Yellowstone Bear Attack Injures 2 Hikers Near Old Faithful

Two hikers were injured in a yellowstone bear attack on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park on Monday afternoon. Park officials said emergency personnel responded, and the incident is under investigation.

Officials did not reveal the extent of the hikers’ injuries. They also closed at least five trails and multiple campsites after the attack, cutting off access in one of the park’s busiest areas.

Yellowstone Mystic Falls Trail

The park told visitors to stay at least 100 yards away from bears, carry bear spray, and look for signs of the animals. It said, “See the bear before you surprise it,” and “Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites.”

This was the first time in the year that a bear injured people at Yellowstone National Park. The most recent bear attack before Monday came in September, when a 29-year-old hiker was seriously injured in a “surprise encounter” on the Turbid Lake Trail.

Yellowstone Bear Attack History

The new attack also fits into a longer record that park visitors already know well. The last human fatality caused by a bear inside Yellowstone National Park occurred in 2015, while a grizzly killed a woman just west of the park in 2023.

Scientists spotted the first grizzly bear of 2026 at Yellowstone in March, and Yellowstone officials have estimated that the grizzly bear population in the region dropped to 136 in 1975. The greater Yellowstone ecosystem now has more than 1,000 grizzlies across portions of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.

For visitors heading into the Mystic Falls area now, the immediate change is simple: stay out of the closed trails and campsites, keep distance from bears, and watch the ground for tracks, scat, and feeding sites before continuing on foot.