A Man Is Recovering After Being Attacked by a Bear at Yellowstone National Park

A man is lucky to be alive after a scary encounter with what officials believe was a grizzley bear during a September 2025 visit to the park. The 29-year-old sustained significant injuries during the encounter, which required medical treatment.

Fortunately, it sounds like none of his injuries were life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery. Still, officials are now tasked with investigating the incident to determine if the bear remains a threat.

As such, a portion of the park is being shut down for a short time, and park officials will work to determine exactly what happened during the hike, and why the bear attacked the man seemingly out of nowhere.

You can learn more about the Yellowstone National Park bear attack below, including just how frequently people are injured by the bears at the park.

ABC News reports that the man was alone on the Turbid Lake Trail, which is located northeast of the scenic Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake. The trail is nearly three miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead, which is located in the Pelican Valley Bear Management Area.

According to the hiker, he was on the path when he was startled by what he believed was a black bear. The 29-year-old used the bear spray he had with him, which sounds like it was enough to chase the bear off.

Afterwards, he called for help, and National Park Service medics arrived on the scene and were able to triage the hiker before walking him out of the park. From there, he was taken to a local clinic, and after his wounds were assessed, he was flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.

“The Turbid Lake Trail is closed until further notice,” officials said in a statement, noting that the attack seemed "defensive" in nature, and no further action will be taken against the bear.

According to the We're In the Rockies blog, bear attacks are more frequent in the park than you might imagine. The website says that the park averages one attack per year. Of those attacks, only eight have been fatal since they began tracking this information, and the park believes that a total of 44 people have been injured in a bear attack since 1979.

That may seem like a lot, but when you consider that millions of people visit the park each year, that number is actually quite low.

Still, as the September 2025 attack shows, sometimes these visits do end in tragedy, so it's important to stay "bear aware" whenever visiting the park. That means understanding that you could encounter a variety of bears — the park is home to both black bears and the larger, and more terrifying, grizzly bears which were believed to be behind the attack on the hiker — and to know what to do if you encounter each one.

Additionally, it sounds like it's a good idea to carry bear spray as well.