Yellowstone National Park - Yellowstone's Bears (U.S. National Park Service)

A sow grizzly and her cubs stand in front of a stream.

Bears may be seen in Yellowstone March through November. Yellowstone is one of the only areas south of Canada that still has large grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the GYE grizzly bear population segment had recovered sufficient numbers and distribution to be removed from the threatened list. Grizzly bears are usually seen in the open areas. Look for black bears along the edges of trees in the Lamar and Hayden valleys, or among the trees near Mammoth and Tower.

Bear Management Office Recent Publications
Bear Management Update	Menstruating Women
Bear Characteristics	Mortality
Bear Foods	Recovery Parameters
Denning/Hibernation	Sightings
Human Injuries	Bear Sighting Form

Visit this map for general areas in the park where you are most likely to see a bear.

Drawing of grizzly and black bear for comparison.

Video: Identifying Black Bears & Grizzly Bears (Requires Windows Media Player) Yellowstone is prime habitat for both grizzly bears and black bears. With a little luck, you might spot one on a visit to the park. But it’s not as easy as you might think to tell them apart.

The Yellowstone Park Foundation funded the Bear Awareness Kiosk Project and Grizzly Bear Research. They are currently seeking donations to help fund a Grizzly Bear Moth Study. They are a non-profit organization whose mission is to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve and enhance Yellowstone National Park.