Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

A great book which shows both Yellowstone and tetons in a good balance of pictures.

The first thing you notice about this book is the beautiful photographs by Michael H. Frances. May you take a single photograph in your visit that is as gorgeous as any of these! Wilkinson provides a few pages of information about each of the charismatic megafauna in the parks: bison, wolves, elk, cougars, lynxes, and so on. These "chapters" are easily accessible and written at about a middle-school level. The book as a whole is very kid-friendly, though it wasn't necessarily written that way. The book has very good advice for how, where, and when to spot mammals in these parks. The section on each animal concludes with "where to find bighorn sheep" (or whatever). We've successfully spotted most of these animals, initially relying on the advice here, though we now have a few secrets of our own. Our favorite charismatic megafauna are bears, wolves, and cougars. We haven't spotted a cougar yet, and we haven't read as much about them. We do have a Wolf Freak in the household, though.

A great resource in identifying what you see in the parks. The pictures allow you to see what these animals look like unlike some books where there is just a drawing.

As reviewed by Ann Arbor Miller in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: "This wildlife watcher's guide is the ideal companion for anyone venturing into the parks for the first time or for those who want the best chance of finding critters or avoiding them. Written by Bozeman resident Todd Wilkinson with photography by Michael H. Francis, the guide is complete with easy to read maps, six suggested routes through the area, brief park histories anda "checklist" of the most likely birds and mammals humans will see. It's a solid introduction for tourists and newcomers. Wilkinson, who has authored eight other watcher's guides, doesn't shy away from telling readers and potential wildlife watchers about their responsibilities and the basics of being in the outdoors. Never feed wildlife and if an animal must change itsbehavior due to your presence, you're probably too close, Wilkinson writes. He encourages readers to learn to identify a creature's habitat and to be patient. Francis' color photographs are by and large strong images. With very few exceptions, a picture of each mammal or bird accompanies the text. The guide features more than 45 species of wildlife that can be seen in the parks.

I make my living as a wildlife photographer. I enjoyed Todd's first wildlife watching guide to Yellowstone when it came out several years ago. This new edition is even better and it includes Grand Teton National Park.