Tracking the Great Bear
From Dubois, Wyoming, to Jasper, Alberta.
By: Candy Moulton 03/01/2007
The exhilaration of seeing that bear twice, her encounter with the buffalo and the peaceful stance she displayed on the cliff are all cherished moments in some of North America’s most spectacular country.
Not everyone who tours along the great bear’s corridor will see a grizzly bear or hear a timber wolf howl, but you can become more aware of the land those creatures depend upon. In becoming more aware, you will nurture your own spirit. As one resident of the area told me, this is a place to “power up your soul,” whether it’s by walking through a dripping rainforest environment on Trail of the Cedars near East Glacier in Glacier National Park in the U.S. or standing on a thousand feet of glacial ice at the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park in Canada.
Entering Wyoming’s Grizzly Habitat
Travel with me as we follow the tracks of the great bear. The route extends over roughly 2,200 miles of the wild Rockies along the Continental Divide.
We begin in Dubois, Wyoming, which is on the southern end of the grizzly’s habitat these days. This small town is most known for its impressive herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep that roam up into the Wyoming range during the summer and spend winters on Whiskey Mountain just south of town. Some grizzly bears have migrated this far south, but they aren’t as common here as in the mountains to the north. While in Dubois, you should visit the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center; during winter, the center conducts tours to the sheep winter range for close-up views of the wild sheep. Next door is the Wind River Historical Center, which exhibits displays of local history.
From Dubois, travel northwest on U.S. 287/26, which takes you across Togwatee Pass (currently, there is some road construction in this area) and gives you grand views of the Grand Teton mountain range before you drop into Jackson Hole. You can remain on U.S. 287 at Moran and continue directly north into Yellowstone, or you can follow U.S 26 south into Grand Teton National Park for unobstructed views of the Grand Teton range. At Moose Junction, turn west onto Teton Park Road, toward the Moose Visitor’s Center and a main entrance station to Grand Teton National Park. You can then follow the park road near the base of the Tetons back north to Jackson Lake Junction, where you will again connect with U.S. 287, taking you into Yellowstone National Park.
Within Yellowstone, the first national park in the United States, the roads are patterned like a figure eight with visitor services at several main junctions, including Fishing Bridge (a site where grizzly bears are often spotted because they like to do their own fishing), Grant, Old Faithful, Canyon and Mammoth. You’ll almost always see buffalo in the Hayden Valley, have an opportunity to view elk near and north of Old Faithful, and may encounter grizzly bears as you cross Dunraven Pass and in Gardner’s Hole west of Mammoth. Wolves roam throughout the park, but they are most often spotted in the Lamar Valley, in the park’s northeastern corner, where they were released back into the wild in 1995.
Yellowstone’s geyser basins around Old Faithful and at Norris are ever-changing displays of thermal features. You will want to spend at least a couple of days in Yellowstone to really experience the park’s diverse landscape and wildlife. Soak in the warmth generated by thermal features, because later on, you will need it.
Post A Comment