Two hikers sustained injuries in a bear attack on a popular trail near Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful geyser, park officials announced Tuesday. The incident, described as a single event, occurred on Monday afternoon along the Mystic Falls Trail.
Park Closures and Investigation
Following the attack, a large area of the park near the Midway Geyser Basin, including at least five trails and several backcountry campsites, was temporarily closed pending an investigation. Officials confirmed one or more bears were involved but did not specify the species.
The park has populations of both grizzly bears and black bears, which can be difficult to tell apart at times. Grizzlies can be more aggressive and they grow much larger — as much as twice as big as black bears. Black bears usually have darker coloring.
Limited Information Released
Further information — including whether the victims were hiking together and whether they were hospitalized for their injuries — was not being immediately released, said Yellowstone spokesperson Ashton Hooker.
Rare Occurrence
Yellowstone gets more than 4 million visits by tourists annually and attacks by grizzlies or black bears are rare. In September, a hiker suffered injuries to his chest and arm in an attack on the Turbid Lake Trail northeast of Yellowstone Lake, and a grizzly killed a woman just west of Yellowstone in 2023. The last fatal bear mauling in the park was in 2015 when a 63-year-old Billings, Montana man was killed while hiking alone in the park's Lake Village area.
Bear Management Protocols
The circumstances of the encounter typically dictate the fate of bears that attack humans. Following the 2015 fatal attack, officials captured and killed an adult female grizzly because it had eaten part of the victim's body and hid the rest, which is not normal behavior for a bear defending its young. By comparison, last year's attack on the Turbid Lake Trail happened during a surprise encounter between the victim and the bear. The animal's reaction was considered natural, so it was not relocated or killed.
Trail Details
The heavily traveled Mystic Falls trail where Monday's attack occurred includes a loop that leads to a 70-foot (21-meter) tall waterfall. The trailhead is about two miles (three kilometers) northwest of Old Faithful.
