Yellowstone - May 2018
We decided to visit Yellowstone National Park fairly early in May to avoid the crowds of summer. We arrived the afternoon after the official park opening. We also felt that we were more likely to find wildlife, especially grizzly bears, close to the roads before traffic pushed them further away. On this trip we were accompanied by my parents (Ted and Mildred Bogener). We stayed in Gardiner Montana and enjoyed near perfect weather. All the park roads had opened by the time we left except the road over Mount Washburn. However, there was a substantial amount of snow along the roads at the higher elevations.
We entered the park in early afternoon from the west gate at West Yellowstone. On the drive between the entrance and Gardiner we saw and photographed four grizzly bears including a female with two cubs and a boar at a separate location. Both groups of bears had attracted good sized crowds but offered at least decent photo opportunities Pretty amazing as we had seen few grizzlies on previous trips to Yellowstone and always at great distances. Definitely, a highlight of the trip.
Female Grizzly
Female Grizzly with Cub
Male Grizzly
Male Grizzly
Male Grizzly
The next day we decided to check out the road between Gardnier and Cook City. We ran into a female grizzly with a yearling cub grazing very near the road. We managed to get a few images before the rangers moved everyone along.
Female Grizzly with Juvenile
We observed a few pronghorns near Slough Creek. None were exceptional bucks, but I did get some good poses along ridge tops with a clean background. A very good day.
Pronghorn Buck
Another Young Pronghorn Buck
Young Pronghorn Buck
Pronghorn Doe in Wildflowers
The next day we explored Canyon, the Lamar Valley and Silven Pass areas. Lots of snow. We saw relatively little wildlife. We did find a porcupine feeding next to the road near the east entrance.
Porcupine
Yellowstone Falls from Artists Point
The next day we again headed towards Lamar Valley. Lots of bison (over 700 by actual count). We saw 4 wolves, three near Buffalo Ranch in Lamar Valley and another nearer Slough Creek. Lots of howling, but no hunting behavior from the group in Lamar Valley. These wolves were some distance off the road, so I really got no decent images. However, the Slough Creek wolf spooked a large herd of bison with many calves which crossed the road on the run in front of us for at least 15 minutes. I finally got a few bison action shots in good light. A little later the wolf made a brief, but distant appearance. He was wearing a large and unattractive radio collar. I did manage a few images where the collar was not evident.
Bison on the Run
Bison Cow and Calf
Bison in Tall Sage
Wolf
The following day we explored the Geyser Basins and Old Faithful area. Limited wildlife and lots and lots of tourists. I took a few scenics, but most were unimpressive.
Prismatic Pool
I managed a few frames of a federally endangered trumpeter swan along the Firehole River.
Trumpeter Swan
Rain was predicted the next day, so we opted to explore Bozeman and Big Sky Montana. Rain and clouds obscured many of the views, so we visited the Museum of the Rockies. Excellent dinosaur exhibit.
Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman
On our last day we again toured the Lamar Valley. We found a red fox actively hunting next to the road. I followed her and grabbed a few images as she hunted all around me. A beautiful and very active photo subject.
Red Fox
We also observed a few female bison engaged in some form of head butting behavior.
Cow Bison
Road Hogs
Airbourne
Lone Bull
Frosty Cow
We saw several introduced mountain goats between Pebble Creek and Cook City. All were quite distant. We watched as they appeared to easily negotiate near vertical cliffs.
Elk were not at all plentiful near the road. We saw hundreds daily, frequently at less than desirable photo distances. We were a little early for elk calving and saw no calves this trip. We saw a lone mature bull in velvet, but were unable to obtain any decent images.
Cow elk wet from crossing the Yellowstone River
We saw a few black bears. On previous trips in May we had seen several sows with cubs. They were hard to find on this recent trip. All that were close were collared and offered no decent photo opportunities. No cubs were observed.
We saw small groups of female big horn sheep near Yellowstone Picnic Area frequently. On our last morning we photographed a group of 14 mature big horn rams on the slope above Soda Creek. Nice light and some exceptional animals.
Big Horn Ewe
Big Horn Ewe
Big Horn Ram
Big Horn Ram
Big Horn Ram
My parents were keen to see a moose and and we finally found a scraggly cow near sunset on the last evening. Always a difficult species to find in the park. We managed in seven days to get good looks at all the major wildlife species in the park including mule and white-tailed deer.
I recommend visiting in early May, right at or before the official park opening. Crowds (except at bear jams) were relatively light, but definitely increased daily. We were lucky with the weather. It can be quite twitchy in May.