The Home of Bison. Lamar Valley is famous for its large herds of bison and beautiful grasslands. We arrived late in the afternoon, which is a great time to spot wildlife. We saw huge herds of bison strolling across the valley and even got to experience a bison family crossing the road right in front of us! Unfortunately, we didn't spot any elk, bears, or wolves this time. Watching the bison slowly cross the road, bringing traffic to a standstill while countless cars stopped to take photos, was an epic experience! Seeing these magnificent animals up close in their natural habitat was unforgettable. read more

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Amazing! The rumors were true. + Bison nonchalantly crossing the road, slowing down lines of cars. My 3rd animal crossing this vacation! - The western entrance to Lamar Valley at Tower Junction (Tower/Roosevelt Service Station) was way backed up. Many cars, slow line. * Even with many families waiting behind you, savor the moments. Not often in your life you get to witness Bovidae walking right in front of you. . Tip: better replenish at the Sinclair gas station. Will be a long drive ahead. # Warning: Don't feed them, and certainly don't touch them. Ancestrally, bison had to view us hunters as predators. And mothers recognize their calves by scent. If you touch a calf, your human predator scent will alienate the mother; she may not even recognize her young anymore, and it won't be able to rejoin the herd Dx Disastrous fate for the calf afterwards... So yeah, stay in your car. Or exit at one of the pullouts, but keep your distance. Welcome to America's Serengeti! read more

I had no real expectation of the Lamar Valley, but had heard that this was a good spot to see wildlife. And did we see wildlife. Pronghorn, a rare native fish, BISON EVERYWHERE, deer. We even got stuck in a kind of scary bison jam for about 20 mins. Huge bison were right next to our car and it very much reminded me of the scene of Jurassic Park when the t-rex got out and the passengers were freezing so it wouldn't see you. We found 1 particular spot to get out and hike. It was called Trout Lake. It was a beautiful, moderate (but mostly flat and easy) walk that my kids could do easily. The scenery was really pretty too. We turned the car around at Trout Lake to head toward Tower Fall, but I've heard it's still pretty when you continue on. A definitely while do. I think we spent about 4 hours in the Lamar Valley with the drive and the hike stop. read more

We entered Yellowstone from the northeast entrance so that we could deliberately drive through the Lamar Valley. We didn't start our drive until early afternoon, so we didn't see a great deal of wildlife, but we did manage to see several herds of bison. The views were very scenic, and we found ourselves pulling over quite frequently. Definitely take your time driving through this area and enjoy the sights! read more

This place was definitely a highlight for me when I visited Yellowstone National Park. Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley are the best places to see populations of large animals. Its valleys are very wide and make excellent habitat for wildlife. Lamar Valley is known as America's Serengeti. Some animals you may encounter here are bison, wolves, moose, grizzly bears, elk and a variety of birds. I drove the long drive to Lamar Valley from Mammoth Hot Springs. Lamar Valley is not part of the Grand loop drive of Yellowstone. It branches off from the northeast part of the loop. Once you reach Tower/Roosevelt Service Station, you turn onto on Northeast Entrance Road. You can then take your time observing wildlife along the way. You will see the Lamar River right next to the road as you are driving. It's about a 30 mile drive on NE Entrance Rd to the Northeast entrance. You will usually see cars parked at pullouts when there is a group of animals nearby. They ask you to not stop in the middle of the road unless wildlife is crossing the street (only stop at pullouts). The best time to photograph Lamar Valley is at dawn or dusk. I spent a whole evening driving through here and got some great shots. I had a cool moment when I pulled over and a bison passed in front of my car. I was able to get some close-up photos of it. I also drove to Slough Creek because I heard you can usually spot wolves there in the evening. I didn't see any, but could hear them howling in the distance. I can't tell you how beautiful this valley is. In addition to the wildlife I saw, I enjoyed watching the sunset. This is definitely a great place to go if you want to slow your life down and take in some beautiful nature. read more

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One of the best parts and most visited of Yellowstone National Park period The valley itself is rivaled only by Hayden Valley period both are best known For viewing Wolves period not to mention bison comma elk and Grizzly bears period If you've never been You don't know what you're missing should do yourself a favor and at least make the trip once in your lifetime period I have been here Over a hundred times easily period and it never gets old period Winter is my favorite time and the best time I believe to go period bring your cross country skis Comet Snowshoes comma be sure to dress in layers and Have snow boots period It's an adventure of a lifetime out here period read more

Wow. Lamar Valley was probably my favorite place to visit in the park. We loved it so much, that even if it was out of the way, we decided to visit it twice while at Yellowstone. Lamar Valley is known for wildlife watching, and you will for sure get just that! The drive from Mammoth Hot springs is about 45 minutes to an hour. I wouldn't expect it to be any faster than that, as you want to be safe while driving out there - you'll never know if you'll run into a crossing deer, pronghorn, or whatever. Once we got into Lamar Valley, we immediately ran into Bison. We got excited when we saw our first one; we slowed down, took a ton of photos and kept driving. Little did we know the further we kept driving, the more bison we were going to run into. Boy, did we run into a ton! At one point we were absolutely surrounded by Bison. We were nervous for our car rental, but thankfully we made it out fine. There are plenty of stops where you can pull over and try your luck at finding a bear, wolves, foxes, pronghorns...but if it's your intent to find tons of wildlife, we HIGHLY recommend coming SUPER early or just at dusk. Have fun when coming here and be safe! Don't do anything that would risk your life or others when coming here...you're not at Disneyland. You're dealing with REAL wildlife animals. read more

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This is supposed to be the best place in the park to see wildlife. Unfortunately, we didn't do it quite right and that wasn't the case for us. Tips to see the best wildlife: get there for sunrise and bring binoculars. We wanted to get there for sunrise, but with a 2 hour drive from West Yellowstone, we didn't make it. We only saw one bison. There was apparently a pack of wolves in the distance, but we didn't have binoculars so we couldn't see them. Not all was lost though because the valley and drive to the valley is gorgeous. There are some really great views in this area of the park. If I could do it again, I would wake up earlier to get there for sunrise and bring binoculars with me. read more

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My son and I headed out in the morning for our wildlife watching. We had seen a lot of Bison in Hayden Valley but Lamar came in for the win. Bison galore! They walk down the roads, sit on the sides and graze in the fields. We also saw elk and pronghorns. We saw people with spotting scopes in the wolf watching area but they said they haven't seen anything. Bear tooth Highway runs from Tower Junction through Lamar valley to the Northeast park entrance and is approximately 29 miles. We were staying in Gardiner so our round trip was about 55 miles. We started out about 8:45 am and took about 3 hours with stops and a quick bite lunch at warm creek picnic area. Fill up your gas tank and cooler and bring you binoculars to see the animals in the distance. I definitely recommend. read more

Lamar Valley is hands down one of the top places to visit if you're looking to view wildlife during your Yellowstone trip. In particular, you'll have the opportunity to view bison herds, wolf packs, grizzly and black bears as well as elk herds from various viewpoints in the valley. During our trip to Yellowstone, we managed to keep two evenings aside for coming here and were lucky and absolutely thrilled to be able to watch all of the above mentioned animals. With regards to time, I'd recommend coming here either at dawn (5-6 am) or closer to dusk (7pm onwards) as most bears and wolves are active during dawn or dusk. Wildlife watching requires a huge amount of patience and precision and so I'd recommend bringing the relevant equipment along for a meaningful experience (binoculars and scoped devices) and staying patient. The beauty of Lamar Valley lies in the fact that there are numerous viewpoints through the drive where you can essentially park your vehicle and view the vast landscape filled with majestic wildlife. With regards to wolf watching, I'd recommend coming down to Sloughcreek. If you're lucky and patient, you'll get the chance to witness a Wolfpack howl and many adult wolves calmly walking around the hills near sloughcreek through your binoculars. read more

Lamar Valley - A bison herd with wolves in them (we watched the wolves with binoculars later) - Hiking Near Me - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

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Unfortunately Lamar Valley is closed due to the flooding in June. Such a pity. Yea m sure it would have been amazing

If you're looking for the perfect drive with a beautiful view, take the long way to Yellowstone. Lamar Valley is beautiful and it is a must! There are so many little outlooks and pit stops on the drive to Yellowstone. I honestly did not think much when I told my husband that we were heading to Yellowstone on our annual family road trip. I gave him the destination and asked him to plan the entire route because I was working overtime the week prior. Of course, like most dudes, he didn't care much. He looked on the map and starting picking "popular" places. He knows that I don't like overly crowded places and I always avoid as many touristy places as possible but he did his "thing." I have to say, I was not disappointed! He drove us from Minnesota all the way to Yellowstone and the entire drive was a bliss. My favorite part of the trip was definitely stopping between Wyoming and Montana to take this gorgeous picture of the lake. Oh you know, I stood on the ledge I pretended that I was not this crazy girl trying to capture this breathtaking photo. The road is curvy so please avoid driving at full throttle. Seriously, take your time driving, immerse yourself in the beauty of this land, and smell the air, you won't regret it! You know that Instagram worthy picture you're looking for even if you're not that super outdoorsy girl? Yeah, you don't want to miss this route. You'll get plenty of that on this drive through Lamar. Anyways, lots of wildlife and really just enjoy the view. Last but not least, safe travels and have fun! read more

Lamar Valley - Hiking Near Me - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

It's best to go in the beginning of spring or fall seasons for animal viewing. it's definitely my favorite area of yellowstone for seeing wildlife and gorgeous nature in general! read more

1. The Lamar Valley, open mid May to October, has the largest concentrations of bison in Yellowstone National Park. 2. We got up at 6am, had a quick breakfast, and headed out to the Lamar valley, from our Lake Yellowstone hotel cabin. We wanted to get to the valley as early as possible when the animals are most active, and to beat the crowds of visitors. 3. It took us about 90 minutes to drive the 35 miles from Lake Yellowstone, through the Hayden Valley, and alongside the winding Mountain road adjacent to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. 4. 25 mph speed limits, as you don't want to come around a blind curve and hit a 1000 lb bison with your car! 5. At Tower Roosevelt, after using the restrooms, we checked in with the ranger station, which directed us to a nearby location with a bear sighting at nearby Floating Island. 6. At Floating Island sure enough, there were dozens of cars parked alongside the road, with a ranger holding people back. A black bear was frolicking in the bushes about 50 yards away, sniffing around for berries and insects in fallen trees. You would too, if you couldn't afford the prices of food at these Yellowstone cafeterias! 7. We put in more gas in the rental car at the nearby gas station before going into the Valley. No gas stations in this valley, and it is 29 miles and a 1 hour drive to the Northeast park entrance. 8. Big sky country, grassland in the valley, with mountains in the background, and the Lamar river rapids running next to the road. Herds of dark brown adult bison, with the occasional bright orange calf tagging along in the distance. 9. Viewpoints for camera buffs with monster telephoto lenses cameras on tripods for picture stability to shoot long distance pictures across the valley of elk and pronghorn. 10. Traffic stopped for animal sightings and the even rarer restrooms! 11. Traffic on the 2 lane road comes to a halt several times in the Valley, with herds of bison crossing the road. And bison always have the right of way! 12. Whatever you do, do not leave your car when the herds of bison come alongside, as you do not want to pat the calf, and can't outrun 1000 lb mama! 13. One place, the bison calf leads the way, leaping right in front of the car from the roadside. 14. Eventually the Lamar river subsides, the Soda Butte creek takes over, and we drive uphill, gaining elevation, with snow capped mountains on both sides of us. 15. We check out a bunch of stopped cars on the roadside. The guy lets us take a look through his tripod mounted telescope of next door 10,400' Baronette Peak. 16. Pronghorn sheep on the rocky bluffs invisible to the naked eye, but visible through the scope. 17. Waterfalls on the Baronette Peak, just a few miles from the end of the Valley at the northeast entrance to the park. 18. On our way back, we see a herd of bison trying to forge the Lamar river at a shallow point, where adults can stand up and the calves can swim -I assume the calves have to swim, as their feet can't reach the bottom! 19. We see a herd of pronghorn with underdeveloped horns in the meadow. The wife says they are adolescent pronghorns, in herds for safety. 20. No grizzly bear sightings in the middle of the day -but come back at dusk and it may be another story! 21. While we are here, we head on over to Mammoth Hot Springs, 18 miles and 45 minutes away. read more

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The buffaloe....need I say more?!?!! You can just sit in awe of these amazing creatures for hours with your camera! We did!

Atop everyone's list in Yellowstone is to see animals in the wild. Lamar Valley has the highest concentration of wildlife, making it one of the best places to spot wildlife in Yellowstone. I recommend booking the Historic Yellow Bus Lamar Valley Excursion Tour in advance; it's one of the most popular tours and get booked up pretty quickly. Usually mornings and evenings are the best time to watch wildlife. We booked the early morning tour that starts at 6.15am from the Mammoth Hot Springs. As we were driving towards the Lamar Valley, we saw a bison or two on the way, getting overly excited, not realizing that the place we were going to would be filled with thousands and thousands of bison. Just after we entered the Lamar Valley, one of the people in the bus jolted "Stop, stop, I saw something move", and our driver and tour guide immediately stopped the bus. Everyone was all eyes at the hills to our left, but couldn't spot anything. Just when we were ready to start the bus, the "black thing" emerged from the hills. It walked closer to our bus. There it was - a black bear! We all went "wow", taking out our cameras and cellphones pointing at the bear. The bear walked parallel to the road, not fearful of the number of cars that had stopped just to see it. In some time, the bear walked off into the woods, after putting on a show. Within a few more minutes, there was a bison, right in the middle of the road. I've heard stories about a single bison blocking the road, and causing the traffic to back up for hours and hours. We hoped that this particular one in the middle of the road was a more considerate one, and would move over to let the traffic pass. And it did, while giving us a naughty look, as we drove past it. Then the views opened up to wide valleys sprinkled with hundreds of bison happily relaxing and grazing. We stopped on the way, set up the spyglass and patiently waited for the fox and her babies to come out of their recently built den. We waited & waited & waited, with no sign of the fox or her babies. But in the meantime, a band of pronghorns and a solo bison nearby entertained us. Finally, we saw something move near the wolf den. It was a pup, jumping on the den. Then another pup popped out of the den. Awwww, so cute! We packed up and everything and continued driving through the Lamar Valley. The Pebble Creek is a good spot to see bighorn mountain sheep. There were three of them, up above on the mountains. My binoculars weren't powerful enough to spot them, but thankfully our tour guide's spy glass was! On the way back, we saw an osprey nest, on which there were two chicks and the mom carefully guarding its chicks. read more

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Bisons! Bisons! Bisons! I'm super hesitant to share this location for fear that it'd be ruined, but it really is such a great place to observe bisons. Please be respectful of the wilderness and keep a safe distance! Please pull over if you want to take photos or observe the bisons for an extended time period. No one wants to sit in their car and wait on you to pass. Drive at reason speed--bisons are constantly crossing and sometimes just walking on the road. This is a highly recommended place within Yellowstone that nearly guarantees you'll see bisons. The best times is when the sun is rising or setting. They're supposedly most active then. There are herds of them everywhere and even deers here and there. It didn't take us long at all until we ran into our first herd. ' read more

I love both of the Valleys inside of Yellowstone, there is so much wildlife, you'll end up seeing mainly elk, bison, and deer. They wander around at their own leisure, leave them alone and everyone will have a good time. read more

If you're looking to see bison on your trip then you for sure need to check this place out! They're swarming the field and so gorgeous. A lot of pull off spots to check them out. I wouldn't get out the car but some people do. Great photo opportunity too! read more

This is a review on the Lamar Valley Wildlife excursion. I believe this is offered directly from Yellowstone park services. I could be wrong. The tour excursion starts at Lake Hotel and does a pick-up and then drives north to Canyon Lodge for a second pick-up. This is a 40 person bus. We got on at Canyon Lodge so our choice of seats was the middle of the bus where there were no windows or the back where there is only one window on the left side. When wildlife is view-able, cars will stop along the side of the road. So there is no room for this big bus to stop. We stopped two places to look for wildlife off in the distance. I was only able to take pictures from the bus when we were moving. The windows were dirty so the pictures were not very good. We paid a little over $100 for two of us. Kind of expensive for a 4 hour bus ride to look at wildlife through dirty windows going 25 mph. There are a couple of other wildlife tours that use smaller vehicles and are more expensive. I would recommend just driving your own car. read more

Here a Bison there a Bison-- looking to get into that unique Bison traffic jam situation? Lamar Valley is the best place to begin tapping your steering wheel and begin wondering when the Bison herd will leave the road in front of you so you can drive again. PERHAPS NOT BEST FOR HIKING Honestly, we didn't move around a lot outside of the car. I saw several trails offshooting the main road, but since my hiking preferences lay in mountainous, tree-filled areas of elevation, I wasn't curious enough to see what 'valley hikes' were like. However parking in any pullout leaves you breathless and small as you see how large the valley is with the grand mountains in the distance. WILDLIFE There are many, many Bison herds throughout. My late arrivals to the valley didn't lead me to see any more creatures besides Bison and Deer-- but I loved watching the antics of the Bison so I was already satisfied. FOR THE HUMAN WILDLIFE There aren't many restrooms here compared to other YNP areas-- probably only one near Roosevelt Lodge and one in the later half of the Valley. There's many small lots and pullout areas for you to stop your car and climb out when the mood strikes. read more

Lamar Valley is open YEAR ROUND! I drive it every winter... The Lamar Valley is only part of the park's northern tier along the bend in highway 212. Mostly from Soda Butte to the small pass by Fishermans before going into Slough Creek. There are many bathrooms along 212. Hitching post, Slough Creek, Blacktail, at Picnic, Tower Junction. However there is only one place that has gas via "credit card only" at Tower Junction and the other is at Mammoth on the west side. Both site have pumps open 24 hours a day - via credit card. There is also gas at the far east end in Cooke City. Highway 212 is open year round but only plowed during daylight hours until about 4:30pm in the winter and if treacherous the road can be closed at night until it can be plowed the next day. Cooke City to the east is at a dead end in the winter. So what can you see along 212 on the north end of the park? Watch this video taken in May 2015 with an iPhone 6+, https://youtu.be/6fB3w3QuG3E Get out of your cars and hike but never hike alone and everyone carry bear spray - just be safe. read more

UNBELIEVABLE! It's hard to describe the beauty and vastness of this place. We were hoping to see a Buffalo. In the past few days between here and the other valley we probably have seen 1,500 buffalo, 6 pronghorn, 2 bears and a cub, a fox, a nest of Osprey babies, a few trumpeter swans, and I'm not sure what else. It's amazing! Oh Deer as well as a mule deer. Different people see different things at different times of the year and time of the day but don't miss out on the opportunity to stop by a couple of times while here. read more

Great strip to see tons of wildlife. Beautiful drive.