How Big Is a Grizzly Bear? Height, Weight & Size Guide

In the lower 48 states, adult male grizzlies average about 400–600 lb and adult females about 250–350 lb, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A Yellowstone reference puts shoulder height at about 3½ feet; a grizzly standing upright can reach about 8 feet in the National Park Service's North Cascades description.

Those figures describe different measurements and populations. A bear's weight varies with region, sex, season, and individual; shoulder height is not the same as upright height.

These references differ because one is a broad lower-48 average range and the other reports Yellowstone-specific averages and local records. They should not be combined into one universal “average grizzly bear weight.”

At the shoulder, an adult grizzly is roughly 3–4 feet tall in the National Park Service's North Cascades reference; Yellowstone's bear comparison gives about 3½ feet. When standing on its hind legs, a grizzly can reach about 8 feet in the North Cascades reference.

Standing upright is a posture, not the bear's everyday shoulder height. It may stand to look around or investigate, so upright height should not be confused with height on all fours.

A grizzly with an upright height of about 8 feet would stand roughly 2 feet above a hypothetical 6-foot adult. On all fours, its shoulder is around 3½ feet high—below that person's standing height.

This is a simple scale comparison. It does not represent every bear: age, sex, region, and posture change the measured dimensions.

How much does an adult male grizzly bear weigh?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports an average range of 400–600 lb for adult males in the lower 48 states. Yellowstone's average is 413 lb in the National Park Service reference.

How much does a female grizzly bear weigh?

The lower-48 average range is 250–350 lb. The Yellowstone-specific average in the National Park Service reference is 269 lb.

Are male or female grizzly bears bigger?

Adult males are generally heavier on average in the cited lower-48 and Yellowstone references. The ranges overlap, so an individual female can weigh more than an individual male.

How tall is a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs?

The National Park Service describes a grizzly as reaching about 8 feet upright. That is different from its roughly 3–4-foot shoulder height on all fours.

Is there one average size for every grizzly bear?

No. The page labels its figures by source and region because bear size varies by sex, location, season, and individual.

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Grizzly Bear: adult male and female average weight ranges for the lower 48 states.
• Yellowstone National Park Service: Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Facts: Yellowstone-specific male/female average body masses and local heaviest-known figures.
• National Park Service: Grizzly Bears, North Cascades: shoulder and upright height references.
• National Park Service: Characteristics of Bears in Yellowstone: Yellowstone shoulder-height reference.
• NIST metric conversion guidance: rounded pound-to-kilogram and foot-to-meter relationships.

Weight values are labeled by geographic scope and whether they are ranges, averages, or local records. Rounded metric conversions are approximate.