Yellowstone National Park 2026 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
October 21st through 22nd, 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
~ October 2026 ~
October 21st - Wednesday
36 degrees at Silver Gate this morning warming up to 70 degrees north of the park this afternoon. Last evening I watched a racoon run across the road at the Northeast Entrance, it has been years since I saw one around the park. The loose horse was again in Slough Creek this morning, with no bison around. I traveled over to Sylvan Lake again this morning. The small colorful grizzly, a two and one half year old recently forced away by a sow, was again on the cow elk carcass (apparently the park had noticed that this elk was ill, which explains why it died). Others said it opened the carcass this morning. Most of the time it was eating a little bit but spending a lot of time recovering the carcass to mask the scent of the carcass. It did move off into the trees a little and returned. It must be doing a good job on covering the carcass, no ravens arrived when it disappeared into the trees for a while. I watched with friends for over an hour. At 12:45 p.m. the larger light colored sub adult was for the third day in a row digging just south of Dunraven Pass. At 1:05 a.m. I watched from Antelope Creek the colorful grizzly digging across on the backside of Specimen Ridge (Roof Top clearing). This was also the third day in a row I have seen this grizzly in the same area. At 3:00 p.m. I joined a group of wolf watchers watching wolves from Upper Hellroaring Pullout. The Rescue Creek Pack had killed a cow elk this morning near the Basalt Cliff and were bedded out of sight as I arrived. Stange to me, the Rescue Creek pack had crossed the Yellowstone River. The rule of thumb is that the east side is Junction Butte territory and the west side (closest to Upper Hellroaring) Rescue Creek territory. I hope the packs do not meet some day over there, with only sixty-six or so adult wolves in the park. Two black wolves did get up to move around a bit, and I got to watch them. I ventured north outside the park this evening to search for grizzlies. I ended up with nine grizzlies this evening. A sow with one cub of the year, a pair of older colorful sub adults, a sow with two cubs of the year, and two individual grizzlies.
October 22nd - Thursday
A warm 49 degrees with a light rain this morning north of the park warming up to 70 degrees in Idaho Falls this afternoon. I again watched grizzlies north of the park. This morning, I watched twelve grizzlies. A sow with one cub of the year, a sow with two cubs of the year, a pair of larger light colored sub adults, and five individual grizzlies. My last day in the park so I headed home, getting back in Idaho Falls about 12:30 p.m.
This is my last Trip Report for 2026
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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