Is Lamar Valley worth it?

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ntrtainr
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 7:54 am

Is Lamar Valley worth it?

Post by ntrtainr »

We're going to do the loop clockwise from the East Entrance starting in Canyon Village (other than the closed section past Dunraven Pass) and my question is this: Is going out of our way from Gardiner to Lamar Valley worth it in the afternoon? I've heard that very early morning is when we should go but that's not possible with our itinerary. Also is Gardiner worth going out of our way for? Thanks in advance
Last edited by ntrtainr on Fri Sep 11, 2020 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.



karenandbill
Posts: 208
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:55 am

Re: Is Lamar Valley worth it?

Post by karenandbill »

First of all, Lamar is a beautiful broad valley. It has many bison along with pronghorn, coyotes, an occasional fox and badger, hawks, and eagles. On the eastern edge there are sometimes moose and otters at trout lake. The time of day doesn't matter for the bison and pronghorn. The morning is better for the rest, but they can be seen at any time of day with odds increasing towards evening. Other than bison and pronghorn you are not guaranteed to see any of the others, but they are often around.

Of course the "stars" of the valley are the wolves and bears. The bears seemed to have pretty much vanished into the high country, but the wolves are very active, readily seen mornings and evenings if you have a scope. There are still a few left by Slough creek with the rest out in the valley recently feeding on bison carcasses. You will have to decide if it is worth the trip or not.

Gardiner is a nice little town and a good place to stop and grab some food or stock up at the local grocery store. However, that's about it for the town itself.



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