A pair of hikers were attacked by “one or more bears” on the afternoon of May 4. They sustained injuries from the attack, National Parks Service (NPS) said in a press release, but no other details of their condition were shared. Temporary closures have been implemented as a result while NPS investigates the incident, including several trails, backcountry campsites, and more.
The incident occurred on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful but the closures cover a significant area following the attack. NPS says Fairy Falls Trail north of the Grand Prismatic Overlook, Sentinel Meadows Trail, Imperial Meadows Trail, Fairy Creek Trail, and Summit Lake Trail are all closed. Fishing along the Firehole River and associated tributaries in the area are also closed.
The incident marks the first time humans have been injured by a bear at Yellowstone this year. The last human-bear interaction that resulted in injury there was September 2025, and the last human fatality caused by a bear was in 2015. There have been just eight grizzly related deaths since 1872.
NPS estimates there are an average of five grizzly-bear related conflicts with humans each year at Yellowstone since 2021. “Conflicts” doesn’t always equate to an attack or injuries for those humans, however, as NPS defines those incidents as interactions in which a bear damages property, obtains human food, or injures or kills a person. Pulling the lens even further back, a total or 45 people have been injured by bears in the park dating back to 1979. Yellowstone’s hosted more than 148 million visits in that span, meaning a person has a one in 3.3 million chance of being injured by a grizzly while at Yellowstone.
“The risk is significantly lower for people who don’t leave developed areas or roadsides and higher for anyone hiking in the backcountry,” wrote the NPS.
