A 29-year-old hiker sustained serious injuries after being attacked by a bear in Yellowstone National Park.
According to Yellowstone officials, the incident occurred on the Turbid Lake Trail, near the northeastern shore of Yellowstone Lake, on Tuesday afternoon. The victim was hiking alone when he encountered the bear near Turbid Lake, 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead.
The bear attacked the man, injuring his chest and arm. The man was carrying bear spray, but wasn’t able to deploy it until after the bear had made contact with him.
Once deployed, the bear spray drove the bear off. National Park Service medics responded to the scene, and the hiker was able to walk with them to a waiting ambulance.
After being taken to the Lake Medical Clinic, the victim was flown to a nearby hospital. His current condition has not been disclosed, other than that his injuries were "serious but non-life-threatening."
First In A While
Tuesday’s incident was the first human-bear incident resulting in injury in Yellowstone in over four years. The last incident occurred in May 2021, when a solo hiker was injured by a grizzly on the Beaver Ponds Trail near Mammoth Hot Springs.
The National Park Service is investigating the incident and has temporarily closed the Turbid Lake Trailhead as a precautionary measure.
The species of the attacking bear hasn’t been conclusively identified. The hiker told first responders it was a black bear, but park officials said in a statement that “the location, size, and behavior of the described bear” indicates that it was probably a grizzly bear.”
“Bear management staff will attempt to confirm the species through DNA analysis, if possible,” the statement reads.
Busy Year For Bears
Yellowstone has had several bear-related incidents in 2025 that resulted in the “lethal removal” of two bears this season.
In May, a male grizzly was killed after knocking over several bear-proof dumpsters and bear-resistant trash cans in several different areas of the park between April 3 and May 13. It was the first grizzly killed within the park since 2017.
In July, a female black bear was killed after “a series of concerning incidents” at a backcountry campsite located in the Blacktail Deer Creek drainage. It was the first black bear to be put down by Yellowstone wildlife officials in five years.
These bears hadn’t injured any people, but showed signs of aggression associated with becoming conditioned to human food. After repeated incidents of aggressive behavior that presented a risk to visitors, the decision was made to remove the bears from the park’s population.
Park officials haven’t indicated if they’ll take any action regarding the bear that injured the hiker on Tuesday, assuming it can be found and identified after the incident.
Season Of Danger
In September, bears go into “hyperphagia.” They actively seek and aggressively gorge on as much high-calorie food as possible to build up their fat reserves for winter hibernation.
“Some bears will start going to sleep in October, with most bears denned by Thanksgiving time,” Wyoming Game and Fish large carnivore specialist Dan Thompson told Cowboy State Daily in 2022. “Our decades of studying bears have demonstrated their adaptability and flexibility to eat healthy and stay plump as they go into the dens.”
Hyperphagia makes grizzlies and black bears more territorial and aggressive, as they’re competing for limited resources and high-quality food. This makes them more likely to charge, attack, and potentially kill humans with less provocation.
Yellowstone officials urged visitors to take proper precautions if they intend to head into the backcountry or less-developed areas of the park. They should carry bear spray, “know how to use it,” and be more alert when hiking.
“See the bear before you surprise it,” read Tuesday’s statement. “Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites (signs of digging, rolled rocks, torn up logs, ripped open ant hills). Make noise, stay on (established trails), and don't hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when grizzlies are most active.”
They also encouraged people to hike in groups of three or more, as it reduces the risk of a bear attack.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
