A Yellowstone National Park visitor captured video of a drone flying near a grizzly bear and her two cubs, prompting anger from nearby visitors and raising fresh concerns about illegal drone use in national parks.
The incident happened on May 14 around 6:30 p.m. near the Grizzly Lake Trailhead, along the Grand Loop Road between Roaring Mountain and Obsidian Cliff in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park, according to SFGATE.
Don Johnson, an Idaho Falls resident, was visiting Yellowstone with his wife when he began filming a well-known grizzly bear named Beryl and her two cubs. Johnson later realized his video had also captured a small gray drone flying close to the bears.
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Johnson told SFGATE he did not realize he had filmed the drone until he reviewed the video later. He said he only became aware of the situation at the time after hearing people nearby shouting about the drone.
“I didn’t even notice the drone at the time,” Johnson told Cowboy State Daily, according to multiple reports. “I didn’t pay any attention to it until I heard a ranger yell out something about a drone, and by then I was done filming.”
The video reportedly shows the drone following the bear family before hovering above them. At one point, one of the bears appeared startled when the drone suddenly flew upward. Another report said the mother bear and cubs eventually ran from the drone before it flew into the sky.
At first, some visitors appeared unsure what was happening and seemed to think the drone may have been operated by a ranger or park official. But by the end of the video, it became clear that was not the case. A ranger could reportedly be heard shouting, “Who has the drone?” as people in the crowd realized the aircraft was being flown by an unknown visitor.
Johnson said nearby visitors were furious after realizing what was happening. He told Cowboy State Daily that “everybody was madder than hell” and that people in the crowd wanted the operator caught.
The drone pilot has not been publicly identified. Johnson told the Daily Mail the person may have been operating the drone from “around the corner and behind the hill.”
Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Linda Veress told SFGATE that the park was unaware of the incident when contacted and said no report had been filed at that time.
Drones Are Banned in National Parks
Drone use has been prohibited in national parks since 2014, when the National Park Service directed park superintendents to ban the launching, landing, or operation of unmanned aircraft on lands and waters administered by the agency.
The National Park Service says drone use has led to noise complaints, visitor safety concerns, and incidents where wildlife was harassed. The agency also notes that small drones have crashed in Yellowstone geysers, attempted to land on Mount Rushmore, and been lost over the edge of the Grand Canyon.
Violating the National Park Service drone ban is a misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The National Park Service also says drone operators could face additional citations if an aircraft pursues or harasses wildlife, disturbs nesting or breeding activity, creates a nuisance, or creates a safety risk.
Yellowstone Visitors Are Told To Keep Their Distance From Bears
Yellowstone requires visitors to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Visitors are also told not to disturb wildlife or cause animals to move because of their presence.
While the May 14 drone operator was not identified, the incident renewed frustration over visitors breaking park rules around wildlife. SFGATE reported that Johnson’s Facebook video had been viewed nearly 150,000 times. Other reports said the video drew widespread anger from people who said the drone put the bears at risk.
The case is not the first drone-related wildlife incident reported in Yellowstone. In 2025, a Yellowstone visitor was cited after flying a drone near an osprey nest in Lamar Valley, according to Cowboy State Daily. The National Park Service has also cited past cases of drone use that disturbed wildlife in other parks.
Yellowstone urges visitors to report wildlife conflicts or illegal drone activity to a park ranger as soon as possible.
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