Park officials said one or more bears were involved but did not specify the species.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Two hikers were injured this week after encountering a bear in Yellowstone National Park.
According to a social media post by the national park, two hikers were injured by one or more bears on the Mystic Falls Trail near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
A large area of the park near the Midway Geyser Basin was temporarily closed pending an investigation. The area includes at least five trails and several backcountry campsites.
Park officials said one or more bears were involved but did not specify which species.
The park has populations of both grizzly bears and black bears, which can be difficult to tell apart at times. Grizzlies can be more aggressive and they grow much larger, as much as twice as big as black bears. Black bears usually have darker coloring.
Park officials did not disclose whether the victims were hiking together or if they were hospitalized for their injuries.
According to the park, this is the first incident of a bear injuring a person in Yellowstone in 2026. The last time a visitor was injured by a bear in the park was in September 2025, when a hiker suffered injuries to his chest and arm. The last human fatality caused by a bear occurred in 2015, when a 63-year-old man was killed while walking along near the Lake Village area.
After the deadly attack in 2015, officials captured and killed an adult female grizzly because it had eaten part of the victim’s body and hid the rest, which is not normal behavior for a bear defending its young.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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