Best time of year to view wildlife in Yellowstone National Park

If you love wildlife then you have to visit Yellowstone National Park but you might ask ‘when should I visit’ and here are my thoughts on this subject.

When doing my own research for my first visit, I came across a lot of articles just about the park and only a few that talked about the time of year to visit. There were different suggestions for all the seasons but if you honestly want to see wildlife then you might want to keep reading.

The obvious time that most people plan their visit is during the peak of summer. Whether it’s because of school breaks or just that’s what seems normal let me tell you that July and August are the worst times to visit Yellowstone. By this time of summer, the wildlife has moved more into the deeps of the park far away from the roads and those roads have filled up with people … way too many people.

Summer crowds can make even seeing the simplest of things like Old Faithful stressful. And yes if you go to Yellowstone for wildlife you still have to take the time to take in the beauty of the geysers and hot spring pools. All these thermal features can be mesmerizing and are well worth the time away from wildlife searching to see them and hey there can be wildlife mixed right in among these thermals so be on the lookout. But if you visit in summer plan on not seeing all these as the parking lots simply can’t handle the number of cars circling for a spot.

So let’s talk about fall, the fall season is short being mostly September and part of October. The main draw of this time of year is that the elk with full antlers but the elk can be difficult to see out in the wild. The best place to see them, unfortunately, is in the town of Mammoth as they use the town as protection from predators. But be aware that the elk can and will hurt you if you get too close especially when they start their rut during this time of year.

During fall the crowds are not as bad as summer but again the wildlife is not easy to find but the lighter crowds, fall colors and cool temperatures can make for an enjoyable visit.

Winter in Yellowstone sounds amazing and I have to say that I have yet to do it but it’s on my bucket list. Winter in Yellowstone is basically from November to May and most of the driving roads close during this time. They groom the roads for over-snow transportation of vehicles with snow trends which include snow coaches and snowmobiles. Old Faithful Snow Lodge and some interior warming huts are open during this time but everything else is closed. If interested I recommend doing more research and if you have tidbits to share about the winter season please do in the comments as I’d love any insider info on winter visits.

So this brings me to the title of this article, ‘the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park’ and the answer to that is SPRING. And by spring I mean Yellowstone spring which would basically be the end of May through the end of June.

This time of year is almost magical no matter where you go but nowhere is it more obvious than Yellowstone. There is still snow in areas and depending on the year there could be lots of snow and even ice still on Yellowstone Lake. The flowers are beginning to pop, the grasses of Hayden Valley are starting to grow and basically everything is coming to life and the wildlife is abundant.

The elk have already returned to the park from their winter grounds and the bison herds are moving back into the valleys, the bear are emerging from hibernation and all the other creatures are beginning to dance their happy dances as winter is once again over.

But on top of all this, it’s spring which means it’s baby season. There are baby bison spotting the valleys with their reddish fur coats, the tall grasses hide the baby elk and mule deer fawns and newly born bighorn sheep kids can be seen running along the cliffs and as if that isn’t enough the tiny bear cubs are out following their moms around everywhere.

Everything just seems more alive and the creatures are out where you can easily spot them from roads or the easier trails. The snowmelt has the waterfalls full and the mountains are still topped with the white caps making pictures just that much more spectacular. I can’t say enough good things about going to Yellowstone during this time of year.

But no matter what time of year you can go just be sure to go and if you want to see wildlife get out there early before the madness of the average tourists and the tour buses start to fill every pull off. Be sure to take time at the pull-off, grab a pair of binoculars and really check out the far hillsides, watch for the moving dot that could be a grizzly heading your way, look for the wolf pack heading out for a hunt, maybe there’s an otter in the river or an owl in the tree.

As for accommodations while visiting Yellowstone National Park, I highly recommend staying in the park. The sheer size of the park makes driving times longer to get from one point to another. I have stayed in an RV in the Fishing Bridge campground which isn’t a bad spot to get the Hayden Valley and the West Thumb areas but takes a while to get to Mammoth Springs or Old Faithful area but again anywhere in the park will have the same long drives to some points as the park is huge with limited roads.

One year we stayed in the hotels and cabins in the park but instead of staying in one room for the entire visit, each night we stayed in a different area which allowed for early exploring in almost all areas of the park. Getting out early can sometimes be the key to seeing the most wildlife and some times you can share a moment alone with a creature, this doesn’t happen once all the crowds get up and about. This was a really wonderful way to see the entire park at different times of the day.

No matter when you get to visit, just be sure to take the time to really breathe in the moments that this national park presents to you and most importantly take the time to appreciate all that makes up this great national park and do what you can to make sure it’s preserved for generations to come to enjoy just like you.

If you have visited Yellowstone, leave a comment on what time of year you visited and what your thoughts were on the wildlife.