Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
September 28th through October 1st 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 28th - Monday
Monday September 28th. 41 degrees this morning in Silver Gate with light rain just after daylight warming up to 60 degrees out in the park in the afternoon. I watched a cow moose with two calves of the year in downtown Silver Gate this afternoon. I had heard about them since early June but today was the first time I got to see them. At 8:15 a.m. Gary found the two and one-half year-old Ski Slope light colored sub adult grizzly in the area of the Eastern Foothills south of Trashcan Pullout. It soon disappeared but we found it again viewed from Footbridge Pullout. A long look at a small grizzly but she was in view until 10:15 a.m.
September 29th - Tuesday
37 degrees this morning in Silver Gate with low clouds out in the valley. The low remained until 10:45 a.m. It got up to 66 degrees in the afternoon out in the park. The lone black horse was seen again in Slough Creek. Apparently, its name is Elie. Still running around near the herds of bison. I had two foxes and a few coyotes but again no wolves. The Junction Butte wolves have not been seen since September 22nd; but they have a huge range but have been unseen for a longer than average time. I had no grizzlies today. Gary found a black bear down the Slough Creek Road this morning, the area of Slough Creek was surprisingly not fogged in as bad.
September 30th - Wednesday
33 degrees this morning in Silver Gate warming up to 70 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I had a skunk on the road this morning near Ice Box Canyon. I had a THREE-DOG DAY today. From 7:05 a.m. thru after 12 noon we enjoyed watching the Junction Butte Pack on the east end of Lamar Valley. Mark R found the wolves, which today were twelve black and two gray wolves. He found them on Norris heading north which is towards the road. They stalled out on Dead Puppy Hill, then relocated going into the Lamar River Corridor. Most of the people moved to Trash Can Hill. They tested several small groups of bison now south of Trashcan Pullout; then tried another small herd with a small bison calf, which was still red in color, being born later in the summer near the tree line. They regrouped and tied again and caught the small calf in deep sagebrush. They stayed around after finishing the calf and we had hours of some wolves in sight at all times. Gary was with Mark and Carol when the wolves were found and then located a grizzly near the Eastern Foothills. I missed the sighting, but later Gary and I hooked up at Footbridge when the wolves were on Dead Puppy Hill. Gary showed me the two and one-half year-old light colored Ski Slope sub adult just as it disappeared into the tree line and out of sight.
~ October 2026 ~
October 1st - Thursday
It was 38 degrees in the morning in Silver Gate warming up to 69 degrees out in the park this afternoon. I watched a kestrel in a tree on Dunraven Pass this morning. At 7:15 a.m. I found a medium sized grizzly with a nice Yellowstone stripe around its middle digging in a high meadow above the one-half finger on Norris. I watched it for about thirty minutes before the sun came up and the lighting was terrible. It stayed in a small area digging for thirty minutes.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, and Randy T. From Michigan: Denise M, From Utah: Celia L and Charlie M, From California: Glenda M and Kathie L, From Missouri: Frank H.; From Colorado: Mark and Carol R, From Texas: Carl L and Carol S. Bear Watchers: From Mississippi: Gary G, From Wyoming: Tom H, From Kansas: Tim G, From Montana: Cam H, From California: Tanvir S, and From Colorado: Rick and Tanner H. Others seen this report: From Montana: Evan S, Hunter G, Spencer S, Audra C, Micheal S, Kate J, Jayden A, Keith V and Carolyn G. and From Washington: Aaron M.
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 |
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