Wildlife is plentiful and some of it is very easy to spot in Yellowstone National Park.
Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley
Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley best known for their wildlife watching. If there are bears or wolves to be spotted, they are probably in Lamar or Hayden.
As much as I love wildlife watching, there was just too much to see throughout Yellowstone National Park that we didn’t dedicate much time to finding wildlife. However we tried to end each day with a drive through a valley at dusk to see what we could find. On our first night we missed seeing a bear and a cub by minutes but still saw a bison and some elk.
Even without wildlife, the sunset and the view of the valley was beautiful.
Roads in Yellowstone National Park
Wildlife traffic jams are real! With so much wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, they are going to find their way on to the roads at some point. Drive slowly and use the designated pull outs if you want to stay and watch awhile.
We saw this big bull elk cross the road when we were driving back to camp one day. We safely pulled over and walked to the tree line next to the field for a better look.
After watching awhile we returned to the road where we saw a bison coming right for us. We safely (but quickly) made it into our truck as the bison walked right where we had been standing moments before.
We spotted these beautiful elk from the road on the west side of the park. They were lounging in the shade and one even slipped her hooves into the water to cool down.
Mammoth Hot Springs
As I mentioned in the post on Mammoth Hot Springs, this is THE place to go if you’re looking for elk. Just head downtown, you can’t miss them.
We also spotted a bald eagle flying over Fort Yellowstone.
Everywhere
Wildlife are everywhere in Yellowstone. Always be alert. You never know what you may see.
We spotted this coyote in the middle of Upper Geyser Basin – arguably one of the busiest parts of the park.
On multiple occasions we found bison in our campground at Norris.
But perhaps the rarest wildlife encounter was when we met a dinosaur at Grand Prismatic Spring!
Go
To watch wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope and lots of patience. Bison and elk are plentiful and easy to find. But be prepared to wait for bears and wolves.
Bring a variety of lenses for your camera. You may have some up-close encounters but some of the iconic species will keep their distance.
Always use common sense, obey signs and Rangers, and give the animals lots of space. Remember that Yellowstone National Park is home for the wildlife. You are just visiting.
What wildlife do you most want to see? Pin or share the image below to let everyone know that you are going Wildlife Watching in Yellowstone National Park.
Learn More
Check out these posts for more information about visiting Yellowstone National Park.
Yellowstone National Park Overview
Camping in Yellowstone National Park
Geysers in Yellowstone National Park
Secret Swimming Spots in Yellowstone National Park
