EBS STAFF
Two hikers in Yellowstone National Park were injured by “one or more bears” on the afternoon of May 4 along the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful, announced a park service news release. National Park Service emergency crews responded, and the incident is still under investigation.
This is the first reported bear-related injury in Yellowstone in 2026. The last such incident occurred in September 2025 when a 29-year-old man was attacked on the Turbid Lake Trail near Yellowstone Lake’s Mary Bay. The most recent fatal bear attack in the park was in 2015 near Lake Village.
Several areas near the incident site are closed while the investigation continues, including land west of the Grand Loop Road between Fountain Flat Drive and Black Sand Basin, along with the following trails: Fairy Falls (north of Grand Prismatic Overlook), Sentinel Meadows, Imperial Meadows, Fairy Creek and Summit Lake. Backcountry campsites OG1 and OD1–OD5 are also closed, as is fishing access along parts of the Firehole River within the closure zone.
Visitors can still access Midway Geyser Basin, Black Sand Basin and the Grand Prismatic Overlook via the Fairy Falls Trailhead, although the area beyond the overlook remains closed.
In the news release, park officials reminded visitors to take precautions in bear country by keeping at least 100 yards away from bears, carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it, staying alert for signs of bear activity, making noise while hiking and traveling in groups of three or more, avoiding hiking at dawn, dusk, or night and to never run from a bear.
