Bear Encounter on Storm Point Trail in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park is a landscape of staggering beauty, where bubbling geysers and towering peaks steal the spotlight. But tucked away from the crowds, nestled along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, lies Storm Point Trail—a peaceful escape into nature’s quieter side.

Storm Point Trail - credit: NPS / Addy Falgoust

From the moment I stepped onto the trailhead, I felt a shift—a moment of calm as the scent of pine and the distant lapping of waves set the tone for the journey. The path meandered through a meadow of wildflowers, their delicate hues swaying in the crisp mountain breeze, leading into a grove of towering lodgepole pines. The crunch of the earth beneath my boots harmonized with the subtle calls of songbirds hidden within the branches—a melody composed entirely by nature. Then, as the trees parted, the grand reveal: Yellowstone Lake stretched before me, its deep blue waters rippling under the early evening sunlight. The horizon, fringed with distant peaks, painted a backdrop so perfect it felt almost unreal. My husband Steve and I basked in the beautiful views taking pictures and enjoying the serenity of Yellowstone and it's spectacular landscape. Storm Point’s coastline is a mesmerizing blend of rugged beauty and tranquil solitude. Boulders jut out into the lake like ancient sentinels, shaped by time and wind, standing guard against the elements. Situated at 7,733 feet (2,357 m) above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high elevation lake (above 7,000 feet / 2,134 m) in North America. It is roughly 20 miles (32.2 km) long and 14 miles (22.5 km) wide, with 141 miles (227 km) of shoreline and a surface area of 132 square miles (342 km2).

This evening in late May, you could feel the air getting cooler as day turned into night. We’d been snapping tons of pics and enjoying our hike but knew we’d have to head back to the car soon to meet up with friends for some drinks. Our car was parked by the road where cars were constantly passing by since the park was getting busier with summer around the corner. We were caught up chatting and taking photos, completely unaware of what was about to unfold. As we emerged from the trees into a meadow, two coyotes showed up almost immediately. When I saw them, I froze. Something felt off. I thought, "What’s up with these coyotes? This isn’t normal!" My husband was still behind me, busy with his camera, and hadn’t noticed them yet. I put my hand out to stop him, signaling towards the coyotes. He thought they were cute and kept taking pictures, thinking it was all good. They were definitely curious, sniffing around us.

Coyote (Canis latrans) credit: NPS.gov

One coyote was looking up the hill towards the ponds, and when I followed its gaze, I saw a grizzly bear. A young one, about 30 feet away. Not far at all, considering how fast they can move. I froze and whispered, "Bear!" My husband knew I wasn’t joking and switched into defense mode. We knew encountering a bear was possible, especially at this time of year, and had been cautious earlier about what to do if it happened. Well, now we were about to find out! He realized the coyotes weren’t there to be friendly, and thankfully, the bear hadn’t noticed us yet. It was a bad situation with a young grizzly and coyotes around. My husband still hadn’t seen the bear. He was trying to get us to a safe spot, and when he finally looked up, the wind shifted, and the bear looked our way, locking eyes with him. I could tell when he saw the bear because he started instructing me to move towards a nearby tree, "Hold my hand, let’s spread out, make ourselves look bigger. It’s coming towards us, stay calm, and we’ll get to the tree first." I was terrified but followed his lead, not looking up, just focusing on the ground and noticing the coyotes still circling us. It was a scary situation.

Grizzly Bear credit: Nps.gov

He continued, "We’re going to head to that bluff by the tree. If it charges, I’ll take the hit and push you off the bluff into the water. You’ll swim down and find help!" I thought, "What?! Swim where, find who?!" But I trusted he knew what he was doing. We spread out, holding hands. "Okay, it’s still coming, stick to the plan!" My legs were shaking, and I took a deep breath. It felt like ages, but then I heard, "It went into the trees! Let’s get to the car now!" I followed him towards Indian Pond, but we veered right instead of left, away from where the bear came from. The coyotes were still with us, and now there seemed to be more. I had no idea when the others showed up or why they were there. My husband noticed too and grabbed a big stick, waving it to keep them away. They were getting bolder, nipping at our heels. Terrified, not knowing where the bear was or what the coyotes would do, I was in front of my husband, eyes on the ground. The adrenaline rush was unreal, like a bad dream.

"Move!" he shouted, "You can stay here with the bear if you want, but I’d rather not!" I tried to run, but fear had me stuck, like in a nightmare where you can’t move. My legs wouldn’t cooperate, and I was scared to trigger the coyotes’ wild instincts. But eventually, I looked up and saw we were halfway around the pond and could see the car. We might actually make it.

"Where’s the bear?!" I shouted, still moving fast.

"I don’t know, just get to the car!" he yelled back. We didn’t have pepper spray, so we were defenseless if the bear came back. But seeing the car brought some relief. As we rounded the final bend and the car was just steps away, all the coyotes vanished. I looked back at my husband,

"Where did the coyotes go?!" He shrugged, racing past me with the car keys, eager to get in. I wasn’t far behind, feeling the same. We were so thankful to make it back without any incidents. Ironically, after this, my fear of bears lessened. We had an encounter and survived. We did everything right and got out safely. We had a great tale to tell our friends later that night once we arrived back safely at that lodge.

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