. At 9:40 a.m. we had five black and both gray Junction Butte wolves on Jasper Bench. At 9:45 a.m. Randi M found a larger grizzly north of Fisherman's Pullout viewed from Lamar Canyon East. Earlier Randi M and Gary had three different grizzlies northeast of Fisherman's, but I arrived too late to see them. At 10:30 a.m. I traveled to Little America and from Long Pullout I found one of the three that Gary and Randi had at Lamar Canyon East, that I had missed. At 1:40 p.m. I had cinnamon black bear in Round Prairie.
June 22nd - Monday
46 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to a warm 75 degrees out in the park this afternoon. At 5:30 a.m. I found a grizzly northeast of Coyote Overlook. It was in view a long time this morning. At 5:45 a.m. Kim C showed me a small grizzly on the first meadow behind Ski Slope. At 5:45 a.m. Rick M pointed out a large black bear on Jasper Bench this side of the Salad Bowl. At 6:10 a.m. I found a small grizzly on Specimen Ridge viewed from Coyote Pullout. Randi identified it as the Middle Ridge two and one half hear old sub adult. At 6:20 a.m. Jakob B pointed out a black bear on the second sliver of Ski Slope. At 6:45 a.m. I found a larger grizzly north of Coyote Pullout. At 8:00 a.m. we got to see the small grizzly that Doug M had in the Bowl earlier. At 8:30 a.m. Randi M found the Pebble Creek grizzly sow with her two darker two and one-half year-old cubs northwest of Trashcan Pullout. They were in view for a long time and lots of people got to watch them.
June 23rd - Tuesday
It was 45 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to the high 70's out in the park this afternoon. I had two mule deer fawns with their mother crossing the road in downtown Silver Gate this morning. Around 4:30 a.m. I had a great horned owl hooting at Pebble Creek. At 5:20 a.m. Kim C found the Institute grizzly sow with her two-light colored two and one-half year-old cubs northwest of the Institute. We viewed them again later for ten minutes and at noon saw them again on a closer to the road meadow. At 5:30 a.m. Gary G found a grizzly moving in a meadow northwest of the Institute. At 9:00 a.m. there was a small colorful grizzly in view high north of Coyote Overlook. Others said there were two like sized grizzlies there, but I only saw one small grizzly.
June 24th - Wednesday
44 degrees in Silver Gate this morning warming up to the high 70's this afternoon out in the park. At 5:30 a.m. Randi M from Trashcan Pullout and I from Picnic Pullout found the Institute grizzly sow with her two-light colored two and one-half year-old cubs low on Druid Peak. In view for about an hour, people were watching from both pullouts. At 6:15 a.m. I found a grizzly with a light Yellowstone stripe around it digging on K Meadow. This grizzly was in sight for almost an hour this morning. At 6:30 a.m. we watched two small sub adult grizzlies in a long clearing under the Snow Cornices. At 8:00 a.m. I found the Ski Slope light colored two and one half year old now sub adult on Ski Slope. It was in view for a long time, viewed from the Institute, Dorothy's, and Coyote Pullouts. At 9:15 a.m. we found an unusually looking small grizzly digging in the bottom of the Salad Bowl / Southern Divide Ridge. It was dark on the front half and light on the back half. We have not seen that grizzly before. At 10:00 a.m. we hit the jackpot from Lamar Canyon East. Looking at the opening, this side of Druid Peak I counted five grizzlies. Randi M corrected me, saying she had three and two plus one in the middle of the bear groups. It ended up being both the Pebble Creek grizzly sow with her two dark two and one-half year-old cubs as well as the Institute grizzly sow with her two-light colored two and one-half year-old cubs. One of the cubs was in between the bear families and soon realized that the Pebble Creek family was close. It ran back to the Institute sow and her other two and one-half year-old cub. A lot of standing by both families trying to figure out who the others were. The Pebble Creek family decided to move off over the hill and out of sight, while the Institute family continued to dig in the meadow. It was the first time we had both families in the scope at the same time. At 1:10 a.m. there was a small cinnamon black bear across one of the Soda Butte Creek's two bridges.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers seen this Report: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Dan and Laurie L, Marisa F, Helena E, and Wendy B. From Connecticut: Geoff, Kate, Luke F and Tennille. From Oregon: Rich and Linda Y. From Utah: Charlie M. And from England: Jakob B. Bear Watchers seen this Report: From Washington: Randi M. From Mississippi: Gary G. From Colorado: Kim H. From Montana: Doug and JoAnn M and Tim G. And from Idaho: Kim and Joyce C. Others seen this Report: From Montana: Hunter G, Kate J, Cam H, Quinn H, Audra C, Jayden A, Cara M, Grant J, Mike S, Nathan V, Carl S, MacNeil L, Matt D, and Amada E. From California: Dennis and Barb. And from Wyoming: Tom H.
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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