Make sure you know before you go. In national parks where grizzlies live, such as Glacier or Grand Teton, rangers encourage you to carry bear spray. In others, such as Yosemite, where only black bears live, bear spray is not even permitted.
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Where to See Yosemite Bears. Black bears are scaredy cats. They mainly stay away from humans, but you have a good chance of seeing one in Yosemite National Park among oak trees and meadows. Since they don't like being around humans, black bears live and travel in heavily wooded areas.
NOTE: Bear spray is not allowed in every national park.Check with your national park to see if bear pepper spray is recommended or allowed for the activities you have planned. Having bear spray isn't useful if you don't know how to use it!
Mountain lions—also called cougars, pumas or panthers—roam Yosemite's mountains and valleys. These important predators, native to the Americas, are a natural part of the Yosemite landscape.
Stay away from river and creek banks during high water conditions and avoid rock hopping. Stream polished rocks along the water's edge may be slippery when wet or dry. If you choose to cross a stream without a bridge, avoid deep and/or swift water.
These large individuals of the Mountain Coyote are the present day wolves of the Yosemite region. No true wolf is known to have occurred anywhere in middle California since about 1870.
Bobcats in Yosemite are elusive animals, but they have been spotted many times. It is not unusual to see bobcats hunting pray during the day. They are very important to the parks ecosystem because they keep the rodent population under control. Humans have nothing to fear from these beautiful cats.