A research animal identified as Bear 122 or “The Boss” is believed to have been the first grizzly bear spotted out of hibernation.
The first grizzly bear sighting of 2024 has been logged in Canada’s Banff National Park, according to social media reports.
The park on Thursday confirmed that “bears are awake and active” in the country’s oldest and most popular national park, located in Alberta’s Rockies.
“To ensure the safety of wildlife and the public during this sensitive time of increased activity, area closures may be implemented as needed,” the park stated via Facebook.
Chateau Mountain Sports identified the grizzly bear involved in the first sighting as Bear 122, a.k.a. “The Boss.”
“The Boss is awake! Act busy,” the rental and retail company advised ts Instagram followers.
The park advised tourists to visit its bear safety page before visiting. The page contains advice on how to avoid encounters and how to react during every type of encounter.
A common theme: Stay calm and never run because running is likely to trigger an attack response.
Male grizzly bears are first to emerge from hibernation. They’re typically followed weeks later by female bears with cubs.
–Grizzly bear image courtesy of Banff National Park
Some national parks are perfect for runners. A few of the parks, like Grand Teton and Joshua Tree, even host 5K, half marathon, and marathon events. Yellowstone National Park also offers runners fun races to partake in. These events include races like the Yellowstone Half Marathon and 5K and the Yellowstone 50K Trail Race.
So, if there are official races like these hosted at Yellowstone, why shouldn’t you try tail running through the park? The answer is simple: wildlife. Bears, bison, wolves, and other powerful critters may view your running as a threat or as prey behavior. This isn’t just a potential danger; people have been attacked and killed by animals within Yellowstone. In 2023, a bear attack on one of the park’s trails led to the death of marathon runner Amie Adamson.
While wildlife dangers shouldn’t keep you from enjoying Yellowstone, the park does have a few important safety tips guests should know. Outdoors enthusiasts are probably familiar with most of these rules: don’t feed the animals, keep your distance, and carry bear spray just in case.
NPS photo by Neal Herbert
“All of Yellowstone is bear country,” Yellowstone National Park’s website explains, “from the trails in the park’s backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful. Your safety cannot be guaranteed, but you can play an active role in protecting yourself and the bears people come here to enjoy.”
Additional safety tips recommended by the park include hiking with a partner or group, making noise, respecting park closures, and not leaving food sources unattended. Oh, and if you’re carrying bear spray, make sure you know how to use it. Remember, it’s not like bug spray. You do not want to spray this stuff on yourself or your gear. Instead, bear spray should be directed at an aggressive bear to keep them away and keep you safe.
Read up on more wildlife safety tips here, or explore some of the sights you can expect to see at Yellowstone here.
A hiking guide who was leading a tour recently in Grand Teton National Park snapped a photo of a moose that isn’t hiding but might be difficult for some to spot. Can you spot the moose in Douglas Scott’s image? (Hint, it’s not the distant object …
A hiking guide who was leading a tour recently in Grand Teton National Park snapped a photo of a moose that isn’t hiding but might be difficult for some to spot.
Can you spot the moose in Douglas Scott’s image? (Hint, it’s not the distant object atop the ridge; that’s a radio/cell tower.)
Can you spot the moose?
Scott, who guides in Grand Teton and nearby Yellowstone National Park, told FTW Outdoors that he spotted the moose after pulling over on Highway 89 near the National Elk Refuge.
“I saw the moose immediately, as we had been on the lookout for wildlife in Grand Teton National Park where we had just been watching the sunrise,” said Scott, whose excursions can be booked via The Outdoor Society. “Moose are somewhat common in the area and I had felt slightly frustrated that we had failed to see one up until this point.”
Scott acknowledged that the moose was not in typical moose habitat: near water or nearby meadows.
“The picture was taken at 8 a.m. and while we enjoyed the sighting, the cars driving to and from Jackson from the Tetons didn’t seem to notice the lone moose wandering the hillside, which says more about how well it blended in,” Scott said.
Of the “unique” location of the moose, Scott explained:
“Most moose sightings tend to be when they are along waterways or by willows and other plants. This one was just on the move as we saw it, taking advantage of some exposed plants as it wandered elsewhere.”
The moose in Scott’s image is not sporting antlers, so it does not display the classic moose profile. The animal is circled in the image posted below.
Tourists who plan to visit the park after it reopens next month should expect plenty of surprises as they scour the landscape in search of wildlife.
Yellowstone National Park is plowing roads in preparation for a spring season that promises a vibrant landscape teeming with wildlife.
With this in mind I’m sharing an image I captured last spring, showing a coyote striding past tourists oblivious to its presence as they observed a cinnamon-colored black bear on the opposite side of the highway.
Can you spot the smaller critter closely watching the coyote? (Answer at the bottom of the post.)
Viewers will note the coyote’s traverse across a lush meadow bursting with wildflowers alongside a highway in the northern range.
I’ve also included images showing the cinnamon-colored black bear and a momma black bear and two cubs, which I encountered on the same afternoon a bit farther east.
My visit was in mid-May and I logged sightings of 14 individual bears in three days at various locations – but only the one coyote bypassing the bear jam.
By now you’ve probably spotted and identified the ground squirrel eyeing the coyote, but the critter is circled in the image posted below.
Yellowstone’s winter season recently ended and most park roads are closed. However, plowing is underway and select roads will reopen for the spring/summer season on April 19.
–Editor’s note: A similar version of this post was published in the spring of 2023
Every year, millions of tourists visit America’s national parks. Not every park gets the same amount of visitors, though.
In 2023, some of the most visited national parks were Great Smoky Mountains, Grand Canyon, and Zion. The year’s number one most visited park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, recorded 13,297,647 recreation visits. Grand Canyon National Park came in second place, with 4,733,705 recreation visits.
Unless you’re a winter sports enthusiast, you probably haven’t thought much about visiting national parks during snowy season. But, if you want to avoid crowds, winter might be the perfect time to visit some of the country’s most popular parks. Visitors who time their trips just right will even get to see these magical landscapes covered in shimmering, sparkling snow.
Take a look at what some of the most visited national parks look like in the snow with the gallery of stunning photos below.
Bison are just one of the captivating animals you can spot trekking through Yellowstone National Park in the winter. If you regularly visit the park, you have probably been able to see one of the park’s beautiful bison before. But have you seen these majestic creatures posing in front of Old Faithful geyser right as it’s erupting? On Saturday, March 9, that is exactly what park visitor Cindy Shaffer caught on camera.
“That was an extremely special and tearful moment for me,” Shaffer said. “Tears of joy, of course.”
Grizzly bears will soon emerge from hibernation and the National Park Service has offered humorous but also serious advice on how to stay safe.
Grizzly bears will emerge from hibernation beginning this month and the National Park Service has advised hikers to exercise common sense and avoid temptation.
“If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down… even if you feel the friendship has run its course,” the NPS joked via X.
From a more serious followup tweet: “What about your other friend? Seeing a bear in the wild is a special treat for any visitor to a national park. While it is an exciting moment, it is important to remember that bears in national parks are wild and can be dangerous.”
If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.
The NPS then tweeted a link that offers tips for those who plan to enter bear country. They include carrying bear spray, hiking in groups, making noise on trails, maintaining a safe distance from bears you see, and avoiding surprise encounters by remaining on trails.
If you do come face to face with a grizzly bear, don’t run. Instead, talk calmly to the animal while remaining in place because fleeing could trigger an attack response. Also, be prepared to use the all-important bear spray.
Grizzly bear images courtesy of the National Parks Service
“Remain still; stand your ground but slowly wave your arms,” the NPS advised. “Help the bear recognize you as a human. It may come closer or stand on its hind legs to get a better look or smell. A standing bear is usually curious, not threatening.”
For other NPS tips, click here. The information could keep you and your loved ones safe in the wilderness.
Get a glimpse of some of the magnificent creatures that swim in the waters around California’s one and only Channel Islands National Park.
While several species call the Channel Islands home, some are more likely to make an appearance than others. One of the species known for staying out of the limelight is the orca. Eagle-eyed wildlife watchers have to be pretty lucky to spot one of these curious animals.
Recently, a ranger patrolling the area around the park’s San Miguel Island lucked out and saw a pod of orcas for himself. As Channel Islands National Park recently explained in a Facebook post, “Although sightings of orcas around the Channel Islands are rare, they can happen at any time of the year.”
See this orca sighting for yourself in the video below.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=765451632164134
Note: The featured image is a stock photo used to illustrate the story.
The amazing recreational opportunities in West Virginia’s New River Gorge are no secret. This destination was recognized as a national river in 1978 and has long been beloved by rafters. But since becoming America’s newest national park in 2020, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve has grown even more popular.
What does this place in rural West Virginia have to offer? There are over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the rugged New River. You can hike, bike along an old railroad grade, raft, and rock climb. All the while, you’ll be marveling at the longest, deepest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. The park includes a variety of habitats that shelter rare and endangered animals. The Virginia big-eared bat, the Indiana bat, and the Allegheny woodrat all make their homes here. Rich human history is also evident, with rail and mining artifacts.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
Running at New River Gorge
Want to go for a run through New River Gorge? The New River Gorge Regional Development Authority’s Active Southern West Virginia initiative is here to encourage you. Brandon Mehlinger, an avid runner and running spokesperson for Active Southern West Virginia, wants to inspire people to get active outside.
“Two of the best trails in the New River Gorge National Park for trail running are Long Point Trail and Kaymoor Miners Trail,” Mehlinger said. “Long Point trail is a 3 mile out and back that leads you out to a stunning view of the river and the bridge. Kaymoor Miners trail takes you down through the remnants of an old coal mine area. It’s a unique trail that offers a challenging 821 step staircase at the bottom of the trail and can branch off in different ways on the way back up depending on how far you’re looking to run.”
Photo courtesy of Active Southern West Virginia
If you like to plan your travel around race events, New River Gorge offers two big days: the six-mile New River Gorge Rim to Rim Race in May and the Bridge Day 5K in October. Both involve the stunning and much-photographed New River Gorge Bridge. Runners pass under the bridge during the Rim to Rim.
“The Bridge Day 5K allows runners the only opportunity of the year to run on the Bridge,” Mehlinger said. “Runners get to see the park and all its glory from above and really get to visualize the scale of it all. Both races give runners unparalleled views of the park – one from below, and the other from above.”
Photo by Jay Young, courtesy of Active Southern West Virginia
Can’t make a race day? Drop in for one of Active Southern West Virginia’s weekly running groups in Fayetteville or Beckley to explore trails inside the New River Gorge National Park.
Originally from Connecticut, Mehlinger came to West Virginia in 2022 as an AmeriCorps volunteer. Part of his role was expanding the Kids Run Club program to more rural elementary schools. Now, he’s the program coordinator of Active Southern West Virginia and a big advocate of both community and running.
Photo courtesy of Active Southern West Virginia
“The New River Gorge National Park holds a unique allure for running enthusiasts, and it’s not just about the breathtaking scenery, although that’s certainly a major part of it,” he said. “What truly makes this place special for running is the heart and soul of the community that surrounds it. West Virginians are a close-knit group of individuals that take immense pride in their outdoors. The trails in the park follow century-old paths, revealing the history of timber and coal industries.”
Mehlinger urges people to get out on the trails to hike, mountain bike, or run. “It’s the people, the shared love for running, and the sense of community that make every stride in this park truly special.”
Members of the Wapiti wolf pack were observed strolling across the boardwalk system that winds around Old Faithful and other thermal features.
Yellowstone National Park fans who tuned into the Old Faithful webcam Thursday morning were thrilled to see wolves strolling across the iconic thermal region.
“What a view this morning!” Yellowstone Forever exclaimed via X. “The webcam captured some incredible footage of the park’s Wapiti wolf pack making its way through the Upper Geyser Basin.”
The webcam footage – rare footage, indeed – shows several wolves on and near the basin’s sprawling boardwalk system. (See footage below.)
What a view this morning as seen through Yellowstone’s Old Faithful live-stream webcam! The webcam captured some incredible footage of the park’s Wapiti wolf pack making its way through the Upper Geyser Basin. The webcam is made possible by our generous partners at @canon. pic.twitter.com/sedDv8coeQ
A 10-minute version produced by the National Park Service (posted below) shows more extensive exploration by the wolves near Old Faithful and other geysers as steam floats across the wintry landscape.
At times, the wolves are traveling on boardwalks that are crowded with tourists in spring and summer. One wolf is shown near a geyser’s vent, as if savoring its warmth.
A screen shot from the webcam footage was posted on the Yellowstone Insiders Hub Facebook page by Joe Nagel, who exclaimed: “Wolves right now on the Old Faithful webcam!”
One follower joked: “Get. On. The. Boardwalk,” in reference to a park regulation that applies only to human visitors.
Another remarked, “Well, that probably cleared the elk and bison out of the geyser basin.”
Old Faithful is in the southwest portion of the 2.2-million-acre park, which is situated in Wyoming and small portions of Montana and Idaho.
Although wolf sightings can occur anywhere inside the park, the most likely spotting destinations are across the vast northern range.
