Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park: A Photo Journey

A Photo Journey Through Lamar Valley

Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park is without a doubt the best place to view wildlife in the park. Dubbed America’s Serengeti, you will likely see bison, pronghorn, elk, and possibly bears and wolves. Driving through this area is magnificent and watching the wildlife is an amazing experience! Come along as we share our photo journey as an evening well spent in Lamar Valley.

Where is Lamar Valley?

Lamar Valley is located in the northeastern part of Yellowstone National Park. This area thrives with wildlife from herds of bison to pronghorn, elk, grizzly and black bears, and wolves.

Map of Yellowstone with Lamar Valley marked | Map courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service (nps.gov)

To Get Here from the West: Since the majority of the sights in Yellowstone are to the west of Lamar Valley, this is where most people are coming from. We planned out our day to include Lamar Valley in the evening after spending the afternoon seeing some sights along the way between Norris and Canyon Village areas of the park. From Canyon Village, our last stop before heading to Lamar Valley, it was about a one hour drive.

To Get Here from the South: If you are coming from the Fishing Bridge Area, head north all the way until you reach Tower-Roosevelt, where you will take a right and head east.

To Get Here from the East: From the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park it is about 29 miles to Lamar Valley.

To Get Here from the North: If coming from Gardiner, MT or the Mammoth Hot Springs area, follow the main road to Tower-Roosevelt and turn left at the junction.

When to Go

Wildlife is most active at dawn and at dusk so these are the best times to visit. If you plan to visit Lamar Valley at dawn, you will need to plan on waking up very early, depending on where you are staying. If coming from West Yellowstone, you have to give yourself two hours to get to Lamar Valley, which means two hours before sunrise. That would likely mean a 3:30 a.m. wake up call! If you are staying within the park, it might be a little bit later than that depending on how far away you are staying. Regardless, you will be driving through the park at dark until the sun rises so keep that in mind as wildlife is active.

We visited Lamar Valley in the evening. We had the chance to get out of the park before dark (although we stayed too long and that didn’t happen!) but also we had the most beautiful light as the sun started to set.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

The drive to Lamar Valley will be slow. You can’t just buzz through it as wildlife (mainly bison) are constantly crossing the roads. Plan for traffic backups and expect to be stopped for several minutes from time to time.
If wildlife is close to your vehicle go very slow, allowing as much room as possible between you and the animal. Do not stop in the road to watch them, only for crossing. Stopping in the road is dangerous for the other cars behind you and it causes unnecessary backups. The further you get into Lamar Valley the more wildlife you will see. There are plenty of pull outs to safely stop and watch them.
Do not approach wildlife. You should not be closer than 25 yards to bison and not closer than 100 yards to bears and wolves. Bring a spotting scope, binoculars, or camera with a zoom lens to get closer in on the action. All of my close up photos are taken with my zoom lens.
Pack a cooler and enjoy a picnic at a pullout where animals are active (and of course further away). It was the best dinner scene!

Lamar Valley in Yellowstone: A Photo Journey

Driving through Lamar Valley is so awesome. Seeing these wild creatures in their home, from moms and babies to giant males is an incredible experience. The drive itself is beautiful, with the rolling hills unfolding as you drive down into the valley.

We saw bison plus a few pronghorn but no elusive bears or wolves. As much as we would have loved to see either of those, the bison gave us quite the show!

The drive itself is just beautiful as you make your way down into the valley.

We first came across this guy as we turned the corner at the Tower-Roosevelt junction.

He continued to slowly cross the road and the proceeded to walk down the middle!

As we drove by slowly, I caught this with my camera – he was so close!

We drove about five more minutes until we came upon our first herd. Check out the female and the calf on the hill!

They, too, crossed the road in front of us, which caused a slow down for a while. But that is okay, this is what we came for!

Here come the traffic backups! These bison sure cause traffic to move slow!

As we made our way deeper into Lamar Valley, herds of bison were seen out in the distance.

Eventually we stopped and enjoyed a picnic dinner while continuing to watch the animals. We also saw a pronghorn high on a hill.

Heading back, we caught the most beautiful light as the sun started to set.

Visiting Lamar Valley is a must when in Yellowstone National Park! Seeing the wildlife is an epic experience. Just look at this guy!

OUR PACKING LIST

Here is our packing list for Yellowstone National Park

Our go-to hiking backpacks are Osprey brand. They are very lightweight and comfortable and carry all our essentials. You can find the backpacks in a variety of colors and capacities.
Camelback water reservoirs are a must when hiking.
I really like these Black Diamond trekking poles. These fold up and are lightweight, especially great for packing when traveling and taking along on hikes.
Sunblock is a must in the hot summer months. We really like the Blue Lizard brand as it is great for sensitive skin.
No hike should be without a mini first aid kit!