Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
September 20th through 23rd 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
~ September 2026 ~
September 20th - Sunday
47 degrees leaving Idaho Falls this morning warming up to 62 degrees north of Gardiner, Montana and north of the park this evening. Going through the park I watched a lone mountain goat about three miles north of Gibbon Falls. About twenty-five years ago a pair of mountain goats were in that area but disappeared; nice to see a goat back in the area. I watched a total of nineteen grizzlies this evening (a sow with one cub of the year (coy), a sow with two coys, another sow with two coys, a sow with three big yearlings, a pair of darker sub adult grizzlies, a pair of larger colorful sub adult grizzlies, and five individual grizzlies before dark. I camped outside of the park tonight.
September 21st - Monday
42 degrees this morning outside of Gardiner Montana, warming up to 72 degrees in Yellowstone National Park this afternoon. I watched ten grizzlies this morning north of the park: two sow grizzlies with two coys each, the dark pair of sub adult grizzlies and two individual grizzlies north of the park early this morning. The fifteen-minute delays are still going on the high bridge outside of Mammoth. There was a five-to-ten-minute delay at the new bridge near Tower Junction as they are finishing that project this year. The lake just passed Junction Butte heading west is bone dry; as is the lake at Boulder Pond a mile to the west; I have never seen these lakes bone dry. At 10:30 a.m. I stopped at Nature Trail and watched three black Rescue Creek wolves far to the west. At 6:00 p.m. I found a medium sized grizzly with a slight Yellowstone Stripe grazing on Amethyst Bench. The wolf watchers found the Junction Butte wolves this evening going over the Southern Divide Ridge to the west late. I joined the crowd at Coyote Overlook and watched all fifteen of them, thirteen black and both gray wolves. A two-pack day for me today.
September 22nd - Tuesday
34 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 66 degrees out in the park this afternoon. A light rain after dark tonight. My only spotting of the day was a loose black horse in Slough Creek. It has been loose for about three weeks; the park has attempted to capture it but has failed. The wolf watchers did have a bunch of the Rescue Creek Pack near Blacktail Ponds, but there were no sightings of the Junction Butte wolves today.
September 23rd - Wednesday
43 degrees this morning and light rain at daylight that brought the low clouds down for an hour or so, warming up to the low 70's this afternoon out in the park. A small delay on the road between Pebble Creek and the Northeast Entrance as they are sampling the water in the ground, I assume for the future road construction that is about a year away, I think. I found no grizzlies today. I talked to Wendy B and apparently the wolves were not seen. Some even went south to Hayden Valley. So, there are no sightings for the Junction Butte, Rescue Creek, and Wapiti Lake packs today (those are the only three packs that are being seen in Yellowstone this year). A guide for Wolf Tracker showed me a video of a grizzly in the low clouds this morning on Jasper Bench moving east.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Jeff A, Wendy B, and Marisa F. From Utah: Charlie M, and Celia L. From Idaho: Roger and Lynda S. From Colorado: John and Lisa C. And from California: Kelly K and Glenda M. Bear Watchers: From Mississippi: Gary G. From Washington: Jeremy F. From Oklahoma: Shaun and Regina W. And from Montana: Jack G and Cam H. Others seen this report: From Montana: Michael S, Jamie H, Kate J, Hunter G, Jayden A, Keith V, Sara N, Bryon F, and Dan and Cindy H. From Florida: Ric and Vicky K. And from Washington: Aaron M, Nic 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
| Yellowstone National Park Trip Reports | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2032 | 2026 | 2020 | 2014 | 2008 | 2000 |
| 2031 | 2025 | 2019 | 2013 | 2007 | 1999 |
| 2030 | 2024 | 2018 | 2012 | 2005 | 1998 |
| 2029 | 2023 | 2017 | 2011 | 2004 | 1997 |
| 2028 | 2022 | 2016 | 2010 | 2003 | 1996 |
| 2027 | 2021 | 2015 | 2009 | 2002 | 1995 |
| Yellowstone Geyser and Thermal Videos | |
|---|---|
| Beehive Geyser Eruption | Old Faithful with Bison |
| Beehive Geyser Eruption Two | Pocket Basin |
| Fan and Mortar | Roaring Mountain |
| Grand Geyser | Rocket and Grotto |
| Old Faithful One | West Thumb |
| Yellowstone Waterfall Videos | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cave Falls | Mesa Falls | Undine Falls |
| Gibbon Falls | Rustic Falls | Upper Falls |
| Lower Falls | Tower Fall | Wraith Falls |
| Yellowstone Ranger Station Videos | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bechler | Tower Fall | |
| Yellowstone Area Videos | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lamar Valley | Picnic Areas | Ponds in Little America |
| Yellowstone National Park WebCams | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| All WebCams | East Entrance | Mammoth | Mount Washburn |
| North Entrance | Old Faithful Live | West Entrance | YVO WebCam |
| Entrance Cities and Gateway Towns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardiner, Montana | Silver Gate, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana | Cooke City, Montana |
| Livingston, Montana | Cody, Wyoming | Jackson Hole, Wyoming | Yellowstone National Park |
| Links | |
|---|---|
| The Great Outdoors Net | Great Outdoor Recreational Places |
| Gardiner, Montana | West Yellowstone, Montana |
 |  |