A 29-year-old man is recovering after suffering significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm after a bear attacked him while hiking in Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday, September 16th, 2025.
The solo hiker was walking on the Turbid Lake Trail located northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake and approximately 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead in the Pelican Valley Bear Management Area when he encountered the bear. The hiker was carrying bear spray and managed to deploy it against the bear.
National Park Service medics responded to the scene and walked with the hiker to the trail head who was then who taken to the Lake Medical Clinic before being flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The attack currently remains under investigation and the Turbid Lake Trail is closed until further notice. Park officials will not be taking any management action against the bear as the attack was a defensive reaction by the bear during a surprise encounter. This is the first incident of a bear injuring a person in Yellowstone since May 2021 when a grizzly bear attacked a solo hiker on the Beaver Ponds Trail in Mammoth Hot Springs.
Yellowstone National Park Statement:
Solo hiker injured by bear on Sept. 16 in Yellowstone. Be bear aware to help avoid surprise bear encounters!
– On the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 16, a male, age 29, sustained injuries from a bear while hiking on the Turbid Lake Trail, located northeast of Mary Bay in Yellowstone Lake.
– The incident occurred approximately 2.5 miles from the Pelican Valley Trailhead in the Pelican Valley Bear Management Area.
– The male was hiking alone when he encountered the bear near Turbid Lake. The hiker began to deploy bear spray when the bear made contact, and he sustained significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm. National Park Service medics responded to the incident and walked out with the hiker.
– Once arriving to the trailhead, NPS transported the hiker in a park ambulance to the Lake Medical Clinic. He was then flown to a nearby hospital for treatment.
– The hiker thought the bear was a black bear; however, the location, size, and behavior of the described bear suggest it might have been a grizzly bear. Bear management staff will attempt to confirm the species through DNA analysis, if possible.
– The Turbid Lake Trail is closed until further notice. Bear management staff are sweeping the trail to ensure no other hikers are on the trail.
– Because this incident was a defensive reaction by the bear during a surprise encounter, the park will not be taking any management action against the bear.
– This incident remains under investigation and there are no further details to share at this time
Be bear aware to help avoid surprise bear encounters
- Carry bear spray and know how to use it.
- Be alert. See the bear before you surprise it. Watch for fresh tracks, scat, and feeding sites (signs of digging, rolled rocks, torn up logs, ripped open ant hills).
- Make noise.
- Hike in groups of three or more people.
- Stay 100 yards (91 meters) away from bears at all times.
- Stay on trail and don’t hike at dawn, dusk, or at night, when grizzlies are most active.
- Don’t run from a bear.
