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Top 5 National Parks For Wildlife Lovers

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Published Date

September 6, 2015
Grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park/NPS

Visit Yellowstone or Grand Teton national parks this fall and you might be able to spot a grizzly...from a distance, hopefully./NPS

Here's your quick cheat sheet to five of the best units in the National Park System for finding wildlife this fall.

Yellowstone National Park: From grizzlies and wolves to bison and elk, Yellowstone has it all. Tour the Hayden Valley in the heart of the park or the Lamar Valley on the northern range for success.

Grand Teton National Park: The park is home to many of the same animals found in Yellowstone, though they’re not always quite as visible. The Moose-Wilson Road is reliable for black bear sightings, while the flats above the Snake River are good bets for bison and pronghorn.

Alligators at Everglades National Park/NPS

During the dry season of fall and winter, water holes at Everglades National Park are wildlife magnets. American alligators are among the various species you might see./NPS

Everglades National Park: Alligators and crocodiles and colorful birdlife are the hallmarks of a fall-winter wildlife safari at Everglades. Stay alert along tidal creeks and you might spot a West Indian Manatee, an endangered species.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: From black bears to elk, with wild turkeys and white-tailed deer in the blend, the Smokies harbor a good deal of wildlife that’s visible, and an astonishing array that is not to the casual observer, as the park’s all taxa biodiversity survey reminds us.

Point Reyes National Seashore: Tule elk in the highlands, migratory birds overhead, and sea lions and harbor seals in the coastal waters make this national seashore a great fall wildlife-watching destination.

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Comments

Submitted by davide on September 6, 2015 - 5:35pm.

Denali has to be on the list


Submitted by davide on September 6, 2015 - 5:37pm.

I forgot - Badlands in S Dakota. I have some incredible Big Horn Sheep, Mule Deer, Bison, Prairie Dog, Meadowlark pictures from there with the Badlands as a backdrop.


Submitted by Rick B. on September 6, 2015 - 6:08pm.

My comment exactly - Denali has to be on the list.


Submitted by Rick B. on September 6, 2015 - 6:13pm.

And I have to come back to add - our visit to Glacier Bay NP a couple of months ago was rich in wildlife. Ranging from a rare wolverine sighting to orca, humpback whales, mountain goats, walrus, sea lion, a scadzillion birds, bald eagles, and more. One bald eagle stole a rockfish off the line of the fisherman next to me when we were out for king salmon, and on the same trip I landed my first halibut.


Submitted by Hugh on September 6, 2015 - 6:50pm.

im surprised that you didn't mention Glacier National Park...when hiking the Highline Trail, it's almost a certainty to see Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats and you've probably got a 50% chance to see a grizzly


Submitted by Waiting for Wildlife on September 6, 2015 - 7:12pm.

I was in Glacier NP earlier this week and I saw one crow.  That's it.  :(


Submitted by Skins Dave on September 6, 2015 - 9:28pm.

How can you not have Denali on this list. It is number one for widlife by far, and i have been to all these parks several times!

 


Submitted by Lee Dalton on September 7, 2015 - 9:33am.

How could you forget the squirrels that roam throughout the campground at Devils Tower?  ;-}


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