Best Places to See Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park
Where do we even start with this massive National Park? First off, we will warn you that this is a very busy National Park that requires quite a bit of driving to really experience all of its wonders. We had no idea where to start when we headed up to Yellowstone so we just went with the flow. Our Yellowstone adventure turned into a DIY safari of sorts and we loved it! We couldn't believe the amount of wildlife we saw in Yellowstone, it was mind-blowing! Here are a few of the places we encountered the most wildlife.
Hayden Valley
This is the hot spot for seeing wildlife. You will have better luck in the early morning and in the late afternoon/early evening. You will want to bring some good binoculars if you want to spot wildlife in Yellowstone. While you will be lucky enough to see some action right off the side of the road. Most of the time a good set of binocs will really improve your chances of spotting elusive species. We were able to spot a grizzly bear off in the distance, bison, elk, and even wolves are some of a few larger species that you will spot out in the Hayden Valley. It’s like a Nat Geo TV show sitting out there with your spotting scopes or binoculars.
Lamar Valley
Situated in the Northeast quadrant of Yellowstone is the Lamar Valley. This is a known hot spot for wolves. Also, large herds of Bison roam this valley frequently. We were very fortunate and able to spot a wolf right off the road corralling some bison. There was a pack of wolves way back in the valley that we could barely spot, even with our binocs. This is also where we found the largest concentration of bison. There was about a 30-minute bison traffic jam when we were trying to get back to the Mammoth Hot Springs Area.
West Thumb Geyser Basin
This was our first stop in Yellowstone. We arrived very early from the south entrance and made the first stop at the West Thumb Geyser Basin. We weren't sure what to expect but upon arrival, we were greeted by a herd of Elk. We walked the Geyser boardwalk and had to share the boardwalk with all the families of Elk. Not sure if this is a hot spot for the Elk in the morning, but we did see a whole bunch of Elk and even a few babies.
Fountain Flat Drive
After visiting Ole Faithful we head north towards Madison. We were set on seeing more bison and just before Madison is Fountain Flat Drive. We took the road because we saw a bunch of Bison off in the distance. As we drove down the road we came across a large herd of Bison overtaking Fountain Flat Drive and roaming through the grass. Both times we detoured to this road we found herds of Bison!
