Top national parks for winter wildlife spotting
Enjoying the national parks may be the highlight of summer vacations, but visiting in the winter has its own perks. The crowds are long gone and depending on when you go, you might just feel you have the whole park to yourself.
If you’re brave enough to embrace the low temperatures with lots of snowfall and ice, you can be in for a real treat. Moose, elk, deer and bison leave higher terrain for snow-covered meadows as they endure the harsh winter climate and have more possibilities of finding food. If you are patient and in the right place at the right time, you may see a pack of wolves or coyotes hunting or traversing through the snow.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Established in 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park is considered one of the top parks for wildlife watching because of the variety of large mammals that inhabit the park. Elk and mule deer trade the tundra for the meadows and can often be seen while searching for food, usually around dusk and dawn. Coyotes can be spotted through the day, along with marmots and pikas (part of the rabbit family but look like a hamster). Bighorn sheep aren’t always easy to find but tend to be on the east side of the park, near the Fall River corridor. Home to over 270 species of birds, in the winter months, keep your eyes out for golden eagles, prairie falcons, black-billed magpies, steller’s jays and Clark’s nutcrackers.
Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Created in 1975, Voyageurs National Park is unique because of its interconnected waterways. The main way to access the park is via kayak, canoe or boat, though there are roads and hiking trails. With 50 species of mammals and 100 species of birds, you’ll want to look up toward the trees and skies for a chance to see loons, doublecrested cormorants, ravens and warblers. Voyageurs is known for its population of gray wolves, also known as timber wolves, which typically hunt in packs of four to eight in the winter. They avoid humans, but you can often catch a glimpse of them during the day while hunting for food or walking along the shoreline of