Bears Active Around Norris Campground

Norris Campground in Yellowstone is temporarily restricted to hard-sided units only because of bear activity in the area.

Two young grizzly bears have been frequenting the campground on the park’s west side.

Around lunch time Thursday, one of the bears entered an unoccupied tent, slightly damaged another, and then bit a generator. He returned later in the afternoon along with a second bear.

Attempts to haze the bears out of the area have been unsuccessful.

As a precaution, visitors with tents and pop-up trailers were relocated to campsites in other areas of the park Thursday afternoon, or directed to sleep in their vehicles.

They two bears were spotted traveling through the campground again late Thursday night and around dawn Friday morning.

Efforts to capture and relocate the bears are underway. So far, the bears have not managed to get any food. No one has been hurt.

The campground will remain open only to hard-sided units at least through the holiday weekend.

The popular 100-site campground is located near the Norris Geyser Basin and next to the Museum of the National Park Ranger, 21 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs. Sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visitors are reminded to keep food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes when not in use. This helps keep bears from becoming conditioned to human foods, and helps keep park visitors and their property safe.

Bear sightings should be reported to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible.

All park campgrounds are expected to fill for the long holiday weekend. Visitors are reminded that there is no overflow camping in Yellowstone National Park. Camping overnight in pullouts, parking areas or picnic areas is not permitted. Information on public and private campsites and RV parks near Yellowstone is available from visitor centers or online at http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds-outside-yellowstone.htm.

Grizzly Relocated, Norris Campground Again Open To Tents

Visitors with tents and pop-up trailers can again camp in Yellowstone’s Norris Campground.

On Thursday afternoon, the campground was temporarily restricted to hard-sided units only because two young grizzly bears had been seen frequenting the campground.

Initial efforts to haze or relocate the bears were unsuccessful. However, the sub-adult male bear was captured Friday evening.

On Thursday, this bear had entered an unoccupied tent, slightly damaged another, and then bit a generator. Because of this behavior, the bear was not a good candidate for successful relocation back into the wild. Instead, the 185-pound grizzly was transported on Saturday to Zoo Montana in Billings.

With the male bear gone, the young female grizzly left the campground area. She was later spotted causing a bear jam along the road near Roaring Mountain, several miles north of Norris Junction.

The temporary ban on tents and pop-up trailers was lifted Sunday.

Visitors are reminded to keep food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes when not in use. This helps keep bears from becoming conditioned to human foods, and helps keep park visitors and their property safe.

Bear sightings should be reported to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible.