Yellowstone National Park: Elk, Bison, and Coyote Spottings!
As Mike and I have been living in Idaho Falls for the past year, we decided to take advantage of the easy access to one of the best national parks, Yellowstone. Although we visited Yellowstone before, we were excited to try a new route this weekend. From the West Yellowstone entrance, we drove northeast passing through Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is supposed to be a hotspot for bear sightings because there is an abundance of prey (elk, bison, etc.) We did see more bison and elk driving this route. Unfortunately, we did not see any bears or moose! We did see a lot of elk and bison!
The scenery was much nicer on this route. We enjoyed fantastic close up views of both elk and bison. We even spotted a coyote. Many of the animals were just hanging out on the road, especially near the Gardiner, Montana entrance.
The best place in the US to see Bison!
According to the NPS, about 3000-6000 bison call Yellowstone home. America’s first national park is the only place where these magnificent animals have lived continuously since prehistoric times. At one time, bison were almost extinct, so it is pretty impressive that they have made such a dramatic recovery. It’s really cool to see herds of bison roaming free at one of the most scenic places in the country. Really, a must do if you are traveling near the area.
It’s a long drive!
Yellowstone driving definitely needs to be broken up into several days. The drive was very tiresome; we drove for over 6 hours! We went to Yellowstone 2 weekends in a row and still did not cover half the park! Make sure to bring with snacks and water bottles as there are not many places to stop for food.
For more information on planning your Yellowstone vacation, please check out the following site:
