Wildlife

For many first-time Yellowstone National Park visitors, the chance to see a wild wolf, black bear or grizzly is at the top of the wish list. But information on how to see one of the large predators can seem contradictory.

Some wildlife web sites lead one to believe that seeing a bear or wolf is so easy that you don’t even have to really try. Then a newbie visitor arrives at a park bigger than some states, feels overwhelmed … and doesn’t see a bear.

On the flip side, many general travel forums lead one to believe that finding a bear or a wolf is not a realistic goal. I’ve seen countless commenters on Lonely Planet and Tripadvisor suggest that you won’t see a predator unless you spend several weeks backpacking, and even then you’d have to be extraordinarily lucky.

The truth is this: You can see bears and wolves in Yellowstone. You just need to know where and how to look.

I won’t guarantee you a sighting. But if you follow these tips, you should find bears, or wolves, or both. Have your own tips? Leave them in the comments.