The place to search out the very best winter wildlife watching within the U.S., from whales to wolves

While some animals (and people) hibernate in winter, different species are at their most energetic. Whales, butterflies, and birds are migrating; elephant seals are mating; and wolves are actively looking prey. With much less foliage (and fewer crowds) obscuring your view, and animals extra actively looking for meals, winter provides a stunning benefit to wildlife watchers. 

Whether it’s bald eagles fishing in ice-fringed rivers or elk bugling by means of snow-dusted valleys, each nook of the nation is bursting with fantastic wildlife watching this winter. Here’s the place to see these animals in motion.

(How to do wildlife watching proper: Tips for responsponsible wildlife tourism.)

Santa Cruz, California

Sunny Santa Cruz, California (a couple of two-hour drive south of San Francisco), could also be finest often called the usually contested browsing capital of the nation, however to nature lovers, it’s well-known for its extraordinary density of wildlife, a lot of which is most energetic in winter. At the Monarch Butterfly Preserve at Natural Bridges State Beach, roughly 10,000 winged wonders spend their winter within the eucalyptus grove, forming a type of “city in the trees.” The largest variety of butterflies might be seen in January, as most slowly start heading again north in early-mid February. Occasionally, you possibly can nonetheless discover Monarch butterflies by means of early March. 

About a 30-minute drive north of Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo State Park welcomes tons of of elephant seals, who come ashore to mate each winter, normally from December by means of March, peaking, oddly sufficient, throughout their mating season round Valentine’s Day. Males battle on the seashore to impress the females, who delivery and nurse their younger close by. It’s the one place to hitch a guided tour for the seasonal spectacle. Tickets promote quick, so plan forward.

Gardiner, Montana

Winter transforms northern Yellowstone right into a residing wildlife documentary, the place snow-blanketed valleys and steaming geothermal basins set the stage for among the most thrilling animal encounters in North America. A stretch of the park in Montana—anchored by the Lamar Valley and Gardiner entrance—stays accessible even within the depths of winter, drawing seasoned wildlife watchers with its uncooked, cinematic magnificence. It’s the most effective locations within the nation to see grey wolves within the wild, particularly at daybreak when packs traverse the snowy meadows in the hunt for prey. Bison plow by means of drifts, whereas snowshoe hares and stoats (recognized of their winter-white kind as ermine) go away fleeting tracks throughout the snow. Although guests can spot these animals and not using a information, becoming a member of a winter wildlife-watching tour is a perfect choice.  

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Given its proximity to Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone, it’s no shock that Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is residence to among the finest wildlife viewing within the nation. Elk are noticed year-round, however greater than 8,000 head to the National Elk Refuge within the winter starting in December, when the snow turns into too deep for them in surrounding mountainous areas. Although you possibly can see elk by means of April, February is your finest likelihood to search out the most important numbers. Sleigh rides by means of the refuge present guests with an up-close and private encounter with elk.

New York City, New York

Though not usually related to wildlife, the Big Apple is a wonderful place to identify marine mammals and migrating birds, particularly in winter. Bald eagles come to fish off the shores of Manhattan when extra northerly parts of the Hudson River have froze, and Arctic birds comparable to snowy owls spend wintertime on town’s many islands, just like the car-free Governor’s Island. Buffleheads, brown pelicans, brant, and scoters sail by means of the sky above the waters between Brooklyn and Manhattan, whereas grey and harbor seals lounge across the shores of tiny Swinburne and Hoffman islands close to Staten Island. Birds like bald eagles and pelicans can often be seen from land with the bare eye, however they (together with seals) are most ceaselessly noticed on naturalist-led wildlife cruises that discover lesser-known islands and quieter elements of town’s harbor. 

Platte River Valley, Nebraska

In the winter, Nebraska’s Platte River Valley is the stage for one in all North America’s most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles: the sandhill crane migration. Between late February and early April, almost one million cranes—roughly 80 % of the world’s inhabitants—land on this slim hall between Grand Island, Kearney, and North Platte to relaxation and refuel earlier than persevering with north. Cranes are drawn to the area’s braided river channels and patchwork of cornfields as a result of they create the best mixture of roosting habitat and high-energy meals sources. At the peak of migration, which usually happens in late March, the sky fills with their bugling calls and undulating flight formations, however the winter wildlife isn’t restricted to cranes. Bald eagles additionally crowd Nebraska’s rivers and reservoirs in January and February, with greater than 1,000 drawn to its open water in the hunt for meals. Rare, endangered whooping cranes may also be noticed in the course of the spectacle. 

Monterey, California

California has no scarcity of whale watching experiences as a result of humpback, grey, and blue whales might be noticed alongside the state’s shoreline all year long. However, December by means of mid-April is the very best time to see roughly 20,000 migrating grey whales within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, making their approach to Baja California, Mexico, oftentimes with orcas and dolphins trailing behind. Wildlife watchers can spot the whales from beautiful coastal trails within the Point Lobos Natural Reserve and Garrapata State Park. Harbor seals and sea lions might be noticed from right here and close by. At the Elkhorn Slough wetlands, harbor seals lounge on the seashore and sea otters float and play within the water whereas brown pelicans, double-breasted cormorants, buffleheads, and egrets fly above. While a few of these animals might be seen from shore, a kayak tour is one of the simplest ways to see them up shut. 

Manteo and the Northern Outer Banks, North Carolina

On North Carolina’s windswept Outer Banks, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge close to Manteo provides one of the crucial extraordinary wildlife encounters within the U.S. During the winter, guests can see crimson wolves within the one place the place they nonetheless thrive within the wild. With fewer than 20 to 25 crimson wolves remaining within the wild, each season feels historic, and any encounter with them is a privilege fairly than a assure. Winter is an particularly compelling time to go to as a result of it coincides with the crimson wolves’ peak breeding season in January and February. It’s when wolves are sometimes extra vocal (howling to find mates and defend territory) and extra more likely to roam throughout open terrain. Add in leafless vegetation and longer sightlines throughout the refuge’s marshes, and the circumstances are ripe for recognizing this elusive, critically endangered predator. 

For a multi-species journey, head 60 miles south to Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, the place tens of hundreds of tundra swans, snow geese, and Arctic-nesting geese rework the area into one of many largest wintering waterfowl concentrations on the East Coast. February is the very best time to see these birds and crimson wolves.

(Why you must by no means decide up a wild animal. Especially a child wombat.)