Yellowstone National Park Travel Forum

We are going to be in yellowstone for the 4th July weekend. Are there any places where the chances of finding the big animals like bears, bison, elks are higher?

Can I also see wild life in Grand Teton? We are flying to Jackson Hole and I am thinking of spending some time in the park if there is a possibility of spotting wild life.

Because Yellowstone is NOT a zoo, seeing large animals is as much a matter of dumb luck as good planning. Bears, in particular, are EXTREMELY difficult to predict, and the Rangers have spent decades trying to make certain that humans and bears do NOT interact. All I can give are suggestions for improving your odds -- there are NO guarantees.

1) dusk and dawn are when most animals come out.
2) most animals are reluctant to be around people -- avoiding crowds is the key. Good luck doing that on July 4th weekend.
3) open fields are better than wooded areas.

Bears, elk, and bison have one thing in common: they WILL attack if THEY decide you are a threat. Bison, for instance, injure more people than bears. If an animal moves away from you or lifts its head to look at you, then you are TOO close. Its next action may be to attack -- and the fact that you are not a threat is completely irrelevent.

I would suggest taking one of the guided tours in Yellowstone. The guides are knowledgeable and sympathetic to the park's environment and will take you to places which you wouldn't find otherwise. I personally haven't been there in the summer but the winter tour we took was well worth the money.

If you are staying overnight ask your hotel for recommendations (most places have their own favoured operator and you'll get a bit of a discount).

Have a good trip!

If you were going to stay longer in the Jackson area, a float trip down the Snake is a great way to spot a lot of birds of prey especially...we've watched eagles swoop down and snag fish right out of the swiftly flowing water. You may spot animals on the shore as you drift by (this is not whitewater rafting)but I agree with the other reply that animals do what they want to do where they want to do it! I never saw a bear in Yellowstone, but we did see moose in the willows feeding as we drove down the road. There are often bison just off the road further north, but please be careful, use good sense around wild animals should you happen to see some; it's their home and they will do all they can to protect it and their young from predators (that's us). Just enjoy, take what you get and you won't be disappointed.

Like the others said, use good sense and caution while in Yellowstone. I bought several books while there, and the sheer stupidity of some of the visitors amazed me- the books detailed lots of deadly and dangerous things tourists do, which I'm sure must have seemed like a good idea until they tried it.

There should be info given out when you enter that will give you current info and sometimes details where certain animal sightings are commom. Park Rangers can also give you tips on places certain animals may be congregating. I don't know if bear bells ( used to repel, NOT attract) work or not, but they are interesting souvenirs.

If you are not experienced in the wilderness, please pay attention to all warnings and advice- it is not a petting zoo, or meant to encourage interaction with wild animals. Even wandering off the trails can prove deadly- and most all water can be dangerous. Not meaning to scare you- I am sure you will have a wonderful time, see many great things and come home safely if just heed the warnings.

For wildlife viewing Africa is good explore these kind of things and the medium should be camping through which you can also experience much more things.

Thanks everyone for your replies and also words of caution. I have no intention of going near any wild life. I have a telephoto lens and just want to capture some pictures from as far as possible.

Btw, I just came across this while searching for yellowstone discussions:

======
> Grizzly mauls man near West Yellowstone
> By Brett French Billings Gazette

> A man from Boise, Idaho, was mauled Tuesday afternoon after surprising a grizzly bear sow with one or more cubs while hiking alone in the Lionhead area near West Yellowstone.

> The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, Idaho, with injuries that included a broken upper arm and bite wounds to the back of the neck, head, shoulders, torso and one leg, according to officials. He was listed in fair condition Wednesday.

> The man, whose age was given by officials as 34 or 35, was hiking Trail No. 217 when the incident occurred.

> "This appears to be a classic case of a surprise encounter - a grizzly sow protecting its cub," said Mel Frost, with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Bozeman.

> Although the hiker was armed with bear spray and a pistol, the encounter occurred so quickly that the man had no time to defend himself, said Marna Daley, public affairs officer for the Gallatin National Forest.

> After the attack, the man hiked back to the trailhead, where a Forest Service survey crew called 9-1-1.

> This is the first bear mauling in the West Yellowstone area this year.

Your best best bet is probably talking to one of the rangers upon arrival at the park. In our visits to the National Parks, we've learned that heading immediately for the visitor center or rangers office for advice about best hikes for our abilities, weather warnings, etc. has made our visits so much more productive and interesting. I'm betting that if you ask one of them about safe locations for long-range photo ops, they'd be happy to help you - they're pretty amazing people and a wealth if information!

You will see wildlife all over the park, especially bison, however, you are never guaranteed of seeing beers, wolves, moose, elk, etc. Our favorite wildlife viewing area is Lamar Valley, which is located along the road that runs from Mammoth (there are often elk right in Mammoth) to the NW entrance. Sometimes wolves or bears may be a distance from the highway, and you may not notice them, so if you see a lot of folks out with scopes, stop and find out what they are watching. There may be a wolf or bear in the distance that you missed seeing. These folks can point it out to you, and you can get a look with your binoculars, if you have them. If you don't have a scope, sometimes tourists or locals that do, will offer you a view through theirs. We went up in mid May with our local Natural History Museum Curator to specifically spend time in Lamar Valley looking for wildlife.

I certainly agree with talking to the rangers for their good advice. If you can be up in the morning by about 0600, here's when I've seen the most wildlife. We camped out last time, and one morning heard some snorting outside, and looking out from the tent, there were two moose about 100 feet away, minding their own business, grazing. Another time, and i think this was in Grand Teton vally, about 10 elk wandered through our campground, again, very early in the morning. The bison are usually grouped together along one of the roads, and the rangers can tell you the precise location. Birding is also good in the very early morning. Other visitors tend to get on the road about 10:00, and then the Yellowstone roads can become very crowded, and probably even more so on July 4th. Good luck!

go to Haden Valley at sunset - thats the best bet - but be careful - the tourists are crazy - they see a bear and chase it - the get out of their cars in the middle of the road and start screaming - please remember this is their home

Lamar Valley is awesome too

A great place to spot wildlife is Lamar Valley. I really would not pass this place up if you really wanted to see bears, bison, elk, etc. We were just recently in Yellowstone and my little brother and I actually made our parents drop their plans for one of our 'scenic' days so that we could go to Lamar Valley AGAIN. We were not disappointed... overall, we saw 10 bears, 2 wolves (stalking a bison who eventually chased them away), 4 coyotes, countless bison and elk...
and you don't have to worry about not noticing them, if there's a grizz or some other rarely seen animal, there will be tons of cars pulled over.

Have fun in Yellowstone and I hope that you take the time to go to Lamar!

I just realized that I gave you the wrong directions for Lamar Valley. It is located between Tower and the NE entrance to Yellowstone along the northern most road, sorry about the mix-up.

Go to this interactive map, and click the northern most road between Tower Falls and the NE entrance to see details of this area.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/interactivemap/

Don't ask locals where to see wild life. In frustration they may tell you where to find 'slow moving elk', key words for cows. :)