No matter what time of year it is, you can catch sight of America’s wildlife at national parks around the country. Grab your camera and head to these six national parks for the best opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Denali National Park, Alaska
Alaska’s pristine wilderness is home to a range of wild creatures. According to the National Park Service, there are 39 mammal species, 169 bird species and an amphibian species in Denali National Park. You can spot wildlife grazing and roaming throughout Denali all year long. Caribou and moose are some of the more easily spotted winter residents, while spring and summer bring bears and ground squirrels out of hibernation.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The wide open ranges, lakes and mountains of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park are home to everything from coyotes, bison and moose to ospreys and hawks. The park’s four ecosystems – alpine, forest, sagebrush flats and wetlands – are each home to a unique community of wildlife, but wildlife seekers will find that larger mammals like elk and bison are some of the easiest to spot.
Yellowstone National Park, Montana
Boasting an impressive community of watchable wildlife, Yellowstone National Park is guaranteed to satisfy your desires to see wildlife in their natural habitats. Grizzly bears and black bears are familiar sights, as are wolves, bison, owls and moose.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
This Colorado preserve is a haven for elk and bighorn sheep, which call this national park home. It’s well worth getting out of your car, and exploring the one-mile Coyote Valley Trail, where you have the best chances for spotting Colorado’s wild coyotes.
Everglades National Park, Florida
For everything amphibian, make a trip down south to Everglades National Park. Florida’s wetlands and swamps overflow with scaly creatures like crocodiles and alligators, and you might even spot a sea turtle or African manatee.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park make for comfortable stomping grounds for the American black bear, with approximately 1,500 bears making their home in the park. There are more than 200 bird species and 60 mammals you might also spot here.
(Main image: torres21 used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
