national parks – Syndication Server

Yellowstone landscape is pretty, but can you spot the bear?

During the summer bears roamed the Yellowstone landscape, but weren’t always easy to see. Image will test your spotting skills.

*Editor’s note: A version of this post was published by ForTheWin earlier this year.

Bears in Yellowstone National Park are hibernating, but during the summer they were spread across the landscape and often visible from roads and trails.

But they weren’t always easy to see, and one Montana-based hiking guide used an image he captured from above the Lamar River to test his social-media followers’ spotting skills.

“I’ve been told my more recent ‘Find the Animal Friday’ posts have been way too easy,” Douglas Scott stated via X. “This one is a little more challenging.”

Can you spot the black bear? Photo: Douglas Scott

Scott allowed the use of his image for this post, so we’re also challenging readers: Can you spot the black bear in the images posted above? (Answer below.)

Hint: It’s a difficult quiz and there are several shadows that might be mistaken for the bear.

Scott, who runs The Outdoor Society, told me that he captured the image June 21 “on a perfectly clear day” in the park’s northern range.

“It was definitely a fun spot as my client was amazed I saw it so easily from so far away,” Scott recalled.

His X followers offered several guesses but in the hours after his post only one had pinpointed the bear’s location.

When I guessed, Scott informed me that I had found “the shadow of a tree.”

Another guess was met with the reply: “Unfortunately, you are incorrect. You most definitely found a non-animal shadow though!”

Yellowstone is remarkable in that visitors often see bears up close or in the distance, especially if they’re patient and use binoculars or spotting scopes.

They might also capture a landscape image and later realize that a critter is visible in the image.

In 2023, for example, I was watching bears on one side of a highway and turned to snap an image of a coyote in transit on the other side of the highway.

When I got back to my hotel room and began to inspect my images, I discovered that a smaller animal was visible, paying close attention to the coyote.

As for the black bear photographed by Scott, it’s much easier to spot in a zoomed-in version posted immediately below.

Zoomed-in version shows black bear’s location. Photo: Douglas Scott

Immediately below is an image with the bear pinpointed with an arrow.

Black bear location. Photo: Douglas Scott

As for Yellowstone bears, they’ll begin to emerge from hibernation as early as late March.

Can you spot Yellowstone grizzly bear family on the move?

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view – if you can spot them.

–Editor’s note: A version of this post was first published in June 2024, after the author’s annual spring trip to Yellowstone National Park.

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye and the animals are in more of a natural setting.

Can you spot the momma grizzly bear and her three cubs in the image I captured in late May, from a hillside opposite the Lamar Valley? (Answer at the bottom of the post.)

Can you spot the grizzly bear and three cubs? Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The bears had been grazing on both sides of the highway and creating sporadic traffic jams, or “bear jams,” whenever they were been visible.

MORE OUTDOORS: Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest creatures

Momma bear was with first-year cubs, or cubs of the year, born during the winter hibernation period. The curious little ones did not stray far from mom while I watched from a distance of 100-plus yards.

Same grizzly bears in different image. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

During this sighting the bears ascended a hillside opposite the valley after being run off by a bison herd in a meadow surrounded by sagebrush.

(Momma bear was so preoccupied with foraging, with her head down, that she did not seem to notice how closely she was leading her cubs to several bison and their newborn calves.)

The bears were too far for me to capture a detailed image with my 400-millimeter lens, but I’ve attached a cropped version of a different image from the same sighting that shows the bears in more detail.

The bears in the top images used for the quiz are circled below.

Grizzly bear family circled in red. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

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Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest critters

Dash-cam footage shows the animal – likely a wolverine – bounding across a snowy road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

A Montana photographer on Tuesday shared blurry dash-cam footage showing a low-profiled animal bounding across a snow-covered road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Trent Sizemore, based in West Yellowstone, theorized via Facebook that the critter was a wolverine:

“It was dark in color, had a noticeable tail, was the size of a small wolf, but much lower to the ground. It loped across the road more like a wolverine than a wolf.”

(Click here to view footage if video player doesn’t appear below.)

https://www.facebook.com/sizemorefineart/videos/457324234047166

That would represent one of the rarest animal sightings to occur in or near Yellowstone National Park.

The stocky carnivores are solitary and extremely elusive, and only a handful are believed to reside in a greater Yellowstone region that includes vast swaths of Montana and Wyoming.

A verified wolverine sighting was documented inside the park in March 2022, also in the snow, by the tour group Yellowstone Insight. (Click here to view images from that encounter.)

In January 2021, the park shared month-old trail-cam footage showing a wolverine loping across the snow.

The park stated: “Park biologists were excited to find one of Yellowstone’s rarest mammals triggered a remote trail camera outside the Mammoth Hot Springs area!”

That was the first wolverine footage captured by a trail camera inside the park.

Generic wolverine image courtesy of Wikipedia

West Yellowstone is just outside the park’s West Entrance. Sizemore told the Cowboy State Daily that he was driving his wife to work at 7:30 a.m. when the animal crossed in front of their vehicle.

“My first thought was it was either a coyote or a black wolf,” Sizemore said. “But it was loping across the road, too low to the ground to be a wolf, and I realized it might be a wolverine.”

Sizemore shared the footage with Cat Wood, a biologist who studied wolverines in Alaska. She told the Cowboy State Daily that the animal is likely a wolverine.

“It’s called a loping gallop,” Wood said of a gait that is “very specific to wolverines.”

If, in fact, it was a wolverine, it would represent a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. But Sizemore, of course, would love to get a another look at the animal in more favorable conditions.

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Yellowstone coyote clearly visible, but can you spot the other critter?

Coyote in Yellowstone National Park is being closely watched by another mammal. Can you spot the critter in the image?

Editor’s note: This is a version of a post first published by For The Win Outdoors in 2023.

A bit of advice for anyone visiting Yellowstone National Park: While searching for wildlife, always take a moment to glance behind you.

It could be rewarding even if you’re already observing large animals.

The accompanying images show a coyote that I photographed in May 2023 while standing near a road with other tourists watching a cinnamon black bear and two cubs.

The bears were down a forested slope, perhaps 80 yards from the road. The coyote was behind us, on the opposite side of the road, passing virtually unnoticed about 40 yards away.

Yellowstone coyote being watched by mystery critter. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

I didn’t realize until that evening that a smaller critter was also in the image, watching the coyote. Can you spot and ID the critter? (Answer below.)

While coyotes aren’t high on many tourists’ spotting lists, I found it interesting that this coyote was on the move so close to people who were looking in the opposite direction.

ALSO: Tiger, cobra square off in rarely witnessed encounter; video

On the same trip, also in Yellowstone’s northern range, I was with perhaps 30 tourists watching another black bear descending a slope toward the road.

Cinnamon-colored black bear in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

People jockeyed for spots from which to observe or photograph the bruin.

Directly behind us, high atop a rocky peak, mountain goats maneuvered in and out of sight.

Yellowstone black bear and cubs during close roadside encounter. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

On a different day, I was surprised at close range, while outside my vehicle, by a momma bear and two cubs. Momma bear gave me the stink eye until I slowly backed away, when she and her cubs resumed grazing.

Yellowstone coyote being watched closely by a ground squirrel. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

My sightings log for three days: 14 individual bears, the coyote and ground squirrel (see photo above), the mountain goats, and dozens of pronghorn and bison.

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Watch: ‘Drama’ in Yellowstone as grizzly bears brawl over carcass

A guide has captured an “incredible scene” involving two male grizzly bears fighting near a dead bison in Yellowstone National Park.

A guide has captured an “incredible scene” involving two male grizzly bears fighting over a bison carcass in Yellowstone National Park.

“Drama at the dinner table!” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker exclaimed Thursday via Instagram, adding that a lone wolf closely witnessed the brawl. “907F, of the Junction Butte Pack, looks on as two male grizzly bears fight over the remains of a deceased bison.”

The accompanying footage shows the bears shoving and swiping at each other, exchanging surprisingly swift blows as the wolf remains close to the carcass.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_1eu4CyMTk/?igsh=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng%3D%3D&img_index=2

The footage is in three parts on the swipe-through Instagram post. The second and third frames show a more peaceful coexistence between all three animals.

The footage was captured through a spotting scope last week by Yellowstone Wolf Tracker guide Luke Jensen.

According to Yellowstone National Park, 150 to 200 grizzly bears live within park boundaries, while an estimated 965 grizzly bears inhabit the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and northwest Montana.

Grizzly bears and wolves rarely interact with each other except when potential food is involved.

Can you spot the Yellowstone moose in this offbeat critter quiz?

Moose sightings are somewhat rare in Yellowstone National Park, but there’s one location where you can always spot one… sort of.

–Editor’s note: A similar version of this post was published in early June.

In May I was watching a momma badger delivering food to her babies in Yellowstone National Park when a local photographer asked if I could spot the moose on the ridge across the highway.

I was thrilled for the opportunity because I had never seen a moose in the park and, after a few seconds, I realized that the photographer had posed a quiz with an amusing twist.

So I’ll do the same: Can you spot the moose on the ridge in the accompanying images? (Answer at the bottom.)

Can you spot the … moose? Photo: ©Pete Thomas

It’s worth noting that moose sightings are somewhat rare in Yellowstone, with fewer than 200 animals inhabiting the sprawling wilderness park.

According to the park, moose numbers have declined over the years “due to the loss of old growth forests surrounding the park, hunting outside the park, burning of habitat, and predators.”

They’re also solitary creatures, for the most part, except during mating season from September into early October.

So moose sightings are cherished, in part, because they occur so infrequently.

The regal critters are most commonly spotted near marshy areas or waterways, which is why I was surprised when the photographer asked me to gaze atop a ridge more suitable for bighorn sheep.

As many have already figured out, this is not a quiz that should demand too much time so I’ve presented the answer above and apologize for not showing an actual moose.

For those interested, this feature is visible from Highway 212, which passes through the wildlife-rich Lamar Valley.

Yellowstone bison rut not for faint of heart, video shows

Dramatic footage shows a male bison ramming and knocking a rival bison off a highway during the rut in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone National Park on Sunday issued its annual reminder that the bison rut is underway, advising tourists to “use extra caution and give bison extra space during this time.”

If anyone wonders why they should be more careful at this time of year, watch the striking footage posted below. It shows a clearly dominant bison ramming and propelling a rival bison 30 feet off the highway.

(Remarkably, the upended bison managed to stay on its feet.)

Yellowstone used the footage in August 2020 to caution tourists about the rut, or mating season, which typically lasts from late July through August.

The video clip is titled, “Bison fight.”

Male bison vying for the right to mate with female bison are aggressive and agitated during the rut, but the iconic beats are always dangerous if not given space.

Park regulations mandate that tourists should remain at least 25 yards from bison and remain inside their vehicles if they encounter bison at close range on park roads.

Can you spot the Yellowstone grizzly bear family?

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye.

–Editor’s note: A similar version of this post was published June 1, 2024.

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye and the bears are in more of a natural setting.

Can you spot the momma grizzly bear and her three cubs in the image I captured in late May from a hillside above the Lamar Valley highway? (Answer at the bottom.)

Can you spot the grizzly bear family? Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The bear family had been grazing on both sides of the highway, creating substantial traffic jams, or “bear jams.”

Momma bear is raising three first-year cubs, or cubs of the year, and the “COYS” were never far from mom while I watched them.

During this sighting the bears ascended the hillside opposite the valley after being run off by a bison herd in a meadow surrounded by sagebrush.

Cropped image of grizzly bear family on hillside. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

They were too far for me to capture a detailed image, but immediately above is a cropped version of a different image from the same sighting that shows the bears in more detail.

The bears in the “quiz” images atop this post are circled below.

Grizzly bear family in the Yellowstone wilderness. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

You can visit national parks for free on Juneteenth

Celebrate outdoors.

On June 19, communities throughout the United States celebrate Juneteenth. While the federal government officially recognized the holiday in 2021, Juneteenth has a history dating back to 1866. The holiday honors the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States, and celebrations range from parades to historical reenactments in national parks. This year, you can also celebrate Juneteenth by visiting one of America’s stunning national parks for free.

The National Park Service (NPS) offers a handful of free entry days throughout the year. As USA Today’s Eve Chen explains, 2024 marks the NPS’s first year waiving entry fees on Juneteenth. Learn more about free entry days here, and check out the list below to find the dates of this year’s other free entry days.

National park free entry days

January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday
April 20: Beginning of National Park Week
June 19: Juneteenth
August 4: Great American Outdoors Act anniversary
September 28: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

Which Yellowstone National Park lodges are worth a visit?

Check them out here.

If you want to see all the natural wonders, adorable animals, and stunning sights at Yellowstone National Park, you’ll probably need to plan for more than a single day’s visit. So, where can you rest your head at night after a day of exploring the region? When it comes to places to stay near the park, visitors will find traditional campgrounds, backcountry camping, cozy lodges, and even cabins to choose from. Today, let’s explore some of these Yellowstone National Park lodging options.

Find the right stay for you with this photo guide to nine of Yellowstone’s lodges, hotels, and cabins. Once you’ve booked your stay, gear up with these park maps and this guide to Yellowstone’s best hikes.