WILDLIFE INSIDE THE PARK

ANYTIME, ANYWHERE: In Yellowstone, expect the unexpected and always keep your eyes on the lookout for wildlife opportunities. Perhaps you’ll be enjoying the live music and an evening glass of wine in the “Sun Room” of Lake Yellowstone Hotel while a bison grazes on the grass below your window. Perhaps you’ll be ‘first’ to spot the bear, creating traffic jams that even New Yorkers don’t mind getting stopped in. Perhaps you’ll enjoy the playfulness of elk and bison calves or otters that make you grin from ear to ear. No matter the circumstance, you’re not likely to have it anywhere else.

PLEASE NOTE: Animals are wild and viewers need to maintain respectful distances! The Park asks you to follow these rules:
- DO NOT APPROACH WILDLIFE.
- FEEDING, DISTURBING OR HARASSING WILDLIFE IS PROHIBITED.
- FEMALES WITH YOUNG ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS.
The best time to view wildlife and their activity is in the morning and evening. However, there are places that might lend to mid-day sightings. ELK | Mid- to late- September | Elk in rut; often seen in the Mammoth area, specifically near the Yellowstone Post Office or on the lawn of the historic rock worked chapel.

June | Elk give birth to calves in early June. Cow elk are usually solitary animals when it comes to giving birth. However, once calves are about a week old, they are strong enough to keep up with elk herds, so there is an interesting mix of reddish-orange calves with mothering cow elk. Location: in Mammoth area at northern end and near Madison Junction near West Yellowstone.

BISON | August | the bull bison begin their rut, butting heads and ‘bluffing’ to determine dominance in the herds. Thousands of bison gather (nearly all the bison from the park) in the Hayden Valley between Canyon and Yellowstone Lake for this annual occurrence.

WOLVES | Year-round | Wolves from two different wolf packs may be seen on the road and trails along the Lamar Valley, between Tower Junction and the Northeast entrance. (This is the area where three of the original wolf packs were first released in the park.) The Slough Creek area is home to the Slough Creek pack while the Druid pack is often seen from the Lamar River Trailhead. Bonus; with eyes peeled visitors may also see bears – grizzly and black – in the same area.

BIGHORN SHEEP, OSPREY & PEREGRINE FALCON | June | The area known as Dunraven Pass, between Tower Falls and the Canyon area is a wonderful place to see family groups of bighorn sheep scamper on cliffs, eye-level to you, but with the safety of the Yellowstone River in-between. At the Calcite Springs Overlook, take a short hike to see the bighorn sheep. Along the way, keep your eyes open for the active osprey, falcon and hawk nests that are along the river and in the cliffs.

WILDLIFE OUTSIDE THE PARK

GRIZZLY & WOLF DISCOVERY CENTER | The new wolf exhibit, the River Valley Wolf Habitat, along with the newly completed interpretive Naturalist Cabin and wolf den, displays wolves in a natural river bottom ecosystem and allows the Center to interpret to visitors how wolves impact the areas they inhabit. The new $1.5 million complex, completed in November 2008, allows visitors to view the wolves in a climate controlled environment (the Cabin) while observing a pack of wolves in a naturalistic habitat. The Center is open year-round from 8 a.m. to dusk. For more information on the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, go to www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.org.

WEST YELLOWSTONE BIRDING TRAIL | A series of 14 points near West Yellowstone offer opportunities for bird watchers and others to experience feathered friends. Look for American white pelicans, western, Clark's and eared grebes, Canada geese and diving ducks. Peregrine falcons, red-tailed and Swainson's hawks, bald eagles and ospreys’ all fish and hunt throughout the area. Check grassy meadows for savannah and vesper sparrows, sandhill cranes, and common snipe, while nearby willows hide yellow warblers, black-headed grosbeaks and Lincoln sparrows. For more information on the birding points go to www.westyellowstonebirdingtrail.org and click on a bird icon to discover what you might see at that point