Yellowstone & Grand Teton Parks Must See

Hi! I'm taking a road trip to Yellowstone & GTNP in August of this year. I was curious about the typical "must see" sight seer spots in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park that you needs to see.

I'm also curious about good locations to see moose and bear in both parks. I know that in Grand Teton National Park, Oxbew Bend is a good spot for moose and other animals.

Thanks for the help in advance!

In August, the grizzlies are most likely going to be at higher elevations, so I would say you should check the Dunraven Pass. Black bear are also sometimes at Dunraven, though the most reliable place to find them is in the Tower area.

If all things go according to plan, I should be able to tick Yellowstone off my bucket list next year. I've signed up for a trip led by Danny Green and Edwin Katz, that'll see me in both parks at the tail end of September. Given I'l have paid for the transatlantic flights anyway, my plan at the moment is to stay on a week. That should just tie in with the end of season for Mammoth Hot Springs. All in, I should get about 15 days to explore the park.

Just 425 days to count down...

Going in to the Park from Cody Wyoming or Cooke City MT is great for finding Griz. Both are at higher elevations. Or, try to go in the early spring when they are just coming out of the den, Then anywhere in the Park is good for them. I saw 7 in two trips to the park in the Spring. This Summer so far, I have only found black bears along Dunraven Pass.

I'll be making my 6th visit to YNP later this year. You can encounter bears just about anywhere in the park, but the Lake and Canyon areas are quite good for grizzlies. Just be careful, and keep a respectable distance -- both for your and the bear's safety! For general wildlife viewing, the Lamar and Hayden Valleys offer a lot of variety -- wolves, bear, bison, elk, prong horns, etc. For moose, you will have much better odds of seeing those animals in the Tetons. There are some moose in Yellowstone, but not nearly as many as before the forest fire in '88. Sightings are not that common.

If you like to hike, I would recommend the Mount Washburn trail -- we usually take the Chittendon Road trail up the mountain, as we've had better luck seeing big horn sheep there than on the Dunraven Trail. The view from the top of the mountain is incredible -- you can see all of Hayden Valley, down into the Canyon, and on a clear day sometimes even the Tetons. Other favorite trails are Trout Lake and Fairy Falls. You get a great view of Grand Prismatic Spring from the Fairy Falls trail.

The geyser basins are popular sights, of course. Check the visitor's center to get an idea of which geysers may go off while you are in that area -- there are more geysers than just Old Faithful. Grand Geyser is very impressive, but only goes off about once per day. Castle and Daisy are other geysers worth waiting to see erupt.

The Canyon area is my favorite part of the park. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is beautiful. The Lower Falls in the early morning is a great photo opportunity.

Thanks for the info Scott, enjoyed reading your input

Thanks Scott,,lots of info there??we was in YSP the Fall of 2002 the last time ??WOW! thats 13 years ago,,went in on the East side,Cody WY and went out the NW end,,saw many things,,lots of bears,and elk,,but NO Moose at all ??
Ron

We just returned from our Yellowstone visit. This is later than we normally go, so the wildlife viewing was definitely different. The elk were not in their normal spots around Canyon and Norris, as the rut is only a couple of weeks away. We only saw one bull elk in the wild just south of Hayden Valley (I do not count elk in town at Mammoth). We did see some big horn sheep between Gardiner and Mammoth, but did not see any on the trail to Mount Washburn, where we normally have successful sightings. We did have several grizzly sightings in Hayden Valley, and my wife saw a couple of wolves (I missed both of them). This is our first visit to the park where we did not see a single black bear -- we usually see a few in the Tower-Roosevelt area or in Lamar Valley.

Landscape shooting was not as good this visit due to haze from the wildfires in Glacier and other points west. The smoke from those distant fires was affecting visibility even this far away!

The lodging in Canyon is undergoing a complete renovation. All of the old cabins near the Dunraven and Cascade Lodges have been torn down and replaced with new lodges (three had just opened). New cabins are also being constructed.

We were in Yellowstone in late July/early August. I agree, I didn't see a single black bear and the ranger said that they had all retreated into the heart of the park and away from the roads for some reason. Saw lots of elk all over - Hayden, Lamar, around Mammoth, etc. Saw pronghorn on the road in from Gardiner to Mammoth and on the stretch from Mammoth to Tower. Grizzlies in Hayden including a mother and two cubs (tragically the same family probably that killed the hiker) and a big silvertip male. Saw wolves on a kill in Lamar, pretty far away though, so no photos. Bison everywhere, of course. Saw bighorn sheep on the hike up Mt. Washburn as well as lots of small mammals - marmots, pikas, squirrels, etc. Pretty good trip overall for wildlife IMO.

How did your trip go?

OMG!!!!! We fly out this Saturday from the UK for a 3 week trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Appreciate reading all the info you guys have passed on, thanks.

Hopefully, we'll see some wildlife ;o) Treated myself to a 7D2 to go with my 5D3, just for a bit more reach and extra shutter speed

Just got back from 3 days in the Park, Saw black bears on two days and a Grizzly bear in the Lamar one evening. Lots of Buffalo, elk, antelope, and a fox. It was a great few days.

Another bit of advice to people.

Stop by the grocery store and pick up one of those sealed bowls of cereal and a pint of milk the previous night. That way, you can get out of your room and on the road by 5:30 or 6am and either eat on the road or at the destination. The grocery stores do not open until 7 or 7:30 and if you wait for breakfast, you'll miss the best of the morning wildlife.

In Yellowstone I consistently see the most wildlife in the Lamar valley.

Now that more of the roads are open, I'll be heading into Yellowstone this Thursday.