Yellowstone Wildlife Map
Explore 39+ wolf-pack territories from 30 years of NPS data, official wildlife-viewing places, and the named valleys and landmarks where Yellowstone’s animals congregate — all on one interactive map.
How to use this map
- Wolf territories (red/colored polygons): each shaded area is the most recent NPS-recorded range for a wolf pack. Click a polygon to see the pack name and year.
- NPS places (green dots): official National Park Service viewing locations tagged for wildlife. Click for the place name and a link.
- Landmarks (amber dots): named valleys, creeks, and junctions — the geographic anchors wildlife watchers use.
ℹ️Why no live sightings?
Where the data comes from
Every layer is built from official public sources. Wolf territories come from the NPS Wolf Project’s 95% minimum convex polygon shapefiles; viewing places come from the official NPS Data API; landmarks are named geographic features of the park.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Yellowstone wildlife map show?+
It shows U.S. National Park Service wolf-pack territories (95% minimum convex polygon ranges from NPS MCP shapefiles), official NPS wildlife-viewing places, and named park landmarks like Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley. It does not show individual animal sightings.
Does the map show live animal sightings?+
No. To protect wildlife and follow NPS guidance, this public map does not show real-time or reported animal sightings. It shows the official territory ranges that wolf packs have used over time, plus the best official viewing areas.
How are the wolf pack territories determined?+
Territories come from NPS Wolf Project 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) shapefiles, the same method the park uses to describe pack ranges. Each colored area is the most recent recorded range for that pack.
What is the best place on the map to start?+
Lamar Valley in the park's northeast (the 'Serengeti of America') and Hayden Valley in the center are the two strongest starting points. Use the layer toggles to highlight wolf territories and official viewing places.
Sources & data notes
- Wolf territories: NPS Wolf Project 95% MCP shapefiles (most recent year per pack shown).
- Viewing places: U.S. National Park Service Data API (park code: yell).
- This map does not display observer-submitted sightings or wildlife jam data.
- NPS Yellowstone Wolf Project 95% MCP shapefiles — National Park Service (95% MCP convex polygons include unused area and do not indicate use intensity.)
- NPS Yellowstone Wolf Project Report 2024 — National Park Service (Values may be parsed or inferred from annual report text.)
- NPS Data API Yellowstone National Park records — National Park Service (Build-time snapshot of public NPS API records for Yellowstone; current alerts and events should be refreshed before trip planning.)