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Yellowstone National Park Visitor Escapes Encounter With Grizzly With Minor Injuries

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By NPT Staff - June 24th, 2020
A woman hiking alone to Fairy Falls in Yellowstone had a brief encounter with a sow grizzly/Kurt Repanshek file

A woman hiking alone to Fairy Falls in Yellowstone had a brief encounter with a sow grizzly/Kurt Repanshek file.

A Missouri woman's visit to Yellowstone National Park will be particularly memorable following her encounter with a sow grizzly.

The 37-year-old from Columbia, Missouri, was hiking the Fairy Falls Trail north of the Old Faithful complex Monday morning when she suddenly found herself confronted by two grizzlies.

"The female bear knocked the woman down, and she sustained a scratch on her thigh. When the visitor fell to the ground, she also received minor injuries to her face. She later declined medical attention," a park release said Wednesday.

The woman had tried to use her bear spray, the release added without details.

The trail and the surrounding area was closed following the incident.

“From the injured person’s statements, this appears to be a typical case of a mother grizzly bear protecting her offspring following a close-range encounter,” said Yellowstone bear management biologist Kerry Gunther. “Because this bear was displaying natural protective behavior for its cub, no action will be taken against the bear. Several trails in the area will be closed to give the grizzly family group time to clear from the area.”  

Park staff said this was the first incident of a bear injuring a visitor in Yellowstone in 2020. The last time a bear injured a visitor in the park was in June 2019, when a black bear bit into an occupied tent and bruised a woman’s thigh.

Hikers in bear country are reminded to:

    • Hike in groups of three or more people
    • Carry bear spray and know how to use it
    • Be alert and make noise 
    • Stay out of areas that are closed for bear management
    • Don’t hike at dawn, dusk, or at night when grizzly bears are most active 
    • If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal.

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