Things to do / Travel Guide
Greater Yellowstone Wildlife
There is a good reason Greater Yellowstone is known as "America's Serengeti." With the largest free-roaming concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states, animal watching is not just a regional activity, it is a regional trademark that comes naturally with the territory. The Yellowstone region is actually an expansive ecosystem spanning thousands of miles and hosting a heavy concentration of plant life and wildlife surrounded by arid plains. Seven national forests, three national wildlife refuges and 125,000 acres of BLM rangeland means there are plenty of sites to spot the region's living charms.
Yellowstone Flora
Mountains, deserts, forests, arctic tundra, and great plains all converge in Greater Yellowstone, creating diverse habitats for a wide array of rich plant life. In fact, Yellowstone National Park itself hosts more than 1500 different plant species. Aquatic plants and grasses thrive in the marches, lakes, and rivers, with a large community of algae and plants like the yellow monkey flower flourishing in and around the thermal features. The sparsely vegetated northern range of Yellowstone supports sagebrush, rocky mountain juniper, and grasses. At the lower elevations, mixed sage brush and grasslands are covered in wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs. In the Yellowstone area's forests, which make up 60 percent of the region's vegetation, pine trees are dominant, but one can also find scattered douglas firs, quaking aspens, shrubs, and berry bushes. These plants can all be spotted at elevations between 6000 and 7000 feet, located between Mammoth Hot Springs and Roosevelt Junction. Above the tree line, at around 10,000 feet, lichen, sedges, grasses, and wildflowers spread across the alpine tundra.
Wildlife Viewing and Hiking in Yellowstone
Arguably one of the world's premier wildlife-viewing areas, Yellowstone is the place for spotting those large animals you thought were only viewable at the zoo or on those TV wildlife specials. The region hosts over 60 resident mammal species including threatened species such as the lynx, bald eagle, and, one of the region's most famous residents, the grizzly bear. Endangered species like the whooping crane and reintroduced gray wolf also call the region home, which can be seen as far as the Beartooth Mountain and the Teton National Forest. Spring and fall are the best times to view wildlife. In the summer months however, dawn and dusk are the popular times to head out for wildlife watching, as animals head to the forests to avoid the midday heat.
Wildlife Viewing and Hiking in Grand Teton and Jackson
You'll see small herds of pronghorn antelope in the open lands within Grand Teton National Park and on the north side of Yellowstone, especially near Mammoth and Gardiner. In the summer months, the almost 100,000 strong elk become a favorite of tourists as some of the largest antlered animals of the continent swarm the region. The National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole is the 25,000-acre winter home for thousands of migrating elk, the largest herd in North America. In fall, during mating season, you will begin to hear them, and you can likely catch a glimpse from mid-December to March from a horse drawn sleigh ride offered by the Fish and Wildlife service in Jackson Hole.
Moose and Bear in Yellowstone
The largest member of the deer family, moose, are typically seen eating willow bushes near shallow streams and other wet places in the summer in Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Bison, Wyoming's state mammal, is the largest land mammal in the region and can be seen in all three main areas of Yellowstone national park. These areas are Lamar valley, Pelican valley, and the north end of Yellowstone Lake, along the Marry Mountain corridor between Hayden valley and lower geyser basin).
Lucky visitors may spot the black bear as it roams the sub alpine forests throughout Greater Yellowstone. The bear is smaller than the grizzly and is primarily a vegetarian forager, but is still considered dangerous. They hibernate in the winter, but are out and about during the summer tourist season, and are often spotted in Yellowstone National Park around Tower and Mammoth. You'll know one is in the area when the traffic on Grand Loop Road comes to a halt. Unfortunately, the Grizzly bear is not as common. There are only 1200 of the endangered bear in the lower 48 states, with 400 to 600 in the Yellowstone region. They emerge from hibernation between early March and late May, and are most active at dawn and dusk in the open meadows and grasslands. West Yellowstone's Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center will guarantee sightings if the natural wild doesn't provide.
Other animals you'll likely – or be lucky – to see: Coyote, red fox, mule deer, white-tailed deer, mountain goat, bobcat, cougar, and smaller animals like the beaver, chipmunk, red squirrel, raccoon, badger, and small rabbits and hares.
Eagles, other Birds and Reptiles in Yellowstone
As for those flying fauna, the golden eagle is sometimes spotted in the region, as is the great horned owl, turkey vulture, osprey, and a vast number of waterfowl. Rocky Mountain trumpeter swans are among the most spectacular of these. They spend their winter on the Henrys Fork and Red Rock Lakes region west of the park. As for amphibian and reptile species, they are rather scarce compared to their larger, warm-blooded, counterparts. This may be due to the cool, dry climatic conditions or prehistorically glacial activity in the regions. Some of the region's 24 species include the prairie rattlesnake, bull snake, rubber boa, short-horned lizard, boreal toad, chorus frog, and many other slimy species.
Nature Spots in Greater Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Jackson Hole in Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana
Nature-Wildlife
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