North America has no shortage of incredible destinations where you can see some of the region’s most amazing wildlife in their natural habitat. From elk and bears in the Canadian Rockies to tortoises in the desert southwest to whales in Alaska, there is something for every animal lover.
Some of these areas are right off the roadside, and others require a considerable trek to get there. But sometimes the journey is half the fun as you never know what animals you’ll see along the way.
Join us as we discover the 18 best destinations around the continent to see animals soar, roam, and swim as if no one is watching.
Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming
America’s first National Park is also one of its wildest, with bison, moose, elk, and bears roaming this remote stretch of Wyoming. If you want to see some of the largest animals roaming North America, then Yellowstone is a must-visit.
If you want to catch sight of these wild animals then head out early in the morning when the animals are more active. You might even get lucky and see one of the wolves that roam these forests.
Banff National Park – Alberta, Canada
Banff is well known for its stunning mountain scenery and turquoise alpine lakes. But did you know this park is also home to huge animals like moose, elk, and bears? It is also home to some adorable little creatures like the pika and marmot.
Keep an eye up along the high mountain cliffs as you may catch sight of the mountain goats that also call this region home.
Monterey Bay – California
Monterey Bay offers a variety of wildlife viewing options, both wild and not-so-wild. The bay is home to migrating grey and humpback whales, adorable sea otters, seals, sea lions, and countless seabirds.
If you strike out on your search for wild animals, you can always hop over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where you can get an up-close look at many of the animals that call the bay home.
Kenai Fjords National Park – Alaska
The Kenai Fjords National Park offers some of the best marine sealife viewing in North America, and Seward, Alaska, stands as the gateway to this incredible region. On tours into the park, you can expect to see whales, seals, sea otters, puffins, bears, bald eagles, and mountain goats.
During the late summer months you can also visit the local streams where you can watch sockeye salmon making the return to their spawning grounds. Occasionally, a hungry black bear will make an appearance as well to grab a few for fattening up before winter hits.
Everglades National Park – Florida
If amphibians and reptiles are on your must-see list, then it’s hard to do better than the Everglades in Southern Florida. This national park houses the largest tropical wilderness in the United States and is home to wild animals like alligators, Florida panthers, manatees, and countless birds, frogs, snakes, and lizards.
The dry winter season is the best time of year to view the animals in this remote park as the water levels drop and animals tend to congregate around deeper water holes.
Churchill – Manitoba, Canada
Churchill, Canada, certainly qualifies as the most remote location on the list. For most of the year, it is a sleepy northern town on Hudson Bay. But come Autumn, polar bears begin their migration, which takes them right past Churchill and turns this town into a mecca for animal viewing tourism.
With the nickname of the polar bear capital of the world you can bet that there will be plenty of these majestic animals to see on your visit.
The area is also a great place to see beluga whales that migrate through the waters right next to the town.
Vancouver Island – British Columbia, Canada
The wild coasts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, offer prime wildlife viewing, with orcas, humpback whales, porpoises, seals, and sea lions all calling this area home. If you want the best of the best, then make the drive up to Tofino, which is located on the Pacific side of the island, and head out for a whale-watching tour. You have a great chance at viewing one of the 200 or so grey whales that call this region home.
Monarch Butterfly Reserve – Michoacan, Mexico
Monarch butterflies are one of nature’s most incredible animals. These feather-light insects make an annual migration of up to 3,000 miles from their summer birthplace to central Mexico, where they spend the winter enjoying the warmth and relaxation. Or at least as much as a butterfly can relax!
During the winter months, the Monarch Butterfly Reserve, a UNESCO heritage site, is home to millions of monarchs. These monarchs reach such high densities that they weigh down tree branches and can nearly block out the sun when taking flight!
Frederick Sound – Alaska
One of the largest concentrations of humpback whales in the world occurs in Frederick Sound, Alaska, during the summer months. The whales return to these northern waters yearly to gorge on the plentiful sealife, mainly krill (a tiny shrimp-like animal), that thrive in these pristine Alaskan waters.
Whale-watching tours out of Petersburg or Juneau are a great way to access these waters and watch these majestic creatures breach, bubble feed, and slowly travel in search of krill.
Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona
Most folks visiting the Grand Canyon are doing so in search of the stunning views of this natural wonder of the world. I bet you didn’t know that this is also a prime area for wildlife viewing, with desert big horn sheep, condors, elk, coyote, and a whole host of lizards and snakes calling this area home.
Gulf of St. Lawrence – Quebec, Canada
From late spring through early fall, this area offers whale lovers one of the best chances to see the largest animal in the world, the blue whale. During the summer months, the area is home to 13 different species of whales and porpoises, including the aforementioned blue whale, humpback whales, fin whales, and dolphins.
Taking a whale-watching cruise will give you the best chance to come across these impressive creatures, but they can often be seen from shore, so grab a picnic blanket and some binoculars and head to the closest high point to see if you can pick out their telltale spouts from afar.
Big Bend National Park – Texas
Big Bend National Park has a wide range of ecosystems within its boundaries. This may be contrary to many who think the park is just large swaths of desert, but the waters of the Rio Grande, along with the high mountains, provide a habitat for hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians.
Keep an eye out for bobcats, javelinas, roadrunners, rattlesnakes, and kit foxes.
Assateague Island – Maryland/Virginia
This 37-mile-long barrier island stretches between Maryland and Virginia and is famous for its herds of wild horses that run along these uninhabited sandy shores. This remote island offers limited services so if you want to stay a night or two, plan to bring a tent or RV capable of holding up off-grid.
The struggle is worth it, though, when you wake up to a golden sunset with wild horses trotting through the ocean surf.
Rocky Mountain National Park – Colorado
Like its neighboring Rocky Mountain parks to the north, Rocky Mountain National Park is home to many of the continent’s largest land mammals like moose, elk, and bighorn sheep. The hundreds of miles of trails and countless peaks to the summit provide nearly unlimited opportunities to explore and view these animals in their natural habitat of the backcountry of the Rockies.
Jasper National Park – Alberta, Canada
In the far northern stretches of the Rocky Mountains lies Jasper National Park. This scenic and wild park is home to all the large mammals of the Rockies but also adds in far northern animals like caribou.
This remote stretch of park offers solitude and plenty of opportunities for watching these wild animals in their natural habitat.
Katmai National Park – Alaska
Katmai National Park is world-renowned for the popular bear cams that stream video of grizzlies as they fish for returning salmon and fatten up for their long winter hibernation ahead.
For in-person visitors, this is one of the best places in the world to watch grizzly bears in their natural habitat in an up-close yet relatively safe environment.
Getting to the park requires a plane ride, as there are no roads into or out of the park. So getting there will be half the adventure!
Celestun Biosphere Reserve – Yucatan, Mexico
This 300-square-mile stretch of protected mangrove wetlands provides a safe environment for huge flocks of the famous pink flamingos. The population of these incredible birds is estimated to reach well over 20,000.
Located on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, this area is also home to countless other migratory birds looking for a safe stopping point during their journeys around the globe.
