Yellowstone National Park’s first grizzly bear sighting of 2026

On March 9, Yellowstone biologists working in the northern part of the park reported seeing the first grizzly bear of the spring season. The bear was observed in the backcountry scavenging on a bull bison carcass.

The first reported grizzly bear sighting of 2025 occurred on March 14. In 2024, it occurred on March 3, and in 2022 and 2023, March 7.

When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Bears may react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding on carcasses. Male grizzlies come out of hibernation in early March. Females with cubs emerge in April and early May.

All of Yellowstone is grizzly and black bear country: from the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful.

Bear spray has proven effective in deterring bears defending cubs and food sources. It can also reduce the number of bears killed by people in self-defense. While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm by visitors is a violation of park regulations.





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• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

• My new, improved and expanded edition on the history of hiking is now available on Amazon

Margaret Stevenson – The GOAT

The following an adaptation from my new book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking:

In 1960, Margaret Stevenson took up hiking to relieve severe back pain. Sixteen years later, at the age of 64, she became the first woman to hike every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. Shortly after her death in 2006, the Tennessee House issued a joint resolution honoring Ms. Stevenson. It read, in part:

WHEREAS, Mrs. Stevenson will be fondly remembered as the first woman to hike all 900 miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains, logging 3,000 miles a year for 40 years, more mileage than she put on her car;

In 1997, at the age of 84, she registered her 718th ascent of Mt. LeConte, the third highest peak in the Smokies. This would be her final trip to the top of the 6593-foot mountain. Sitting just below the summit of this legendary mountain is the LeConte Lodge, which can only be accessed by one of five backcountry trails. After her death, Stevenson’s bronzed hiking boots were put on permanent display in the dining room of the lodge. The authors of LeConte Lodge: A Centennial History of a Smoky Mountain Landmark, named Stevenson as one of the “Greatest Of All Times (GOATs) of LeConte.”

You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

The First Female Mountaineers (part 2)

The following an adaptation from my new book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking:

Henriette d'Angeville and Anne Lister are considered to be the first true female mountaineers. Less than a month after Lister’s ascent of Mont Vignemale, discussed yesterday, Henriette d'Angeville would become the second female to stand atop Mont Blanc in France. This ascent was made with great fanfare, both before and after her return from the mountain. Despite the enthusiastic response from the people of Chamonix, Henriette was persuaded to draft a will after several friends and relatives warned her that her endeavor was dangerous, foolish and unladylike. Though she also suffered from a serious bout of altitude sickness while ascending the Grande-Côte, d'Angeville refused help from her guides. After struggling for four hours in a “state of agony,” as reported by Henry Gribble, d'Angeville stood atop Mont Blanc on September 4, 1838, and became the first woman to reach the ice-capped summit without assistance. Upon her return to the valley a cannon was fired, and a celebratory dinner and gala were held in her honor - with Marie Paradis in attendance. This feat inspired other European ladies to take to the mountains in the years and decades that would follow.

While Mont Blanc was d'Angeville’s first major alpine ascent, she continued to climb until the age of 69. The Oldenhorn, a rugged 10,246-foot peak in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland, was her final excursion. Afterwards, d'Angeville famously quipped, “The Oldenhorn is my twenty first Alpine ascent, and will probably be one of the last; for it is wise at my age to drop the alpenstock before the alpenstock drops me.”

You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

The First Female Mountaineers (part 1)

The following an adaptation from my new book, Ramble On: A History of Hiking:

Anne Lister and Henriette d'Angeville are considered to be the first true female mountaineers. Born in Yorkshire, England in 1791, Lister is widely regarded as "the first modern lesbian." Much of what we know about her comes from her diaries, which she maintained throughout much of her life. It’s estimated that she wrote roughly five million words. Lister is also known for having a strong passion for travel, adventure and rambling. Her first recorded excursion was a trek to the top of 3560-foot Mount Snowdon in Wales in 1822. Her most famous accomplishment, however, was that of becoming the first “amateur” to ascend Mont Vignemale, the highest peak in the French Pyrenees. This ascent was made famous because it quite possibly resulted in the first legal course of action to stem from climbing a mountain.

During a visit to the Pyrenees in 1838, Anne decided that she wanted to become the first “amateur” to stand atop the 10,820-foot mountain. Around that time it was thought that Mont Vignemale was inaccessible from the French side of the border; however, a professional guide by the name of Henri Cazaux discovered a viable route during the previous summer. As a result, Lister hired him to become her guide. While impatiently waiting several days for foul weather to clear out of the region, Lister learned on August 6th that Prince de La Moscowa was planning to climb the mountain later that week, regardless of weather conditions. With assurances from Cazaux that conditions were about to improve, Lister decided to make her attempt on the following day. She, Cazaux, and two other guides reached the summit of Mont Vignemale on August 7th. One week later, however, Anne learned that Cazaux had informed the Prince that she was unsuccessful in her bid, and that he was actually the first amateur to ascend the mountain. Obviously infuriated by this revelation, Anne sought legal remedy to force Cazaux to admit that she was indeed the first amateur to climb the mountain. Lister argued that if she hadn’t reached the summit, then her guide had obviously failed; thus, she had the right to withhold payment for his services. A lawyer from Lourdes agreed with this, and drafted an affidavit attesting to the fact that she was the first “amateur” to reach the summit, which Cazaux sheepishly signed.

You can read more about the pioneers of hiking in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.

The First Woman to Climb a Major Peak

On July 14, 1808, Marie Paradis, a hotel maid from Chamonix, often described as a peasant, became the first woman to climb a major peak after successfully ascending Mont Blanc in France. Ever since then, historians and mountaineers have looked down upon Paradis with contempt and scorn, claiming she only climbed the 15,774-foot mountain for money, or that she needed excessive assistance from her guides to reach the summit. But were these pundits correct in their assessments? The details of the controversy and why they developed, as well as the actual facts surrounding the event are detailed in Ramble On: A History of Hiking.