Yellowstone and/or Glacier National Park

I want to take a ~week road trip next year to see amazing wildlife! Bears/bison/sheep/ever​ything. I've heard that Yellowstone has the most variety, but I'm a bit worried about crowds. Is GNP comparable? Thinking either late spring or late summer...? Would a week be enough time to cover both GNP and Yellowstone?

I don't think Glacier would be comparable, wildlife-wise, to Yellowstone. But Glacier certainly holds its own for landscape.

Also, Grand Teton (south of Yellowstone) might be a good bet for wildlife and less crowd, especially during the shoulder seasons you are planning on.

Have fun!
-alex

Thanks, I hadn't even considered Grand Teton!

I would agree with Rent that Glacier will be a harder location to find wildlife. It is there, but the forests are thicker and therefore harder to find the critters, but it would definitely be less crowded at Glacier. That said, the Going to the Sun Road, which is the main thru way in the park, will not be open until the end of June and will likely close in early September.

I am already scheduled to be in Yellowstone Memorial Day week. This is the first time I will have been there that early. There will likely be a lot of snow on the ground, but a lot more babies will be visible and there may still be more winter killed animals that are attracting the bears and wolves. Again the thing to consider is distances and that some roads may not be open yet due to snow. I am staying in the park at Lake Yellowstone Hotel, but a lot of the in park lodging does not become available until June. In late May, the crowds will not be there yet.

As for late summer, it can be a great time. If you go in August, you will time it for the Bison rut. The problem is the number of people and the bears and a lot of other animals are higher in the mountains, so sightings might be down. If you go in September, then the elk will be going into rut and the animals will be coming down the hill for a while to feast.

Grand Tetons are a great place to be in September. You have the Elk in rut as well as the Moose. Also, there are lots of berries and you can find black bear pretty easy and pretty close to Jackson. Prices are down for lodging in Jackson at the end of September because it is the in between time from summer to winter activities.

As for covering both, it could be done, but you will be rushing. It is a full day drive from Yellowstone to Glacier, so you will lose a day of shooting. So, if your focus is wildlife, then I would recommend heading to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

Hope it helps.

Glacier has moose, bear (black and grizzly), deer, sheep, and goats that you stand a decent chance of photographing if you are in the right place at the right time. As far as roads and overall area you might see photographable wildlife, Glacier is considerably smaller. It's landscape is rugged and mostly timbered. What isn't timbered is either high elevation or very rocky.

Yellowstone has bison, elk, pronghorn, wolves, coyotes, foxes, sheep, moose, and bear (black and grizzly). Yellowstone has more area, much of it open or semi-open. Glacier doesn't take long to drive through, Yellowstone has more miles of road, by far, and more place to park and get out. Yellowstone gets to be like a people zoo in the busy season. My list of animals isn't complete, but only the major ones.

For a while after Yellowstone opens, and toward the end of the season, there are less people by a significant amount. In the spring the antlered animals like elk, deer, and moose will be in the process of growing new antlers. About the end of August is when they harden up and the velvet comes off.

As mentioned, Teton National Park is another option. Another would be a combination of the National Bison Range (not far from Glacier) and Glacier.

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee at all you will see some of the wildlife in these places, at least without spending a good amount of time trying. Bison are generally easy in YNP and the National Bison Range. Mountain goats are usually a sure bet in Glacier at certain times of the year. I would suggest that you start searching Flickr or the web for pictures taken in these various parks so you can see the typical wildlife shots and landscape. Different times of year and different areas with offer the potential for specific types of photos and scenery. If you have preferences, choose accordingly.

One week would be enough time to get a sample of all these parks and the National Bison Range, but you would be rushed and basically driving the whole time.

Best time to visit YNP is mid to late Sept. Far less people and fall colors.

You can find bears in Glacier, but you'll need to get out of the car and walk a little. They're the shy and retiring type.

It's never really completely summer at that combination of altitude and latitude. We went in July, 2011. I thought I was going to sneak out for a walk for a few days and discussed my proposed route when I got my backcountry permit. The ranger asked, "You did bring an ice axe, right?"

It turned out that there were stretches of my route where falling and needing to self-arrest were a real concern, even in high summer (or what passed for high summer.)

I live in Colorado and spend a lot of time screwing around at 10K' or better. My entire route was below 4500'. I honestly didn't expect the latitude to make that much of a difference, but there you go.

Didn't see any bears that trip, but a few elk and a bunch of sheep.

I still personally like GNP better than Yellowstone/Grand Teton. It just "feels" easier to get away from the crowds, but I've not gone to either one specifically looking for wildlife.

I go to YNP several times each year as it's only an hour drive from my house. I prefer early May for uncrowded conditions and plenty of wildlife. Late September and early October are uncrowded as well but the animals can be harder to find.

Everytime i have been to glacier i averaged at least on type of bear every day. got very close to black bear while staying at swift current motor lodge.

both are beautiful places and i need to spend more time in teton and yellowstone, but glacier is my favorite park.

you can also go to hot springs to look for rattlesnakes and also the bison range is a few hours from kalispel.

Your best bet is neither of those. Go to Teton Park (Jackson Hole) next to Yellowstone. A particularly good area is the Oxbow area. grizzly, black, Moose, Elk, deer, pronghorn, , bison,otter, an occasional wolf....all of these can be accessed from roads. Check Tom Manglesens web page, for some idea of the variety, and the seasons.

The crowds at the peak of the season in glacier can rival those of yellowstone in the popular and more assessable places. The bison range is a sure bet for bison, elk, antelope, and deer. Only ever came up with out seeing at least one of every species one time and it was the elk that eluded us . Sometimes the ELK are way out there towards the central part of the reserve and hard to spot even with good high mag bino's but they are out there

Wow, you guys are super helpful, thanks! I'm leaning towards a combination of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons now for a week trip. My parents are tentatively planning a cruise to Alaska for late May, so road trip will probably be in the late summer/early fall now. It looks like Sept is still mostly clear of snow and road closures...?

Tip from a NW MT local. 2-3 week of Sept and on is my favorite time of year around here, but fall is also my favorite season

Yup if you want wild life I say Yellowstone and GTNP. Glacier is amazing and I did get a lot of wild life photos on our two trips, but the landscape photos put even the best wildlife photos to shame. Man just thinking about Glacier has me wanting to make a return trip soon.

I've been to all three parks (Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton). All were amazing and all have plenty of critters. Glacier is a hiker's paradise and has a lot of animals but, as mentioned, it takes some effort to find them (more hiking and getting away from the roads). I was in Grand Teton and Yellowstone this past July and we had unbelievable luck with animals sightings (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bison, wolves, coyotes, lots of little varmints and many birds). We saw many animals just by driving the park roads but also had nice sightings while hiking. Crowds were not that bad. Key is to get out early.

Here's the link to the journal I wrote detailing our trip to the Wyoming parks, it might give you some ideas:

http://ohiohickpresent​s.weebly.com/tr---wy-2014.html

And the link to my critter images:

http://ohiohick.smugmu​g.com …ng-2014/WY-2014-Critters/

Good luck!