National Parks Service (NPS) officials believe they have identified a family of bears involved in an incident Monday that left two Yellowstone hikers injured. The incident led to multiple temporary closures throughout the park while NPS investigates, and they initially provided no details aside from a belief “one or more bears” had been involved.
“Emergency responders, including law enforcement, EMS personnel and interagency partners, responded to the scene and provided aid before transporting two male hikers, ages 15 and 28, from the area by helicopter,” wrote the NPS. “Based on evidence collected so far, park staff believe a female grizzly bear with two or three cubs-of-the-year (cubs in their first year of life) were involved in the encounter. This incident remains under investigation, and there are no further details to share at this time.”
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NPS did not provide other details on the condition of the hikers, and they reminded the public that several closures are still intact. A map posted in a NPS press release Friday showed no changes from the original closures that were activated Monday, including Fairy Falls Trail north of the Grand Prismatic Overlook, Sentinel Meadows Trail, Imperial Meadows Trail, Fairy Creek Trail, Summit Lake Trail, and several closed backcountry areas.
Monday’s 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 was September 2025 when a hiker tried to use bear spray and sustained severe but not life-threatening injuries to his upper body. The last human fatality caused by a bear was in 2015. According to park statistics, there have been just eight grizzly related deaths since 1872.
