Where to find the best winter wildlife watching in the U.S.
Some species are at their most active in winter, whether they’re flying, feeding, or mating. From elephant seals in California to sandhill cranes in Nebraska, here’s where to watch—responsibly.
While some animals (and humans) hibernate in winter, other species are at their most active. Whales, butterflies, and birds are migrating; elephant seals are mating; and wolves are actively hunting prey. With less foliage (and fewer crowds) obscuring your view, and animals more actively searching for food, winter offers a surprising advantage to wildlife watchers.
Whether it’s bald eagles fishing in ice-fringed rivers or elk bugling through snow-dusted valleys, every corner of the country is bursting with wonderful wildlife watching this winter. Here’s where to see these animals in action.
(How to do wildlife watching right: Tips for responsponsible wildlife tourism.)
Santa Cruz, California
Sunny Santa Cruz, California (about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco), may be best known as the often contested surfing capital of the country, but to nature lovers, it’s famous for its extraordinary density of wildlife, much of which is most active in winter. At the Monarch Butterfly Preserve at Natural Bridges State Beach, approximately 10,000 winged wonders spend their winter in the eucalyptus grove, forming a sort of “city in the trees.” The largest number of butterflies can be seen in January, as most slowly begin heading back north in early-mid February. Occasionally, you can still find Monarch butterflies through early March.
About a 30-minute drive north of Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo State Park welcomes hundreds of elephant seals, who come ashore to mate every winter, usually from December through March, peaking, oddly enough, during their mating season around Valentine’s Day. Males battle on the beach to impress the females, who birth and nurse their young nearby. It’s the only place to join a guided tour for the seasonal spectacle. Tickets sell fast, so plan ahead.
Gardiner, Montana
Winter transforms northern Yellowstone into a living wildlife documentary, where snow-blanketed valleys and steaming geothermal basins set the stage for some of the most thrilling animal encounters in North America. A stretch of the park in Montana—anchored by the Lamar Valley and Gardiner entrance—remains accessible even in the depths of winter, drawing seasoned wildlife watchers with its raw, cinematic beauty. It’s one of the best places in the country to see gray wolves in the wild, especially at dawn when packs traverse the snowy meadows in search of prey. Bison plow through drifts, while snowshoe hares and stoats (known in their winter-white form as ermine) leave fleeting tracks across the snow. Although visitors can spot these animals without a guide, joining a winter wildlife-watching tour is an ideal option.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Given its proximity to Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone, it’s no surprise that Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is home to some of the best wildlife viewing in the country. Elk are spotted year-round, but more than 8,000 head to the National Elk Refuge in the winter beginning in December, when the snow becomes too deep for them in surrounding mountainous areas. Although you can see elk through April, February is your best chance to find the largest numbers. Sleigh rides through the refuge provide visitors with an up-close and personal encounter with elk.
New York City, New York
Though not typically associated with wildlife, the Big Apple is an excellent place to spot marine mammals and migrating birds, especially in winter. Bald eagles come to fish off the shores of Manhattan when more northerly portions of the Hudson River have iced over, and Arctic birds such as snowy owls spend wintertime on the city’s many islands, like the car-free Governor’s Island. Buffleheads, brown pelicans, brant, and scoters sail through the sky above the waters between Brooklyn and Manhattan, while gray and harbor seals lounge around the shores of tiny Swinburne and Hoffman islands near Staten Island. Birds like bald eagles and pelicans can occasionally be viewed from land with the naked eye, but they (along with seals) are most frequently spotted on naturalist-led wildlife cruises that explore lesser-known islands and quieter parts of the city’s harbor.
Platte River Valley, Nebraska
In the winter, Nebraska’s Platte River Valley is the stage for one of North America’s most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles: the sandhill crane migration. Between late February and early April, nearly a million cranes—roughly 80 percent of the world’s population—land on this narrow corridor between Grand Island, Kearney, and North Platte to rest and refuel before continuing north. Cranes are drawn to the region’s braided river channels and patchwork of cornfields because they create the ideal mix of roosting habitat and high-energy food sources. At the height of migration, which typically occurs in late March, the sky fills with their bugling calls and undulating flight formations, but the winter wildlife isn’t limited to cranes. Bald eagles also crowd Nebraska’s rivers and reservoirs in January and February, with more than 1,000 drawn to its open water in search of food. Rare, endangered whooping cranes can also be spotted during the spectacle.
Monterey, California
California has no shortage of whale watching experiences because humpback, gray, and blue whales can be spotted along the state’s coastline throughout the year. However, December through mid-April is the best time to see approximately 20,000 migrating gray whales in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, making their way to Baja California, Mexico, oftentimes with orcas and dolphins trailing behind. Wildlife watchers can spot the whales from stunning coastal trails in the Point Lobos Natural Reserve and Garrapata State Park. Harbor seals and sea lions can be spotted from here and nearby. At the Elkhorn Slough wetlands, harbor seals lounge on the beach and sea otters float and play in the water while brown pelicans, double-breasted cormorants, buffleheads, and egrets fly above. While some of these animals can be viewed from shore, a kayak tour is the best way to see them up close.
Manteo and the Northern Outer Banks, North Carolina
On North Carolina’s windswept Outer Banks, Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge near Manteo offers one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters in the U.S. During the winter, visitors can see red wolves in the one place where they still thrive in the wild. With fewer than 20 to 25 red wolves remaining in the wild, every season feels historic, and any encounter with them is a privilege rather than a guarantee. Winter is an especially compelling time to visit because it coincides with the red wolves’ peak breeding season in January and February. It’s when wolves are often more vocal (howling to locate mates and defend territory) and more likely to roam across open terrain. Add in leafless vegetation and longer sightlines across the refuge’s marshes, and the conditions are ripe for spotting this elusive, critically endangered predator.
For a multi-species adventure, head 60 miles south to Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, where tens of thousands of tundra swans, snow geese, and Arctic-nesting ducks transform the region into one of the largest wintering waterfowl concentrations on the East Coast. February is the best time to see these birds and red wolves.
(Why you should never pick up a wild animal. Especially a baby wombat.)
