Hikers Say They Were Attacked by a Bear in Yellowstone National Park
The last time a bear was responsible for the death of a visitor was in 2015.
Published May 5 2026, 4:10 p.m. ET
Yellowstone National Park offers many people a dreamy opportunity to take in the splendors of Mother Nature. That's because the park sits on more than two million acres of wilderness. And while all of that preserved land contains some truly spectacular sights — like Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Springs, and thermal pools — a ton of wildlife also calls the park home, including black bears and grizzly bears.
And while these creatures are a sight to behold, they can also be deadly.
Two hikers almost learned that lesson the hard way when they say they were attached by a bear on May 4, 2026.
While this marked the first bear attack of the season for the national park, these types of animal encounters aren't exactly rare, which is why National Park Service (NPS) officials are constantly reminding visitors to be aware of their surroundings while they are out on the trials and in more remote areas of the park, especially during mating season. Here's what we know so far.
Two hikers were injured during a bear attack at Yellowstone National Park.
The NPS released a statement about what happened on the park's website, noting that they were closing a portion of the park as a result of the attack. According to the press release, the attack happened on Monday afternoon when they encountered "one or more" bears while hiking on the Mystic Falls Trail, which is located near Old Faithful.
CBS News actually spoke with the person who found the hikers, and he explained that he had initially realized something was amiss after seeing paw prints.
He followed the trail for a bit, which ultimately led him to a hat that had been covered in blood, and a watch that had clearly been torn off someone's wrist was laying nearby. The visitor says moments later he heard someone calling for help, which is when he stumbled upon one of the two hikers.
The bystander says that the hiker was "tore up pretty bad" and that they had cuts all over their body. He immediately called 911, and then he comforted the hiker until help arrived.
It doesn't sound like there are any updates on the conditions of the hikers, nor has the NPS released whether or not the injuries were life-threatening.
However, the agency did note that this attack was the first one to take place in the park since September 2025, and that the last time a bear was responsible for the death of a visitor was all the way back in 2015, which happened a bit further away in the Lake Village part of the park.
The NPS has closed off portions of the park during its investigation.
The agency has closed portions of the park while it completes an investigation into the attacks.
According to the NPS website, that means shuttering multiple backcountry camps, including OG1 and OD1 through OD5. Additionally, fishing is prohibited along the Firehole River and its tributaries during this time. NPS says it has also closed five trails for the immediate future.
You can find out more about which parts of the park are closed by visiting the NPS website.