All 2 in 3 days here: ~90%
Yellowstone National Park
🇺🇸 United States
Rocky Mountains, United States 530 spp. recorded
Yellowstone is open valley between forest and geyser basin, and the openness is why the animals are so visible from the road. Bison are recorded on eight visits in ten and elk on seven, in herds that stop traffic through Lamar and Hayden.
44.581° N 110.619° W
🦜 Nature
297 Species sighted
148,707 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
⭐ Iconic Species
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 275 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 2 in 3 days here: ~90%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~80%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~60%
Recent sightings in Yellowstone National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
24Jan
23Feb
24Mar
28Apr
39May
46Jun
48Jul
43Aug
37Sep
30Oct
18Nov
24Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Mammoth Hot Springs area
-
Old Faithful area
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
American Bison>90%+10%
Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel~80%+40%
Common Raven~70%-10%
Yellow-bellied Marmot~70%+30%
Elk (wapiti)~50%-30%
Coyote~40%-20%
Western Terrestrial Garter Snake~40%+10%
Uinta Ground Squirrel~30%-20%
Mountain Chickadee~30%-20%
American Robin~30%-40%
Mule Deer~30%-20%
Chipping Sparrow~30%-20%
🏕️ 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?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 394
🐒 Mammals 109
🦎 Reptiles 11
🐸 Amphibians 16
530 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
21 Threatened 10 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.3
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
67% 📊
Coverage (133 species at ≥5% of 530 in the inventory)
25% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (7 mammal, 5 bird)
65% 🔭
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)
14 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
23 🏕️
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.1
Climate Harsh Low
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Moderate Medium
World Heritage Yes Bonus
What visitors say
I arrived, I spotted a huge osprey nest perched high on a dead tree.
Over the course of two days in Yellowstone National Park, we spotted five black bears, one grizzly bear, countless bison (including adorable babies), elk, pronghorn, and even tiny least chipmunks darting around the boardwalks.
Then we headed over to Pelican Valley to see if there was any wildlife around.
I spent some time setting up my wildlife viewing scope for the first time and got to see grizzly bears very high on a mountainside on the way to Lamar Valley.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Yellowstone National Park?
530 species
Yellowstone National Park has 530 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are American Bison (about 90%), Elk (wapiti) (about 80%), Common Raven (about 80%), American Black Bear (about 70%) and American Robin (about 70%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (about 30%); among amphibians, Columbia Spotted Frog (about 20%).
When is the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park for wildlife?
May to July
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 50% in January–February and November.
Can you see an American Bison in Yellowstone National Park?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an American Bison sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 5,002 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026.
Can you see a Brown Bear in Yellowstone National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Bear sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 1,077 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May (about 80%).
Can you see a Gray Wolf in Yellowstone National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Wolf sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 677 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is January and February (about 80%).
Can you see an Elk (wapiti) in Yellowstone National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an Elk (wapiti) sighting in Yellowstone National Park on a given day, based on 2,928 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is July and September–November (about 90%).
Where in Yellowstone National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Swan Lake
The richest sighting zone is around Swan Lake, followed by Mammoth Hot Springs area and Old Faithful area, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Yellowstone National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.5 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Yellowstone National Park rates 3.5/5: 204th of 316 parks worldwide and 31st in North America. 31 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
