Wildlife in Yellowstone: The Ultimate Guide to Seeing Animals in the Park

Wildlife in Yellowstone: Which Animals You Might See

Yellowstone is truly heaven for wildlife enthusiasts because there are so many different animal species that you will likely spot.

For a complete list of all the animals that exist in the park, check out the NPS website. Bison, Elk, Moose, Bears, Antelope, Deer, Marmots, Wolves, Coyotes, Eagles, and many more birds and other species!

How to See Animals in Yellowstone

Often, you will see animals in Yellowstone whether you try to see them or not. But if you want to maximize the amount of wildlife you see, and be more familiar with the animals, follow these tips!

Explore at Sunrise and Sunset

The most important wildlife spotting tip for Yellowstone (and really anywhere) is to look for wildlife at sunrise and sunset. We always see VASTLY more animals early in the morning and at the end of our day versus mid day.

That’s not to say that you won’t see any animals mid day, but most animals rest in the intense heat of the day. You will likely still see bison roaming around all times of day in Yellowstone! Same goes for if it’s an overcast day that isn’t super hot you might have a better chance of seeing animals.

Drive to the Best Wildlife Sighting Spots

It’s possible to see animals in quite literally any part of Yellowstone (we had an elk rub on our tent once while camping here!) However, you can increase your chances of seeing wildlife if you head to the more popular wildlife spotting areas.

The Lamar Valley

The Lamar Valley is hands down the best place to see wildlife in the park and a huge variety too. This area is home to just about every type of animal in the park, and as a bonus has stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

To get to the Lamar Valley, go from the Tower Junction towards the Northeast entrance of the park. Along the way you will find tons of great pull outs and probably spot a lot of wildlife as you drive. It’s a bit of a drive, but you really could dedicate a whole day to enjoying this area.

The Lower Geysir Basin (the Old Faithful Area)

The Lower Geysir Basin, despite being one of the most popular parts of the park also seems to be a hot spot for wildlife. Especially in cold weather, wildlife is attracted to the warmth of the hot springs! Explore the wildlife and find more things to do near Old Faithful.

Hayden Valley

Hayden Valley is a closer area to the main attractions of the park where you can enjoy wildlife. The Hayden Valley is located along the Grand Loop Road and has several pullouts for watching wildlife. You can get there by driving about halfway between Canyon and the North end of Lake Yellowstone.

Be Patient

If you just roll up to the parking lot of your stop, park, look for wildlife and leave immediately, you might miss something really cool. I’m not saying you should hang out at one spot for the entire day, but make sure to really look around, get your binoculars or scope out and hang out for a few minutes to really get a good look!

Same goes for driving. If you speed through the whole park, you might miss something. And let me be clear, I’m not advocating for stopping in the middle of the road because you see something on the side or driving 10 mph. BUT… when you drive the speed limit, you’ll have more opportunities for wildlife sightings.

Know Where to Look

Finding wildlife can take some practice in knowing where to look. Bodies of water are usually great places to find wildlife, especially birds.

Another spot to check for wildlife is along the tree line as you are driving or up on the hillsides. Keep your eyes off your phone and scan the landscape as you drive.

Get the Wildlife Guide

When you enter the park, they have a little one page wildlife guide that had some of the animals you might see. It’s fun to check off animals as you see them. Our kids loved the challenge of trying to find each animal.

Visit in the Shoulder Seasons

If you visit in the Spring and Fall you will be surrounded by many less people and thus will have a better chance of enjoying wildlife. Or at least enjoying it without a million people surrounding you (more tips on how to avoid crowds in Yellowstone here!) Plus, in the Spring you’ll be able to see baby bison and the days are shorter, so waking up for sunrise isn’t such a daunting task!

Talk to a Ranger

National Park Rangers are really the best to talk to about what’s most recently going on with the parks wildlife. While they might not tell you exactly where that mama bear and her cub have been spotted (for the animal’s and your protection), they will hopefully give you some more wildlife spotting tips!

Lower Your Expectations

If you’ve seen videos on Instagram of a close up view of a wolf or grizzly in Yellowstone, the photographer was likely using a telephoto lens and (hopefully) were not that close to the animal. A LOT of your wildlife sightings, especially of those more elusive animals can be pretty far away.

Understand the Animal’s Habitat

To know where you have the best chance of spotting animals, it’s helpful to know what type of habitat the animals live in.

Moose can be difficult to see because there are only about 200 in the park total. Moose habitat is generally marshy areas and near water. Moose are most likely seen in the Southwestern part of the park.

Both black bears and grizzly bears inhabit Yellowstone, and you’re most likely to see them in Hayden and Lamar Valley. I’ve most commonly seen bears from my car off in the meadows (thankfully not on the trail!)

Birds are seen basically everywhere in Yellowstone and if you visit a big area of the park you will likely see them in treetops, looking for food from humans (unfortunately), and in the ponds around the park.

Bison are the easiest animals to spot and you can find them really commonly along the roads in the meadows grazing. Keep an eye out because sometimes they are in the middle of the road and cause a bison traffic jam!

Elk are really commonly seen in the Mammoth area of the park. That area is one of the only spots with a manicured lawn that the elk seem to love. I’ve seen them all over the park though – near rivers, on hillsides and more. And check out more things to do in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

Antelope are pretty easy to spot when you’re driving through the Lamar Valley. Like deer they have an unfortunate habit of jumping in front of cars on the road. So make sure you are paying attention and watching for wildlife when you are driving.

Wildlife Safety Tips for Yellowstone

One thing I see over and over again, in this National Park and others are visitors, acting irresponsibly and dangerously towards animals. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and not following safety guidelines can pose a risk to both you and the animals. This is one of the most important things to know before visiting Yellowstone!

Never EVER Feed Wildlife

The number one rule on the Yellowstone is to never feed the wildlife. I see all the time people feeding squirrels and this last trip I saw someone feeding a Raven. I promise, the animals can still be enjoyed from a safe distance. If they aren’t quite close enough for you to see use your binoculars instead of tempting them with food. If animals get habituated to people through feeding, sometimes they can attack humans or have to be killed because they pose a safety risk to humans.

Give the Animals Space

Always give the animals space. By law you are required to give the animals a certain distance or you could be fined. You must stay 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars. And at least 25 yards away from all other animals including bison and elk.

Carry Bear Spray

Carry bear spray when you are in Yellowstone (more from our first timer’s guide here!) you are on a trail in Yellowstone and have it nearby in your campsite. If you don’t want to buy it (it can’t be brought home on an airplane), you can rent it from kiosks around the park and in surrounding towns. If you don’t believe me – you can read “Death in Yellowstone” and other Yellowstone National Park books to make you realize the importance of wildlife safety!

I hope you enjoy the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. Seeing all of these beautiful animals is truly magical and the best part of the park. Let me know if you have any questions about the wildlife in Yellowstone!