Grizzly bears are coming out of their long winter's snooze in Yellowstone National Park/NPS, Neal Herbert

Though cold weather is threatening the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park are getting up and out to enjoy the spring season and pack on some pounds. Though bear tracks have been spotted in the park since late February, on Wednesday visual sightings of some of the bruins were made by park employees.

Yellowstone officials said one grizzly was spotted between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt. Later in the morning, park staff saw two more grizzly bears scavenging carcasses in the northern part of the park. When bears emerge from hibernation they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Sometimes, bears will react aggressively while feeding on carcasses, so keep your distance.

All of Yellowstone National Park is bear country. Stay safe in bear country by following these guidelines:

• Prepare for a bear encounter.
• Carry bear spray, know how to use it, and make sure it’s accessible.
• Stay alert.
• Hike or ski in groups of three or more, stay on maintained trails, and make noise. Avoid hiking at dusk, dawn, or at night.
• Do not run if you encounter a bear.
• Stay 100 yards away from black and grizzly bears. Use binoculars, a telescope, or telephoto lens to get a closer look.
• Store food, garbage, barbecue grills, and other attractants in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes.
• Learn more about bear safety.

“Yellowstone visitors care deeply about preserving bears and observing them in the wild,” says Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist. “Carrying bear spray is the best way for them to participate in bear conservation because reducing potential conflicts protects both people and bears.”

While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm by visitors is a violation of park regulations.

The park restricts certain activities in locations where there is a high density of elk and bison carcasses and lots of bears. Restrictions began in some bear management areas on Friday, March 10.

Back in Washington, meanwhile, this week's cold snap might have doomed the blossoms around the Tidal Basin.