April 20, 2008 Yellowstone Trip

My husband and I will be staying in a timeshare in West Yellowstone April 20-24. What can we do and see at that time of the year? We would love to see bears and wolves. Can anyone recommend a good guide or tour company?

April 20, 2008 Yellowstone Trip

I do not think that you would begin to see bears in Yellowstone until the midddle/end of May. A local might give you a better idea but in the past when we have been in Yellowstone in late May tourists would tell us and we found it to be true also that bears were just beginning to be seen. Last Memorial weekend a mother bear and cubs were spotted coming back from Old Faithful as we went through the Grand Tetons.

April 20, 2008 Yellowstone Trip

Actually bears may begin emerging from hibernation as early as March, at lot just depends on the weather. This has been a very hard and cold winter, so we%26#39;ll see how it finishes out.

I can tell you that most western side roads in the park open to wheeled vehicles April 18th.

I%26#39;m sure you know that there is no spring season. We always joke that we jump erratically from winter to summer. In late April the average high temperature in the park is around 40-45 degrees and lows around 20. Be sure to pack warmly.

A few grizzly%26#39;s have been spotted just this week!

Yellowstone Park will be open for driving in from the West Entrance, north to Norris (a neat geyser basin) up to Mammoth Hot Springs, over to Lamar Valley and back the same way (the Dunraven/Tower pass will still be closed). Or, you can go in from West Yellowstone to Madison Junction, turn south to Old Faithful area. (There are great thermal areas to walk through at Fountain Paint Pots, Black Sand Basin, Midway Geyser Basin, and the Old Faithful area).

You are coming at a great time to see baby bison (buffalo) being born. The elk and deer will be out in the open, eating along rivers and streams, and looking for the first grasses.

The bears will be out (and yes, there have already been bear warnings and sightings issued for this spring). The wolves will be hunting to feed their new pups too.

It is a little early for most tour companies, but I would check with the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commcerce. I think www.yellowstonevacations.com may be running some early tours this year and maybe Alpen Guides. If they are, I would look into a tour for a day....it will be a great way to learn the roads in the park, all about the wildlife and where to spot them in mid-April (especially wolves and bears), and could give you a break from driving to just sit back, enjoy, and take some photographs.

The Grizzly Wolf %26amp; Discovery Center in West Yellowstone will be open which is a sanctuary-type habitat for grizzlies and wolves. They have some great presentations by naturalists. The IMAX theater will also be open showing a number of features you might enjoy about Yellowstone, bears, wolves.