If you want to try wildlife spotting, these are some places that should definitely be on your list!
A universal truth about America is that it has variety when it comes to landscapes, and as a result, it is also home to one of the richest wildlife on this planet. Most of it can be found in protected national parks.
The national parks are popular spots people visit on their vacations and road trips, and if you ever happen to be in one, it’s nice to know that you can also do a little bit of wildlife spotting.
Depending on the animal and how dangerous they are, you can see and observe them alone, or there are guides that will take you on yours and give you all the indications that you need in order to have the best experience.
Let’s see what the best wildlife spotting places are in America! Get ready to dive into the magical world of these incredible creatures.
Olympic National Park, Washington
The Evergreen State is a gem when it comes to wildlife, and this is why it has a special place on our list. The Olympic National Park spans over 900,000 acres, and it is home to three separate ecosystems, each hosting unique animals.
The park was founded by Theodore Roosevelt because he wanted to preserve the land of the elks that were named after him. And this was a great idea because now we have an amazing wildlife spotting place.
Besides the Roosevelt elk here, you can also take a glimpse into the lives of cougars, Olympic marmots, Columbia black-tailed deer, and numerous birds such as the bald eagles or the sooty grouse. But maybe the stars of the park are the black bears that you can spot almost anywhere when they are searching for berries.
If you want to spot the Roosevelt elk, the best time to do this is at dusk or dawn in the park’s lower valleys and rainforests. This is their favorite place. If you want to see the upstream journey of the salmons, you can head to the Salmon Cascades Overlook in the Sol Duc Valley, and the best time for this is from late September to early October.
Acadia National Park, Maine
This is a beautiful archipelago that covers 47,000 acres of Maine’s coast; it’s the single national park on the coast of this state and is incredibly accessible. Mount Desert Island, Isle au Haut, and the Schoodic Peninsula are the regions that form this park, and all of them are covered by mighty forests and rugged shores.
With 125 miles of hiking trails, you have a lot of space to roam around Acadia National Park, and on your way, you can stop for a little bit of wildlife spotting. Here you can see a multitude of animal species from black bears and white-tailed deer to raccoons, bald eagles, and hawks.
On the coast of Mount Desert Island, you can also look at the whales, seals, and dolphins. Also, the toads, frogs, and salamanders are equally worthy of your attention.
Beginning in late spring and until late autumn, you can take part in ranger-led bird walks. Precipice and Valley Cove Cliffs are the best places you can go if you want to spot the peregrine falcons. They have been residents of the parks since 1991, when they were first documented.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
This 310,000-acre park is one of the favorite spots for wildlife spotting in all of the USA. It is located near the Yellowstone National Park, down to the south. What makes it so special is the fact that this is among the last temperate ecosystems that still exist today.
Here you can find a larger variety of wildlife based on the diverse biomes and habitats. Plains, valley floors, mountain meadows, and of course the high Teton peaks. There are also wetlands here, and this is amazing because they are the places where you can find moose, deer, elk, and trumpeter swans.
Besides this, you can also spot bison, bears, golden eagles, and the yellow-bellied marmot. In the winter, the National Elk Refuge, which is found in the south of the park, is the temporary home of 7,300 migrating elk. They are here for three months from December to April, and if you want to get a better look at them, try going for the Double H Bar horse-driven sleigh.
The Oxbow Bend is the most photographed place you can find in this park, and for good reason. Here you can go for the best wildlife spotting experience you can get in the Grand Teton National Park. The greatest time for this is early in the morning.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina
This half-million-acre park can be found right at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina through the peaks and valleys of the Southern Appalachia. This is the place where you go if you want black bears to be part of our wildlife spotting routine because here you are in the largest protected black bear habitat found in the east of the country. With over 1,500 bears, this means almost 2 black bears per square mile!
Great Smoky Mountains is the most popular place people visit when they go to this park, but there are many other great locations nobody talks about. For example, the Cataloochee Valley is the place where you go if you want to spot elk. The best time for that is just before sunset because that is when they are the most active.
One of the most interesting and visually stunning things you can see in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the annual Synchronous Firefly Event. It takes place from late May to early June and allows you to witness the fireflies and their beautiful lights.
Denali National Park and Wildlife Preserve, Alaska
With six million acres of nature, it’s easy to understand why this national park is one of the best wildlife spotting places in all of the USA. The name of the park comes from the high Denali peak that towers over the entire region.
After mile 15 you are not allowed to drive your car, but you can take a shuttle bus that will take you on the Denali Park Road just like they do in a safari. If you are wondering what animals you will see here, well, the answer is a lot of them. But probably you should watch for the Big Five of Alaskan wildlife: the Dall sheep, moose, wolves, grizzly bears, and caribou.
Also, with more than 160 species of migratory birds, this is where you can feel like you are in a birdwatching paradise. Falcons, eagles, hawks, snow geese, hummingbirds, or golden eagles—you can see all of them here. When we told you that this is an amazing wildlife spotting location, we were not lying.
One thing you should always have at hand when you go on a wildlife spotting trip is a good pair of binoculars. These ones are amazing: Occer 12×25 Compact Binoculars for Adults and Kids
You should also read about: 6 Longest Living Wildlife Animals on Earth
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