Backpackers Spot Cougar in Olympic National Park (Video)

A pair of backpackers spotted a cougar in Olympic National Park, and they called seeing the animal a "chance of a lifetime." The post Backpackers Spot Cougar in Olympic National Park (Video) appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

Jan 20, 2026 - 13:00
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Backpackers Spot Cougar in Olympic National Park (Video)

A pair of backpackers spotted a cougar in Olympic National Park, and their video of this chance encounter is making many people wonder how many times they’ve passed a cougar without even realizing it. Rusty Wadleigh shared the footage to Instagram, saying this isn’t really something he had on his backpacking-Bingo card for 2026 . . . or ever.

“Cannot imagine a better capstone to a rainy Olympic NP backpacking trip than @laceyjfaught spotting this cougar on our hike back,” Wadleigh wrote in his post. “Honestly never thought I’d see one in the backcountry.”

[RELATED: There’s a Mountain Lion in This Video, But Can You Spot It?]

Lacey added in a comment:

“A chance of a lifetime. It’s hard to talk about anything else after seeing this. We didn’t speak about anything else for hours after.”

One person in the comments section wrote: “I always wonder how many mountain lions have seen ME.”

Check out the cougar these backpackers saw in Olympic National Park:

Header stock image by Jupiterimages/Getty Images


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The post Backpackers Spot Cougar in Olympic National Park (Video) appeared first on Outdoors with Bear Grylls.

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