Bear Incident on Mystic Falls Trail: Two Hikers Injured Near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

Two hikers found themselves in a dangerous situation when they were attacked by a bear on a popular trail near the iconic Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, officials reported Tuesday.

The incident unfolded Monday afternoon on the Mystic Falls Trail, according to park authorities, who identified it as a singular event.

In response to the attack, a large area surrounding the Midway Geyser Basin was temporarily closed for investigation. This closure affects at least five trails and several backcountry campsites.

Authorities have indicated that one or more bears were involved in the attack, though they did not specify the species. Yellowstone is home to both grizzly and black bears, which can sometimes be challenging to distinguish. Grizzlies tend to be more aggressive and significantly larger, potentially twice the size of black bears, which are generally darker in color.

Details about the hikers, including whether they were traveling together and if they required hospitalization, have not yet been disclosed, said Ashton Hooker, a spokesperson for Yellowstone.

While Yellowstone National Park welcomes over 4 million visitors each year, encounters resulting in bear attacks are considered rare.

In September, a hiker suffered injuries to his chest and arm in an attack on the Turbid Lake Trail northeast of Yellowstone Lake, and a grizzly killed a woman just west of Yellowstone in 2023. The last fatal bear mauling in the park was in 2015 when a 63-year-old Billings, Montana man was killed while hiking alone in the park’s Lake Village area.

The fate of bears that attack humans is typically dictated by the circumstances of the encounter.

Following the 2015 fatal attack, 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.

By comparison, last year’s attack on the Turbid Lake Trail happened during a surprise encounter between the victim and the bear. The animal’s reaction was considered natural, so it was not relocated or killed.

The heavily traveled Mystic Falls trail where Monday’s attack occurred includes a loop that leads to a 70-foot (21-meter) tall waterfall. The trailhead is about two miles (three kilometers) northwest of Old Faithful.