Yellowstone Wildlife

RSS

Archive for the ‘Yellowstone Wildlife’ Category

Yellowstone National Park Offers Endless Fun Activities

29 May

Yellowstone National Parkconsists of approximately 3500 square miles of gorgeous terrain. In and around the park you will find hundreds of lakes, rivers, canyons and waterfalls. Yellowstone was the first national park to be established by the U.S. government in 1872.

One of the best known attractions is the Old Faithful Geyser. Old Faithful spews hundreds of gallons of boiling water into the air approximately every 91 minutes. Tourists travel from all over the world to view this natural phenomenon.

Yellowstone National Parkis located in Idaho, Wyoming,and Montana and is home to a wide range of animals including elk, wolves,grizzly bears and bison. For 11,000 years it was also home to many tribes of American Indians including the Shoshone.

All aroundYellowstone National Parkyou will findnumerous lodges, campgrounds and cabins. Thousands of tourists come to Yellowstone National Park every year to enjoy the lush green valleys, waterfalls and canyons found there. West Yellowstone fishing is said to be some of the best in the U.S.

In addition to Old Faithful, there are many other amazing natural wonders. For instance, Yellowstone is home to one of the world’s largest petrified forests. Also located there is Grand Prismatic Spring, which is the largest hot spring in America and third largest in the world.

The park experiences many small earthquakes throughout the year and over time, it has even experienced some larger earthquakes. In 1959, a 7.5 magnitude quake struck just outside the northwest boundary. This earthquake caused the dam at Hebgen Lake to collapse triggering a landslide which dammed the river, creating a new lake. That lake is now referred to as “Quake Lake.

Hebgen Lakeand Quake Lake are both popular places for fishing, boating and other water sports. Hebgen Lake Marina offers great fishing and boating recreational activities and cabins in West Yellowstone are plentiful. There are so many fun, adventurous activities in and around the park such as hiking, horseback riding and llama riding that you’ll hardly know where to begin.

Yellowstone Holiday is located just a few miles from the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park and offers rustic cabins where you and your family can relax and be comfortable but still experience all the beauty and grandeur of the amazing outdoors. Your Yellowstone Park vacation can include boating at Hebgen Lake or touring the many unique museums in the nearby town of West Yellowstone. The town also has many souvenir shops and wonderful places to eat.

July is the busiest month for Yellowstone National Park so it’s best to book ahead if you’re planning a vacation there soon. Yellowstone Holiday also offers barbecues, games and other fun outdoor activities to their guests. They are conveniently located just down the road from the town of West Yellowstone and just a few miles from the entrance to Yellowstone Park, so they’re right in the middle of all the action.

Enjoy the beauty of America this year. Visit Yellowstone National Park.Yellowstone Holiday offers affordable cabins with a long list of amenities. Call ahead for the best accommodations.

No Comments

Posted in Yellowstone Activities, Yellowstone Wildlife

Yellowstone Wildlife Viewing

31 Mar

Yellowstone National Park is the home to a wide variety of animals and wildlife. No Yellowstone National Park vacation would be complete without a wildlife spotting hike. However, the various animals listed below (and others) are generally very common to the Park, so it would be difficult to spend any time in Yellowstone National Park without seeing at least some of them. There are many detailed maps and guides available to this end, and you can even purchase wildlife guided tours. While this avenue can lack some of the special “lucky” feelings when you’re alone and stumble along a certain animal, taking a tour is a relatively safe and reliable way to see the wildlife of Yellowstone National Park.

It is important to keep in mind that there are strict rules and regulations in place and enforced in Yellowstone National Park regarding interacting or interfering with the local wildlife. These rules are in place both for your protection and safety as well as that of the animals in question. Approaching, handling, and certainly feeding any of these animals is dangerous to both the animal and the observer. Besides just being dangerous, you could face some hefty fines for violating these rules. Familiarize yourself with them and just simply use common sense.

Some advice to keep in mind during your wildlife spotting trips:

Keep your camera’s zoom handy. If you’re looking to photograph the local wildlife, don’t put yourself in danger by getting to close to them. Even the best photograph is not worth being injured or worse. Try not to move around while you’re looking through the camera. Besides the danger posed by the animals, you could easily fall and injure yourself if you’re not paying attention.
Education your family and companions on safety. This is particularly important if children will be along with you. It’s not enough for just you yourself to know how to handle a situation; you must be clear with everyone about the need for safety.
Don’t carry too much food, and make sure what you do have is tightly sealed. This is a common-sense rule that is easily forgotten. Do not create a situation where an animal may be tempted to approach you if it picks up the scent of your food.

Here is some specific information and details about the animals you can find and where you can expect to find them. While most of these animals are observable throughout the park, notice that the majority of them will be concentrated around waterways and at mountain bases. For the best chance of getting a glimpse of any of these animals, focus your efforts around these areas. Note that your chances of seeing most of these animals are greatly increased during the warmer seasons, so have a realistic expectation for results during off-season and winter. Be particularly careful of the environment during that time, as the park can be very hazardous if you aren’t paying attention. There’s a reason why these animals “keep a low profile” during the winter months, so if that’s the time that you’re in the Park, just take your time and some extra caution.

Grizzly Bear
Recognizable to the point of being iconic, the grizzly bear is an incredibly powerful and formidable animal. Grizzlies can weigh up to around 600 pounds, and in Yellowstone are natural predators of other mammals, plant life, and fish. During the winter, grizzly bears will birth their young and hibernate, so if you’re looking to avoid grizzlies, this is the best time to go. Grizzly bears are common through the whole of Yellowstone National Park, but are most commonly found around Mount Washburn and in Hayden Valley.

Black Bear
Black bears are smaller than almost any other species of bear, weighing up to 600 pounds. With less of a predatory spread than the grizzly bear, the black bear most commonly feed on plants and small animals. The black bear is very commonly found throughout Yellowstone National Park, with the exception of the winter, during which they hibernate.

Elk
The elk is a massive species of deer, trumped in size within the deer family only by the moose. The elk can be seen at any time of the year and throughout all of Yellowstone National Park, but a specific goal of elk-spotting would be served by sticking to rivers and waterbeds where the animals tend to gather.

Moose
One of the larger animals you may have a chance to see in Yellowstone, the moose weighs in at over 1,000 pounds. An herbivore, the moose feeds on the various plan life found throughout Yellowstone National Park. Like the elk, a hiker or camper seeking to find a moose should stick to watery areas like streams and rivers. Remember to keep your distance if you do find this elusive animal, as because of their size and apparent sluggishness, people often underestimate their speed and power.

Bison
The bison (or buffalo), with their iconic and recognizable girth and coat, is a bovine that can be found along rivers in Yellowstone, particularly in Hayden Valley. This animal has a troubled history in Yellowstone due to a number of factors, and recent years have seen rapid fluctuations and an overall decline in numbers. If you seek out or come upon bison, be sure to keep your distance. These are dangerous animals, and there are many incidents annually of park visitors being injured.

Gray Wolf
Another iconic native of the park is the gray wolf. Their lonely moonlight baying has become an auditory symbol of Plains wildlife. However, these wild animals are far more likely to be heard than seen, and certainly keep your distance should you find a pack. If you’re seeking them out, your best chance is morning or dusk in Lamar Valley.

Coyote
The coyote is one of the most common animals in Yellowstone. Smaller than a wolf, with grey coats and a more lithe build, the coyote generally feeds on small animals and will generally avoid perceived threats. You won’t have to actively seek out a coyote if you’re spending any amount of time in the park, but like most animals, you’re most likely to encounter them along riverbeds.

2 Comments

Posted in Yellowstone Wildlife

15 Mar

Yellowstone National Park is a real wilderness sanctuary. The continent’s largest and most diverse wildlife residents can be found here. Yellowstone is home to a great variety of mammals, fish, and birds, this is why it one of the best world’s recognized wildlife sanctuary. More than 300 animal species live here. Sixty-seven different mammals, including grizzly bears, mountain lions, gray wolves, black bears, elks, bison, moose, and numerous smaller mammals cohabitate in the territory known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 225 bird species, including bald eagles, cranes, ducks, osprey populations, swans, falcons, found their home in this truly wild area. Moreover, 18 different types of fish can be found throughout the lakes, rivers, and streams within and around the park. These include such fish native to Yellowstone as Arctic Grayling; Cutthroat Trout; and nonnative fish species like Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Lake Trout, and Rainbow Trout.

Yellowstone is a geologically unique area with its main lands sitting atop a geothermal spot, which provide the heat required to drive the volcanic activity and hydrothermal features, resulting in the world’s greatest concentration of geysers and hot springs. This, along with an amazing variety of wildlife species, explains such a great popularity of this area.

Wild Animals in Yellowstone

Bears
Probably, the most desirable experience each visitor to Yellowstone National Park would want, is seeing grizzly bears (from a distance, of course). Early morning and late evening is the best time to see grizzlies.

Best Places to View Bears
Grizzly bears can often be seen in Hayden and Lamar Valleys. Occasionally, they can be spotted near the Bechler River at the southwestern part of the park. Black bears are smaller than grizzlies and are more frequent in the northeastern section of the Yellowstone Park.

Wolves
13 wolf packs currently inhabit Yellowstone National Park. These animals are considered to be among the most intelligent mammals in the world. No wolf is known to attack a human in Yellowstone, but you must always keep distance of at least 25 yards and treat wolves with the utmost respect. This often leads to aggressive behavior toward humans.

Best Places for Viewing Wolves
You can view wolves early in the morning or late evening near the Lamar Valley between Mammoth and Cooke City.

Elk
Elk represent the largest population of large mammals in Yelllowstone Park. If you want to see elk calves, come to visit the park in May or June. During the mating season, generaly from early September to mid-October, many visitors take advantage of photographing and watching these amazing animals. Bulls bugle to show their fitness to females and to warn their readiness to confront any challenges from other bulls. Sometimes, bulls fight for the right to access the females.

Best Places for Viewing Elk
During summer, elk can be found in the shadows of pines. In the early morning and evening the animals are most active and you have a great opportunity to see them feeding in the Lamar Valley, Gardiner and Mammoth areas.

Bison
Since prehistoric times, Yellowstone National Park has continuously been the home to free-ranging bison population. These days, more than 4,000 bison reside in Yellowstone and are the main reason of traffic jams in the park in the summer time. During mating season, in July and August, you can see bulls battling for cows. If you want to take a picture of bison calves, come to visit the park in late April or May.

Best Places to View Bison
Bison can be found everywhere throughout Yellowstone Park, but the most popular locations to spot bison are areas near the Firehole, Madison, and Gibbon Rivers. You can also view the animals in the Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley near the Yellowstone River, Mud Volcano, or Fishing Bridge.

Mountain Lion

Mountain lion, often called a cougar, represents the biggest member in the cat family found in Yellowstone.

Best Places to View Mountain Lions
During the summer, mountain lions can be spotted throughout the park, but most frequently can be viewed in the northern sector of the park.

Moose
More than 400 moose found home in Yellowstone National Park. These animals are the largest member of the deer family. When in rut, bull moose can be very dangerous, thus you should keep to a safety rule of beeing at the distance of 100 yards.

Best Places to View Moose
Moose can be found in the marshy areas of the park including lake shores and along rivers. More frequently they can be spotted in the southwestern part of the park along the Bechler and Falls rivers. You can also see moose near Yellowstone Lake, the Pelican Creek, Lewis River, Soda Butte Creek, and the Willow Park areas.

Seasons in Yellowstone

Depending on the season you are visiting Yellowstone National Park, some animals are more visible than others. Summertime in the park makes the living of any of the wildlife resident pretty easy and all animals, especially the new arrivals, are enjoying their surroundings. Daily challenges are simple things like reaching together for an afternoon snack or trying to get a grip. Summer life in the park is great and vivid. But when winter arrives, the surroundings bring different challenges for the animals and Yellowstone becomes an entirely different world.

Summer
Summer is the time, when most visitors come to the park anticipating their encounter with wild residents. To view more animals, rise with the sun and head out into the park. Alternatively, you can try to search for animals late in the afternoons or early in the evenings. To hide from the sparkling sun, animals tent to lie down in the shade of a tree or in other cool places.

Spring & Fall
In spring and fall, the wildlife in Yellowstone is more active during the day. Animals migrate to lowlands during the fall, while in the spring they are more likely to be seen uphill. These seasons are often considered to be the best times for wildlife viewing.

Winter
Winter is also a good time to view wildlife; however the animals seem to be very still or hibernating. With the landing of deep snow and cold temperatures, very often it snows from the middle of November and stays up to April, May and even June in the high elevations.

Safety

While in Yellowstone National Park, always be aware that many animals may consider you an intruder to their wildlife scenery. Wild animals, especially those with the young, can be very unpredictable. Stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from all other animals. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses to view the surroundings safely and avoid disturbing the animals. By adhering to these rules, you can see more of the animals’ natural behavior, so respect their needs.