Suggestions on best spots to view wildlife

Pooling your knowledge to map out our next trip.

Where have you traveled and found abundant wildlife? Feel free to list more than one destination. National parks, refuges, backroads...no boundaries here. Just name the spots. Also, large & small mammals, birds - once again very broad topic.

Thanks for your input.

That's easy. Alaska. You name it, we have it! Moose, black bears, brown bears, grizzlies, caribou, wolves, lynx, fox, eagles, owls, puffins, loons, otters, sea lions, whales, seals,....and there's more! A paradise of wildlife.

Hello All,
Losnthemail, the Shenandoah National Park is a great place to
see deer, bear, birds, etc. and just beautiful mountains.
It is a mixture of wild with a heavy coat of civilized
services, such as lodging and food.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

Alaska would be tough to beat but pick the right time of the year, in the summer most of the animals go to the high country or back parts of the wilderness away from people. We went in May before tourist season started and saw caribou by the thousands, bears, moose, mountain goats, eagles, fox and more. I know many people who went in summer and saw nothing.

One of my favorite drives is Cades Cove in the heart of the Smokies. If you do it, I suggest early in the morning or late in the evening. It is a beautiful 11 mile one way drive around the cove. You should expect to see lotsa deer, turkey, black bear and many other animals.

http://www.cadescove.net/auto_tour.html

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Central Park at night... All kinds of wild animals lurking, lots of good restaurants to check out, if you survive !

http://www.kswild.org/ksregion
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0516.html
http://www.thesfi.org/Page.asp?NavID=130
http://roguevalleyaudubon.org/k_s_birds.html
This is where I live in Southern Oregon. lots of wilderness. and Crater Lake. and food.

For one wildlife category - raptors - Hawk Mountain in eastern PA. Their website doesn't do justice to this beautiful area near the Appalachian Trail and the magnificence of the birds.

http://www.hawkmountain.org/

quote:

Originally posted by RubyRose

For one wildlife category - raptors - Hawk Mountain in eastern PA. Their website doesn't do justice to this beautiful area near the Appalachian Trail and the magnificence of the birds.

http://www.hawkmountain.org/

I was there in October severaol years ago and I sat on the rim watching the hawks go by. Beautiful. I was a little late and did not get to see most of the migratory birds though.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Glacier Bay National Park(Alaska)whales, bears, seals. sea lions, bears; Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge(Washington) Eagles, hawks, other birds; Everglades National Park(Florida), gators, rare birds;Mt. Ranier National Park(Washington) ptarmigans, grouse), Isle Royale National Park(Michigan)moose;Great Smokey Mountains National Park(Tennessee), deer, beaver, Kenilworth Gardens(D.C) birds.

One of the easiest places to see animals is Yellowstone.

My Number one spot is the Alaskan Railroad day-trip from Anchorage to Seward and back. Included in the day-trip is a 5 hour whale and wildlife boat tour of the surrounding bay. They also include an outstanding Prime-Rib and Salmon Buffet that I figured (incorrectly) would be cafeteria food. Instead it was really good, great meat and fish, and fresh veggies and salad...A real treat! The boat (and the Train) slowed whenever they approached some "Critters" and the guides gave us pointers on behavior of the animals and good camera angles. The fee in 2005 for this tour was $90 per person, a real bargain for a full day of wonderful wildlife experiences.

Second on my list would be Yellowstone. We have been there during almost all of the seasons (except mid-winter). I would go back in a heartbeat for a few days in Late October, when the temps are in the teens in the morning, and the fog rises off the lake to form ice crystals on the bordering trees. The wildlife is busy getting ready for winter and the traffic is 'gone'.

Thanks for the input & please keep the ideas flowing.

Been to Yellowstone, Custer State Park Wildlife Loop, National Bison Range (MT), Cades Cove, Wild Ponies at Chincoteague N.W.R., Land Between the Lakes (TN,KY), but you're on the right track in advising me.

Also, we plan to be in Alaska in 2009. No firm plans as of yet so we are flexible in our time of the late spring or summer. When do the salmon swim upstream & the bear gather to feast? Is there a small window for viewing this event or does this last several weeks or months?

Thanks so much!

I drove through Yellowstone about 10:00PM right after Thanksgiving. They started not to let me in due to snow on the road. I drove really careful. I entered on the north side in Montana and my destination was Jackson Hole. I did not get into Jackson Hole until midnight.

I saw a wolf in the middle of the road, a lynx trotting beside the road and a great horned owl nabbed a ribbit right beside my care.

Super trip but a bit hazardous.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park..
I was there at rutting time for the Elk.. What a sight to behold and listen to.
I saw Big Horn Sheep on rocks, and birds that I didnt even know what they were. Such bright blue feathers, then you have prairie dogs.. those little devils... Mule Deer.....
I loved my visit there.

A married couple I know who go out west a couple times a year just to visit national parks to see the wildlife both say Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota is their first choice. I have never been there, so I can't recommend it myself.

quote:

Originally posted by lostnthemail



Also, we plan to be in Alaska in 2009. No firm plans as of yet so we are flexible in our time of the late spring or summer. When do the salmon swim upstream & the bear gather to feast? Is there a small window for viewing this event or does this last several weeks or months?

Thanks so much!

The salmon start running mid to late June, all through July and into the middle of August. After that, they are spawned out. So you have a good two month window for salmon. I would suggest any time in July. The bears have been very active at the MacNeil River lately, catching salmon and being photographed, with as many as 12 bears on the beach at one time.

You need to go early in the morning and take lots (I mean a lot) of bug spray this time of year, but we see a lot of critters in the Congaree Swamp: http://www.nps.gov/cosw/ It is positively lovely there. We've seen owl, deer, wild turkeys, feral boars, all manner of songbirds, small raptors, lizards, frogs, snakes, turtles--when it's sunny you can actually see fish in Weston Lake. It's local and we love it but it's a really fine addition to the national park system too.

Alternately, pretty much any island/coastal recreation area in SC will get you lots of critters too. We like to go to Folly Beach (near Charleston) late in the day and walk up to the Intercoastal and watch pods of dolphins swim in. You can do kayak tours, either sea or in the marsh streams, and see a lot that way too.

Lostinthemail, I know you are familiar with the Natchez Trace, but for those who aren't...
Deer, turkey, hawks, foxes, armadillos, raccoons, possums, many kinds of birds, all with NO eighteen wheelers.
This is a great way to travel.

Scuba Diving off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico. You will be overwelmed by the beauty of this underwater world, and have up close and personal access to more diverse wildlife than you could ever imagine!

In 2006, we took a road trip to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick, Canada. Our most memorable part of the trip was driving the Cabot Trail and walking the Skyline Trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia. in 2001, we'd driven around Maine and New Hampshire and desperately searched for moose. We finally got to see them, up close and personal on the most beautiful trail we've ever hiked.

We first encountered a Mama Moose and her calf:



And later on, met Papa Moose!



Near the end of the trail is a series of boardwalks which came a s a delightful surprise:



Here's a view of the Cabot Trail from the boardwalk:



And here I am at the end of the trail overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence. I'm watching a pod of whales feeding down below and enjoying the gorgeous view.

I also have to vote for Alaska. We went on a Lindblad Cruise (see http://www.expeditions.com/ ) in 2005 and saw a number of varieties of whales, porpoises, seals and sea lions, eagles, otters, many various sea birds, bears, mountain sheep, and more. There are Naturalists on board to inform and educate on flora and fauna. I carried my binoculars at all times so I wouldn't miss anything. Our dinner was even interrupted during the first course one evening so everyone could run up to the decks to see our first black bear.



And everyone was excited over our first bald eagle sighting:



I fell in love with seals and sea lions on that 12-day trip. I think this next photo was near Glacier Bay National Park and there were hundreds of sea lions lolling on the rocks-- what a lot of wonderful noise they made!



And we were able to kayak for the first time and were privileged to see a group of juvenile sea lions:

Diner-Lover, I did almost the exact thing you did in Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick. Great trip. PEI was exactly like Ann of Green Gables and beautiful and green. Nice bridge trip into Brunswick and sure did enjoy the Cabot trail.

I did almost the same thing in Alaska also.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Decisions, decisions...

We've seen moose on a couple of trips. First encounter - April in Vermont on Highway 114. Had seen all the signs warning of moose crossings & had not seen a thing. Suddenly, came upon a sign with flashing yellow lights warning of moose crossing ahead Best I remember it was down in a valley. There was a well-worn trail at the bottom of the hill, and sure enough we stopped to let one amble across. Later on the same trip we spotted one near Cambridge, Vermont walking across a field. Pulled over & it slowly made its way across the highway.

Spotted two in September near the Grand Tetons.

Thanks for all the pictures as well. Great shots. Love the shot of everybody taking a picture of the eagle. Pretty neat perspective.

Alaska is number one for wildlife in my book. A trip in Denali NP is a must. We saw grizzlies close up.

If you want to see migrating American Bald Eagles the best place is on the Mississippi River near Wabasha, MN in late Winter right where the ice goes off the river. Minnesota has the most nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. I've got pictures with more than 20 eagles in the frame. The newly expanded National Eagle Center is located in Wabasha.

http://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/

Here's a fun one. On our UK trip last year we took a tour of Skomer Island in southern Wales, which is home to a large number of these adorable guys:

Very cool. I have always wanted to see Puffins in the wild. Same with Macaws. Good pic.

DD