Day 4 – That’s a Wrap

Started the morning the same as the last few days. Up at 5:15 and out the door by 6. Grabbed gas at the Conoco in Gardiner and headed into the park before sunrise.
It was another quiet Yellowstone morning overall, but those can still turn into memorable days. I drove the same direction as the first morning toward Tower Fall to see what might be moving around.
At Lava Creek I stopped to photograph a bull elk standing near the roadside in the soft early light. A little farther on, before Floating Island Lake, there was a crowd gathered along the road. Through spotting scopes I could make out a pack of wolves way off in the distance. Too far away for photos, but still exciting to watch for a while.
While standing there I could hear a coyote nearby sounding pretty upset about something. I kept looking around trying to find him but never could. There was a red tailed hawk sitting in a dead tree nearby, but I really didn’t think that was what had the coyote worked up.
Up near Tower there was a black bear curled up on a hillside sleeping in a tight ball. Not exactly great for pictures, but still another bear sighting for the trip.
On the drive back near Floating Island Lake there was a cow moose with a younger one nearby. I managed to get some good photos before continuing on. Then at the Blacktail turnoff there were a couple bull moose standing out in the open almost like they were posing for pictures. Easily one of the highlights of the morning.
I made it back to Gardiner around 9:15 for breakfast before Staci and I headed back out for the afternoon. The weather stayed cloudy and gray most of the day with little snow squalls drifting through every now and then.
Early in the afternoon we grabbed lunch at a sandwich place in Gardiner before taking another drive toward Tower Fall. The moose from the morning were still hanging around in the same area on the return drive.
Back near the same pullout where everyone had been watching wolves earlier, another crowd had gathered. This time it was a cinnamon colored black bear down in a hollow below the road. A ranger was busy backing people away and trying to keep the crowd under control. I decided to keep driving instead of adding to the traffic jam and stress on the bear. Sometimes it’s better to leave the moment alone and move on.
The plan had been to head back out again that evening for one last drive through Yellowstone, but things changed and we ended up needing to cut the trip short and head home earlier than expected.
Even though the wildlife was quieter than some years, this spring trip still delivered plenty of memorable moments. Wolves in the distance through spotting scopes, moose along the lakes and roadside, black bears including a cinnamon colored one, coyotes sounding off in the valleys, grizzlies near the lake, golden eagles over the cliffs, and long drives through the northern range under changing spring weather.
This trip felt less about chasing perfect photos and more about simply being in Yellowstone again. Early mornings out of Gardiner before sunrise, quiet roads, snow squalls drifting through the mountains, wildlife watchers gathered along the roadside, and those moments where the park suddenly feels completely alive.
Spring in Yellowstone is always unpredictable. Some days the animals are everywhere and some days the park feels quiet and still. Either way, there’s nowhere quite like it.
That’s a wrap on the Spring 2026 Yellowstone trip. Until next time, Yellowstone.