Yellowstone · Yellowstone National Park — Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley
Drive America's Serengeti — a broad open valley where bison herds, wolf packs, grizzly bears, pronghorn, and osprey all live in visible concentrations.
- 8 missions
- Explore in real life
- Snap the photo
- Learn more if you’re curious
Lamar Valley is the best wildlife watching location in the lower 48 states — a glacier-carved open valley where one of the last intact predator-prey systems in the temperate world plays out visibly across the valley floor every day.
- Where
- Yellowstone National Park — Lamar Valley
- Time
- 90-180 min
- Missions
- 8 · complete 6 to finish
- Collection
- Yellowstone
- Wildlife
- Wolves
What this adventure explores
- Find bison, pronghorn, and other large mammals in the valley
- Understand the wolf reintroduction and what it changed
- Observe the river and predator-prey relationships that make Lamar work
Missions
8 missions at Lamar Valley
Mission 1
America's Serengeti
Pull over at any valley viewpoint and photograph the broad open grassland. Try to show the scale — the wide open valley is what makes the wildlife visible here unlike almost anywhere else in the country.
Mission 2
The Bison Herd
Bison are commonly visible from the road in Lamar Valley. Stay in your vehicle or maintain 25 yards minimum distance. Try to photograph a group rather than a single animal to show the herd scale.
Mission 3
Wolf Watchers
Drive slowly through Lamar Valley and watch for informal gatherings of wildlife watchers with tripods and large scopes. Even if you don't see wolves today, photograph the community watching for them — this is part of the Lamar Valley story.
Mission 4
Grizzly Country
Look for bear activity signs at trailheads, parking areas, or along the road. These markers show where grizzly activity has been documented and remind visitors of the required 100-yard distance. If you spot a grizzly from your vehicle, photograph it from a safe distance.
Mission 5
Pronghorn Speed
Scan the open meadows and hillsides for pronghorn antelope — they have tan-and-white bodies with short stubby horns and often stand in open ground rather than seeking cover. They blend into dry grass so look for the white patches on their sides and rump.
Mission 6
The Lamar River
Look for a safe pull-off near the Lamar River. Photograph the moving water — try to show the clarity. If you see osprey fishing or otters in the water, photograph them too.
Mission 7
The Raven and the Wolf
Ravens are large all-black birds with thick beaks and a distinctive wedge-shaped tail in flight. They are visible throughout Lamar Valley year-round. Watch for them circling, perched on rocks or fence posts, or on the ground — a group of ravens on the ground may mean a predator kill nearby.
Mission 8
Dawn in the Valley
Arrive early and photograph the valley in the first two hours after sunrise. Low-angle golden light turns the grassland gold and wildlife activity peaks in this window. Try to show the valley atmosphere — the light, the landscape, and whatever is moving through it.
Play Lamar Valley in Adventure Quest.
Lamar Valley is one of the adventures in the Yellowstone collection, in Adventure Quest for iPhone.
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