Where to see wildlife in the Canadian Rockies

When coming to Alberta, visitors want to know, where to see wildlife in the Canadian Rockies. Everyone wants their own experiences to see the beautiful animals of the wild, which frankly I don’t blame them! With an area so big and dense with forest, a lot of it has to do with luck as to what you’re going to see, when and where.

There are areas where certain animals frequent more often and times of day that increase your chances but the beauty is the surprise of coming around a corner and seeing a moose grazing in the trees or bears wandering alongside the highway.

What animals can you see?

There are many types of wildlife in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, big and small. Most commonly seen are elk, deer and bighorn sheep. It can get a bit trickier to see mountain goats and bears, black and grizzly and even harder to see moose, caribou and especially wolves. It is quite rare to spot lynx, mountain lions and wolverines. There is a number of unique birds you can spot including Eagles, Ptarmigans and Grouse. There are often many smaller animals that are hilarious to watch including squirrels, chipmunks and marmots.

What is the best time of day to see wildlife?

Generally the best time is dawn and dusk so set your alarm early! With that said, late afternoon and evening had proven to be good times for me as well. It is less likely to find animals out in the heat of the day as it’ll be too hot for them and they’ll be looking for more shaded areas.

What is the best time of year?

The slow tourist seasons of Spring and fall seem to be the best times to see a variety of wildlife in the Canadian Rockies. It’s a lot quieter for them and during that time of year they tend to come down to lower elevations for mating and food. Bears for example will be foraging in fall to get ready for winter hibernation and come out hungry late spring.

What can I see and where?

Grizzly Bears

I was lucky enough to see a mamma and two cubs happily grazing in a campground on Highway 1A (Bow Valley Parkway) between Castle Junction and Lake Louise. With that said, if I go back, they’d be gone!
Grizzly bears are omnivores meaning they eat both meat and plants. Much of their diet consists of plant matter and they prefer open areas on mountains and foothill. They will hunt larger mammals. Keep an eye out in grassy areas with dandelions, foliage and berries.

It is not uncommon to spot them while hiking (always bring bear spray and hike in a group) but there are some areas you can try to view them from your car.

• Lake Louise – Lake Louise Drive
• Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy 1A)
• Lake Louise Gondola
• Kananaskis country (Hwy 42 and 742)
• Maligne Lake Road (Jasper National Park)

Black Bears

These guys seem to just pop out anywhere. We saw a few on Hwy 1A, the Icefields Parkway, a few off the highway before heading into Jasper and Maligne Lake Road.
Their diets consists mainly of plant matter and insects. They are more common to see than Grizzlies and tend to be a bit shy and less aggressive. They prefer more forested habitats so keep a look out in the foothills and the ditches on the side of the road.

• Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy 1A)
• Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93)
• Maligne Lake Road (Jasper National Park)

Big horn sheep

These guys are not as hard to find. We saw quite a few in plain sight licking the salt off the road. In many places they are also not as timid as you would think or might hope! Naturally curious animals, they tend to go where people are. In spring and summer they tend to be grazing in higher alpine areas on grass covered slopes or licking the salt off the side of the road. In winter, they like to find the south facing areas where there is less snow.

Their light brown fur can camouflage them in so keep an eye out especially at higher elevations.

• Mt Norquay
• Lake Minnewanka
• Sulphur Mountain
• Near the town of Canmore
• Jasper townsite

Moose

My trip to Alberta I just got lucky seeing these amazing animals. I saw a young one in the bush and the other happily pulling leaves off the tress on the side of the road.

They are dosile and shy animals towards humans but have very strong bonds with their young so never get in between! They are not too easy to spot if you’re are not on a mission to find them tramping through the bush. Moose are very good swimmers, move quite quietly through the bush but are also very quick. They are known to hang out by lakes and ponds as they will pull up the reeds and plants from the bottom to eat. You may have the best luck in the winter as the area gets less busy and the Moose come up to the highway to lick the salt off the road. You could try

• Moose Lake Loop trail (Tonquin Valley Trail)
• Maligne Lake Road (Jasper)
• Maligne Lake (the Pursuit tour guides say there are a few moose living in the area!)

Elk

It would be surprising if you went to Alberta and did not see Elk! I saw some of my first in the baseball field in Banff! They are known to frequent the golf course as well. Keep in mind they shed their antlers in March but can grow up to 1 inch per day. So late spring and summer you’ll see more animals with a lovely display of antlers. There are many places to spot them.

• Banff town site (grassy areas and parks)
• Banff golf course
• Jasper town site
• Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy 1A)

Ground Squirrls & Chipmunks

These hilarious little creatures you can find practically everywhere! Many squirrels hang out on Sulphur mountain and Moraine Lake waiting to steal someones lunch! They move quite quickly but are very entertaining to watch!

Bald Eagles

These beautiful fierce looking birds are often found nesting in the trees near a lake. Their nests are quite large usually measuring 6 to 10 feet across (1.8 to 3 meters). I was luckily enough to see two birds in Jasper. It can be hit or miss seeing them but look for nest up high in the trees by the water.

• Vermillion Lakes
• Medicine Lake (Maligne Lake Road)

Other animals like wolves, cougars and lynx are rare to spot. To be honest they aren’t exactly wildlife I would love to go looking for either. Many have lived in Banff and Jasper all their life and have never seen them. Courgars or mountain lions especially can be very aggressive.

If you have time you can check out Yamnuksa Wolfdog Sanctuary. They are a non profit organization focused on rescuing and rehabilitating wolfdogs in North America. They offer interactive tours to help educate the public and raise awareness.
(Please note, my photo of a wolf is from another experience)

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO RESPECT THE WILDLIFE

It is no doubt super exciting spotting wildlife but it goes without saying, respect the animal! I have seen some people completley disregard the interests of wild animals and their own safety.

When viewing from the side of the road only stop if it is safe to do so. Stopping erratically or not being properly pulled over can cause trouble for passing and oncoming traffic. Also, make sure to keep your distance. You must be at least 30 m from large animals (like Moose, elk or deer) and 100 m from bears. Even if you are in your car.

Never approach wildlife (I’ve seen someone try and pet a big horn sheep!) and never feed wildlife, (no not even the squirrels). This includes leaving garbage out, throwing it out the window, dumping a drink on the ground or enticing animals over. You can be fined by Parks Canada up to $25,000 for feeding or approaching wildlife.

Check out these ten tips to respecting wildlife. The more animals get closer to people, the more familiar and problematic they become. Too many animals are euthanized because of human interaction.

Have you seen wildlife in the Canadian Rockies? Have you seen some of the rarer animals? Any spots to add?

If you love this post, make sure to check out 10 photos that will make you fall in love with Alberta and my top 3 recommended tours!

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