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American bison
Lamar and Hayden valleys offer wide views of bison grazing. You can often pick out the heavy head, high shoulders, and shaggy front half before you see finer details. In late summer, bull bison bellow during the mating season. Wait inside your vehicle if a herd crosses the road.
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Elk
Look for elk in Lamar Valley in summer and around Mammoth Hot Springs in fall. The rump usually looks pale against the tan body and dark neck. In September or October, listen from a distance for a bull’s high, carrying bugle before looking for the herd.
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Grizzly bear
At dawn or dusk, scan the open parts of Hayden or Lamar Valley with binoculars from a roadside pullout. A grizzly’s shoulder hump, rounded ears, and slightly dished face are better clues than its color. Watch from inside your vehicle and leave room for the bear to move between open ground and cover.
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American black bear
The Tower and Mammoth areas can be good places to look for a black bear. Some have cinnamon or brown coats. Use the combination of a straighter face, taller-looking ears, and shoulders without a grizzly’s prominent hump when you can see the animal clearly.
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Wolf
Bring a spotting scope to a wide pullout in Lamar Valley and scan the far slopes and open floor, especially early or late in the day. A lone wolf can be hard to tell from a coyote at long range. Look for longer legs, a heavier muzzle, and a bulkier body before you settle on an identification.
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Pronghorn
Scan Lamar Valley’s open grass in summer and the area between the North Entrance and Reese Creek in winter. A pronghorn often shows a broad, bright rump patch and white bands on the front of its throat. Its patterned face and upright ears can be easier to see than the horns from a distance.
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Bighorn sheep
Check the slopes along Dunraven Pass in summer or the cliffs in Gardner Canyon year-round. Rams have heavy curled horns, while ewes have slimmer ones. Look for a white rump against the brown rock as a sheep crosses between ledges or pauses above the road.
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Moose
Check willow flats, marshy meadows, and quiet lake edges. A Yellowstone moose can be hard to pick out among the willows, but long legs and a broad muzzle are useful clues when it steps into the open. Adult bulls may carry broad antlers, which they shed in early winter.
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Bald eagle
Scan tall trees along the Yellowstone River or Yellowstone Lake for a large, still bird overlooking the water. An adult’s white head and tail stand out. A younger bird can look mostly dark, so look for broad wings and a heavy bill before using color alone.
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North American river otter
Look for a low head, an arched back, and a long tail on rivers, streams, and lake margins. Otters spend much of their time in the water and can vanish under the surface. Dawn or dusk is a good time to scan quietly, though they can turn up at other hours.
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Coyote
A coyote may cross a meadow in Lamar or Hayden, stopping to listen and pounce for small prey. Compared with a wolf it looks lighter through the chest and muzzle. Bushy tails can appear on both, so pay attention to the overall build and the coyote’s more slender face.
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North American beaver
Check Willow Park between Mammoth and Norris for cut willow and signs of a lodge. At a quiet stretch of water, watch for a large rodent swimming low. A beaver has a broad, flat tail, but you may see the cut stems along the bank before the animal shows itself.
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Osprey
Look along the Yellowstone River or over the Madison River from spring into early fall. An osprey shows pale underparts, a dark stripe through the eye, and long wings with a bend at the wrist. Watch for a pause over the water followed by a dive for fish.
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Trumpeter swan
A trumpeter swan can be seen on slow-moving rivers or quiet lakes. A long neck and a mostly black bill help identify an adult. Give pairs and young plenty of room and follow posted closures, since Yellowstone protects nesting areas from disturbance.
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Mule deer
Try the open edges of Lamar Valley and brushy slopes where deer can step into cover. A mule deer’s outsized ears are a useful first clue. If it bounds away, watch for the white rump and the narrow tail with a black tip.
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Yellow-bellied marmot
A rocky edge next to open grass is a good place to spot a marmot in the warmer months. Look for a stocky rodent sitting upright on a boulder or slipping between stones. Marmots hibernate, so the same rock pile can look empty in winter.
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