Bear Attack That Injured 2 Hikers At Yellowstone Prompts Temporary Closures

Parts of Yellowstone National Park were temporarily closed to visitors Tuesday while officials investigate an attack by “one or more bears” that injured two hikers on Monday.

National Park Service emergency services personnel responded on the afternoon of May 4 to a report of two injured hikers on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

Park officials said the two hikers sustained injuries from one or more bears, and that no further information about their condition was available as of Tuesday morning.

The incident remains under investigation, and certain areas of the park were closed temporarily while the investigation continues.

Closures include the area west of Grand Loop Road from north end of Fountain Flat Drive to Black Sand Basin. Multiple trails were closed, including Fairy Falls Trail north of the Grand Prismatic Overlook; Sentinel Meadows Trail; Imperial Meadows Trail; Fairy Creek Trail; and Summit Lake Trail.

Backcountry campsites OG1, OD1, OD2, OD3, OD4, and OD5 were also closed, along with fishing areas along Firehole River and associated tributaries within the closure area.

Park officials said the bear attack marks the first case of a bear injuring a person at the park in 2026. The last time a bear injured a visitor was in September 2025. The last fatality caused by a bear occurred in 2015 in the Lake Village area.