Grizzlies are starting to stir in Yellowstone National Park. On Wednesday, fresh grizzly tracks were spotted in the snow in the park's northern section, which means a bear is wandering somewhere.
The first grizzly of spring is as much of a tradition as the groundhog in February. The first signs of grizzlies in 2025 coincided almost exactly with the first grizzly of spring, which was spotted last year on March 13, 2024.
The National Park Service (NPS) knows people worldwide are excited as grizzlies emerge from hibernation, but it cautions that this is the beginning of a dangerous period in Yellowstone. Like most people after a long nap, grizzlies are hungry, cranky, and don’t want to be bothered.
Mid-March Madness
The first signs and sightings of grizzlies generally appear in the first half of March. The week between March 7 and 14 is a good one to bet on, since that’s when the first grizzlies were sighted in Yellowstone and Grand Teton for the last five years.
As the snow melts, the carcasses of bison and other animals that perished during the winter are exposed. The smell of rotting flesh is a dinner bell to voracious grizzlies seeking to replace the 4,000 calories they burn per day during hibernation.
“When bears first emerge from hibernation, they look for carcasses at lower elevations and spring vegetation in thermal meadows and south-facing slopes or nourishment,” Kerry Gunther, Yellowstone’s bear management biologist, told Cowboy State Daily in 2021.
The first grizzlies of spring are almost always males, or “boars.” Females with cubs tend to slumber longer, emerging in April and early May.
“I’d guess the first boars will show up in early March in Yellowstone’s northern range. Maybe at the ponds where bison fall through the ice,” Wyoming wildlife photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven told Cowboy State Daily in February.
The NPS always uses the first bear of spring as an opportunity to caution visitors to be “bear aware.” Enormous appetites can make grizzlies more aggressive, especially when there’s a perceived threat to their next meal.
“All of Yellowstone National Park is bear country: from the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks around Old Faithful,” the NPS posted on the Yellowstone Facebook page. “Carry bear spray & know how to use it. Stay alert & make noise to avoid surprises. Hike in groups and stay on designated trails. If you encounter a bear, never run – remain calm and back away slowly.”
Spirit And In Spirit
Grand Teton’s grizzlies tend to emerge later than Yellowstone’s. Most photographers and grizzly enthusiasts don’t expect to get their first grizzly shots of the season until late March or early April.
“Yellowstone typically has a bigger food supply waiting for them once they wake up,” Vangoidtsenhoven said. “Our bison herd in the Tetons is not only much smaller, but they also don't have similar dangers to cross.”
One grizzly that won’t be looked for is Grizzly 399. She always emerged late, usually in mid-May, but she was killed by a vehicle in October 2024.
Spirit, 399’s final cub, fled the scene of its mother’s death and hasn’t been seen since. Many are hopeful that Spirit will emerge from hibernation as an enduring symbol of “the Queen of the Tetons.”
“Spirit is a tough question,” Vangoidtsenhoven said. “I’m not sure anyone will recognize the cub with certainty now that it’s on its own, and if it turns out to be a boar, he may disappear into the backcountry,”
Nobody knows if Spirit is male or female, but the consensus was that the cub was old and experienced enough to survive the winter. Wyoming and the world will be waiting.
“I am holding my breath for that cub,” wildlife photographer Isabella Smedley told Cowboy State Daily. “I hope it’s a female so we get to see her. If it’s a boy and he survived, we won’t see him for a very long time, (but) 399 was pretty visible everywhere, so it’s anybody’s guess what the cub will do.”
