Wildlife Chances on a Wildlife Tour
Spotting Moose, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, and Bears in Rocky Mountain National Park are common guest goals. One of the most common questions I get regarding wildlife is "What can we expect to see on a Wildlife Tour?" Well, after years of guiding I have been able to compile some real statistics of what we see on wildlife based tours. If your tour is not wildlife centric then your chances of seeing these animals is greatly reduced.
Many people expect all National Parks to be good places to see black bears, but bears in Rocky Mountain National Park are very rare due to low berry options, high elevation and colder temperatures, and low carcass availibility due to lack of healthy apex predator populations like Grizzly and Wolves. I always like to joke that expecting to see a black bear in Rocky on any random day is like going to a Sushi resturant wanting to order a steak, it's just not the best place. You do not need Bear Spray in Rocky or bear bells. Now if Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Yellow-bellied Marmots, or Pika get you excited then Rocky is one of thee best places to see them. We do see Black Bears only a few times in May, and again in August and early September when the Choke cherries ripen.
Some changes over the last decade worth sharing are Moose sightings have increased especially on the eastern side of the park with chances still low but possible in the Spring where before that was extremely rare. Sheep sightings have gone up year round. The Elk population has fallen by about 40% due to many factors, but are also migrating further east in the winter re-ignigting traditional migration routes to and from the great plains. Coyote sightings have declined by a third likely due to the impact of the Wyoming Ground Squirrel population collapse in part due the 2013 floods, and fewer wintering elk.
The overall chances are year round. The notes detail special times of year that your chances of a sighting increases dramatically, or the range of times the animals are seen due to season or hibernation. Population listed are estimated numbers in the park.
| Species | Population |
Chances | Notes |
| Elk | 1000 |
99% | Winter Pop in the park 200, Estes Park Winter 400 |
| Bighorn Sheep | 350-450 |
75% | 88% Late Feb - May |
| Mule Deer | 300-450 |
95% | 85% or more Mid Sept - March |
| Coyote | 125 |
14% | 14% Nov - May, 11% June - August |
| Moose | 180-250 |
93% | *Only during June - early Sept. , after April 15th 45%, May 60%, Winter 5% |
| Black Bear | 20-30 |
2% | See less than 10 bears a year, usually May and August |
| Yellow-bellied Marmot | Very Common | 95% | Mid April - Mid Sept. |
| American Pika | Very Common | 90% | May - Sept. |
| Beaver | 60-100 |
90% | Only Evenings Late April - Early October Only if we plan a trip for them instead of moose |
| Muskrat | 200-300 |
90% | Only Evenings Late April - Early October Only if we plan a trip for them instead of moose |
| Chipmunk | Very Common | 95% | Mid April - October |
| Pine Squirrel | Very Common | 80% | Generally only found while hiking |
| Abert's Squirrel | 1000 |
2% | Becoming very rare |
| Long-tailed Weasel | 300-500 |
3% | May - Sept. |
| Badger | 100 |
.5% | April - Sept. |
| Bobcat | 125 |
1% | See 3-4 a year usually winter |
| Mountain Lion | 24 |
.088% | Saw 3 over 3435 tours! |
| Snowshoe Hare | Common | 20% | *Winter Snowshoeing Only |
| Great Horned Owl | 200 |
70%* | *ONLY Late March - early June if we have public nest. |
| Wild Turkey | 400 |
80% | More Common during Late Fall - Late Spring |
| Golden Eagle | 4-12 |
2% | Winter increases to 3% |
| Bald Eagle | 2-6 |
5% | Winter increases to 9% |
| Osprey | 4-8 |
75% | If we target near Lake Estes or Grand Lake. Nesting par at Lake Estes 2021 and 2022. |
There is a large variety of other small mammals not mentioned here like Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels, Mountain Cottontails, Wyoming Ground Squirrels, and various great birds that we see on a regular basis. We see them nearly every single day they are active.
Extremely Rare Mountain Lion sighting
*Currently Rocky Mountain National Park does not have Wolves or Grizzly Bears, though in the past we used to. Wolves have finally returned to Colorado as of late 2019 but none are living near Rocky yet!
There are a number of other species that do occur in Rocky Mountain National Park that we rarely see. Generally we only see these species a few times a year because they are nocturnal or avoid human activity. They include Pine Martins, Red Foxes, Pocket Gophers, various Bats, and Raccoons. If you are on a tour where you are lucky enough to see one of these animals then you have had a truly unique experience very few guests get to see.
Summer Tours
May - Early Oct
Special Safari
Sept 8th - Early Oct
