Two hikers injured in first Yellowstone bear attack of 2026
Two hikers were injured as Yellowstone’s spring grizzlies emerged, a reminder that carcasses, brush and off-trail walking can turn a routine hike dangerous.
Two hikers were injured by one or more bears in Yellowstone, the park’s first bear-related injuries of 2026, as grizzlies moved out of hibernation and back onto spring feeding grounds. Park biologists reported the first grizzly sighting of the season on March 9, when a bear was seen scavenging a bull bison carcass in the northern part of the park.
That detail matters because Yellowstone says bears emerging from hibernation often feed on winter-killed elk and bison, then react aggressively when people get close to carcasses or other concentrated food sources. Park officials describe all of Yellowstone as bear country and urge visitors to stay on designated trails, travel in groups of three or more, carry bear spray, make noise and stay alert to avoid surprise encounters.
The timing is also notable. Yellowstone’s 2026 grizzly capture and research operations began May 1 and were scheduled to continue through Oct. 15, with field crews from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team working across the park. At the same time, the park has continued to remove bears that become conditioned to human food or pose public-safety risks. In one case last year, an 11-year-old male grizzly was trapped and killed on May 14, 2025, after repeatedly seeking human food sources in developed areas.
The attack adds to a long record of rare but serious encounters. Yellowstone says that since 1979 the park has hosted more than 118 million visits, and 44 people have been injured by grizzly bears there. That works out to about a 1-in-2.7-million chance of injury for visitors, a low odds figure that still leaves room for abrupt danger when people wander too close to a bear or its food.
Recent incidents show the risk has not disappeared. A solo hiker was injured on the Turbid Lake Trail on Sept. 16, 2025, and previous Yellowstone bear injuries were documented in 2020 and 2021, including one case in which a man hiking alone believed he encountered two grizzlies. In the Greater Yellowstone region, wildlife officials documented seven grizzly bear encounters resulting in injuries in 2024, underscoring the pressure that comes when heavy visitor use overlaps with one of the country’s most important bear habitats.
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