All 2 in 3 days here: ~80%
Glacier National Park
🇺🇸 United States
Rocky Mountains, United States 500 spp. recorded
Glacier National Park sits in the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States, a mosaic of rugged peaks, glacial valleys and dense temperate conifer forest. Alpine meadows give way to spruce‑filled slopes, and the park is renowned for its mountain goats and bighorn sheep that navigate steep ridges.
48.742° N 113.785° W
🦜 Nature
293 Species sighted
77,232 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
+ 291 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~20%
All 5 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Glacier National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
17Jan
18Feb
25Mar
25Apr
34May
45Jun
48Jul
42Aug
35Sep
27Oct
19Nov
27Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Logan Pass
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Swiftcurrent Nature Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Moose~90%+30%
American Black Bear~70%+20%
Brown Bear~60%+20%
White-tailed Deer~60%+20%
Bighorn Sheep~60%-20%
Columbian Ground Squirrel~60%-20%
American Red Squirrel~50%+10%
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel~50%-10%
Mountain Goat~50%-30%
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake~40%+10%
Mule Deer~30%-20%
American Robin~30%-50%
-
Avalanche Lake Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Apgar
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Lake McDonald Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- Columbian Ground Squirrel~90%+10%
- Mule Deer~80%+30%
- American Black Bear~60%+10%
Western Toad~50%+10%- American Red Squirrel~40%≈
- White-tailed Deer~40%≈
- Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel~40%-20%
- Mountain Goat~30%-40%
- Brown Bear~30%-10%
- Western Terrestrial Garter Snake~30%≈
Columbia Spotted Frog~30%≈
Common Raven~30%-10%
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 376
🐒 Mammals 104
🦎 Reptiles 8
🐸 Amphibians 12
500 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
20 Threatened 4 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
3.1
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
65% 📊
Coverage (132 species at ≥5% of 500 in the inventory)
26% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 mammal, 4 bird)
59% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
93 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
8 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
24 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
2.8
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Hard Low
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
I was looking forward to trying to spot some elk or moose at Swiftcurrent Lake or Lake Josephine, but sadly did not see any.
This hike was also a win because we saw a pair of moose grazing in the lake.
I saw my first bear of the trip (a black bear) meandering the hillside on the northside of Lake Josephine on the return boat ride.
We spotted three mountain goats along the side of the fjord — and we didn’t even need binoculars.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Glacier National Park?
500 species
Glacier National Park has 500 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are American Robin (about 80%), Bighorn Sheep (about 80%), Columbian Ground Squirrel (about 80%), Mountain Goat (about 80%) and Yellow-rumped Warbler (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (about 30%); among amphibians, Western Toad (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Glacier National Park for wildlife?
July
In that month the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 20% in February. That is one of Glacier National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 80 mm in February.
Can you see a Mountain Goat in Glacier National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Goat sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 852 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July and August (about 80%).
Can you see a Brown Bear in Glacier National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Bear sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 282 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is September and October (about 60%).
Can you see a Bighorn Sheep in Glacier National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Bighorn Sheep sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 831 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 90%).
Can you see a Moose in Glacier National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Moose sighting in Glacier National Park on a given day, based on 358 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August and October (about 60%).
Where in Glacier National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Logan Pass
The richest sighting zone is around Logan Pass, followed by Swiftcurrent Nature Trail and Avalanche Lake Trail, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Glacier National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.3 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Glacier National Park rates 3.3/5: 250th of 316 parks worldwide and 42nd in North America. 29 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
