Where to See Alaska's Big Five: 1 Park Ranked by Real Odds

Q: Where is the best place to see Alaska's Big Five?

Denali National Park. In Denali National Park, United States, the chance of seeing all 5 (grizzly bear, moose, caribou, dall sheep and gray wolf) on the same day is about 10%, the highest of the 1 park where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 60%. It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Q: Which of Alaska's Big Five is hardest to see?

Gray wolf. In Denali National Park, the best park for Alaska's Big Five, about about 30% of wildlife watchers report the gray wolf on a given day, against about 90% for the moose. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

Q: How do you complete Alaska's Big Five on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen. Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts Alaska's Big Five three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

The checklist: 5 animals

LC

Ursus arctos

Daily sighting probability >90% · Very likely

LC

Alces americanus

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

VU

Rangifer tarandus

Daily sighting probability ~90% · Very likely

LC

Ovis dalli

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

LC

Canis lupus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Where to go

Chance of seeing in

Month by month at Denali National Park

—Jan

—Feb

~10%

Mar

~40%

Apr

~60%

May

~50%

Jun

~50%

Jul

~80%

Aug

~40%

Sep

~10%

Oct

—Nov

—Dec

Time of day

Where they are recorded most Parks with some of them Cities with some of them

Parks

#	Park	Country	Animals	All 5 in 3 days
1	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	5 of 5	~60%
	Brown Bear			>90%
	Moose			>90%
	Caribou			>90%
	Dall Sheep			>90%
	Gray Wolf			~60%
2	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5	Missing: Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			~80%
	Moose			~90%
	Caribou			~40%
	Gray Wolf			~30%
3	Kluane National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5	Missing: Caribou
	Brown Bear			~90%
	Moose			~90%
	Dall Sheep			>90%
	Gray Wolf			~50%
4	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5	Missing: Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			>90%
	Moose			~70%
	Caribou			~60%
	Gray Wolf			~80%
5	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			>90%
	Moose			~80%
	Gray Wolf			~90%
6	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			~90%
	Moose			~90%
	Gray Wolf			~20%
7	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	3 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			~80%
	Moose			>90%
	Gray Wolf			~30%
8	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			~60%
	Moose			~40%
	Gray Wolf			~30%
9	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	3 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep
	Brown Bear			~70%
	Moose			~20%
	Gray Wolf			~40%
10	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Brown Bear			~90%
	Moose			~90%
11	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Moose			>90%
	Gray Wolf			~90%
12	Nahanni National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Gray wolf
	Moose			>90%
	Dall Sheep			>90%
13	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Eurasian Moose			>90%
	Gray Wolf			~60%
14	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~90%
	Caribou			~80%
15	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Eurasian Moose			~80%
	Gray Wolf			~80%
16	Kenai Fjords National Park	🇺🇸 United States	2 of 5	Missing: Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Brown Bear			~50%
	Moose			~80%
17	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	2 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Moose			~70%
	Gray Wolf			~30%
18	Svalbard	🇳🇴 Norway	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Caribou			>90%
19	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			>90%
20	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~90%
21	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~90%
22	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~80%
23	Tatra National Park	🇸🇰 Slovakia	1 of 5	Missing: Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Brown Bear			~80%
24	Vanoise National Park	🇫🇷 France	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~70%
25	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~60%
26	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Caribou			~50%
27	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Caribou			~50%
28	Picos de Europa National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	1 of 5	Missing: Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Brown Bear			~50%
29	Triglav National Park	🇸🇮 Slovenia	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~40%
30	Mercantour National Park	🇫🇷 France	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~40%
31	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~30%
32	Aigüestortes National Park	🇪🇸 Spain	1 of 5	Missing: Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Brown Bear			~30%
33	Cévennes National Park	🇫🇷 France	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall sheep
	Gray Wolf			~20%
34	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~20%

Cities

#	City	Country	Animals	All 5 in 3 days
1	Anchorage	🇺🇸 United States	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			>90%
2	Calgary	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~30%
3	Warsaw	🇵🇱 Poland	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Eurasian Moose			~30%
4	Edmonton	🇨🇦 Canada	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Moose			~20%
5	Moscow	🇷🇺 Russia	1 of 5	Missing: Grizzly bear, Caribou, Dall sheep, Gray wolf
	Eurasian Moose			~20%

Zoos & centres

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	Pairi Daiza	🇧🇪 Belgium	4 of 5 in captivity
2	Ranua Wildlife Park	🇫🇮 Finland	4 of 5 in captivity
3	Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
4	Alaska Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
5	Bear Country USA	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
6	Calgary Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5 in captivity
7	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
8	Minnesota Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
9	Northwest Trek Wildlife Park	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
10	Novosibirsk Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	4 of 5 in captivity
11	Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix	🇫🇷 France	4 of 5 in captivity
12	Polar Park	🇳🇴 Norway	4 of 5 in captivity
13	Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden	🇺🇸 United States	4 of 5 in captivity
14	Shubenacadie Wildlife Park	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5 in captivity
15	Skandinavisk Dyrepark	🇩🇰 Denmark	4 of 5 in captivity
16	Toronto Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5 in captivity
17	Wisentgehege Springe	🇩🇪 Germany	4 of 5 in captivity
18	Zoo Sauvage de St-Félicien	🇨🇦 Canada	4 of 5 in captivity
19	Moscow Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	3 of 5 in captivity
20	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	3 of 5 in captivity

Show all 20 Show fewer

Before you go

Where is the best place to see Alaska's Big Five?

Denali National Park

In Denali National Park, United States, the chance of seeing all 5 (grizzly bear, moose, caribou, dall sheep and gray wolf) on the same day is about 10%, the highest of the 1 park where all of them live, and over a three-day visit it rises to about 60%. It multiplies each animal's daily chance, as if they were independent, so read it as a rough guide.

Which of Alaska's Big Five is hardest to see?

Gray wolf

In Denali National Park, the best park for Alaska's Big Five, about about 30% of wildlife watchers report the gray wolf on a given day, against about 90% for the moose. The hardest one decides how many days you need.

How do you complete Alaska's Big Five on Wallace's Line?

Mark them as seen

Tick ✓ Seen on each animal's card, add your trips, or link your iNaturalist account. Your passport counts Alaska's Big Five three ways: anywhere in the world, all in one park, and all in a single trip.

← All challenges

Alaska's Big Five

The checklist: 5 animals

Brown Bear

Moose

Caribou

Dall Sheep

Gray Wolf

Where to go

Month by month at Denali National Park

Month by month at Denali National Park

Month by month at Denali National Park

Month by month at Denali National Park

Month by month at Denali National Park

Month by month at Denali National Park

Time of day

Parks

Cities

Zoos & centres

Before you go

Where is the best place to see Alaska's Big Five?

Which of Alaska's Big Five is hardest to see?

How do you complete Alaska's Big Five on Wallace's Line?