How the Wildlife Planner Works

Start With a Suggested Route. Or Build Your Own.

Choose where your day begins, the wildlife you care about, and the time you have. Let the planner suggest a Yellowstone or Grand Teton route, or choose the park, wildlife, starting point, and route yourself.

You choose the stops. The wild decides what happens next.

Help Me Choose Get a route shaped around your day Answer a few quick questions. Get where to begin, why the route fits, Places to Explore along the drive, and a backup move if the day changes.
Build My Own Route Choose the park, wildlife, and route yourself Choose a park and wildlife, set your starting point, and open one of the routes available there. Then use field entries, notes, directions, filters, and Places to Explore to shape the day.
Try a Sample Route Get Both Parks for $29

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Where The Wild Beasts Roam wildlife route planner displayed on a laptop
Where The Wild Beasts Roam wildlife planner displayed on a mobile phone A first move shaped around your day Field notes + Places to Explore

How Help Me Choose Works

Four Answers. One Suggested Route.

A park map shows the roads. This planner helps you decide where to start. Tell it where your day begins, which wildlife matters, how much time you have, and when you plan to go.

  1. Where your day begins Choose a city, park entrance, or nearby starting area.
  2. Which wildlife matters Pick the animals you most want to focus on.
  3. How much time you have Choose a short drive, half day, or longer park day.
  4. When you plan to go Choose the month and the part of the day.
Your Suggested Route Is Ready See where to begin, how long to plan, why the route fits, wildlife to focus on, Places to Explore, a backup move, and links to current park conditions.

Build My Own Route

Three Choices. Then the Full Map Is Yours.

Choose a park, choose the wildlife that matters, then set your starting point and open a route. From there, the full map is yours to explore.

  1. Choose the park Start with Yellowstone or Grand Teton.
  2. Choose the wildlife Select the animals you want the map to show.
  3. Choose a starting point and route Open a real wildlife drive instead of sorting through every park road.
  4. Explore the full map Open field entries, directions, field notes, and Places to Explore.

Build My Own Route · Step 01

Choose the Park You Want to Explore.

Build My Own Route skips the automatic suggestion. Start with Yellowstone or Grand Teton, then choose the wildlife you care about, set your starting point, and open a route. Your park choice controls which routes, field entries, and Places to Explore appear.

  • Choose either park without leaving the walkthrough.
  • The next action is choosing the wildlife that matters to you.
  • Then choose where your drive begins and which route you want to open before heading into the full map.

Choose a park

Tap either option to see what comes next.

Next move Grand Teton is selected Choose your wildlife next, then set your starting point and open a Grand Teton route before entering the full map.

Try it. This is an interactive page demonstration, not a screenshot.

Choose wildlife

Pick one animal or build a wider wildlife day.

Your wildlife focus 3 species selected

Available wildlife

Try it. This example changes only the page demonstration.

Bison, Moose, and Grizzly Bears selected

Build My Own Route · Step 02

Choose the Wildlife That Matters to You.

Pick one animal or several. The planner uses those choices to show matching wildlife entries inside the park you selected and clear away the rest. Next, set where your drive begins and open a route that gives the day a clear direction.

  • Focus on one species or combine several for a wider wildlife day.
  • Next, choose a starting point and one of the routes available in that park.
  • The full map then opens with unrelated wildlife filtered out, and you can change the filters whenever the day changes.

Build My Own Route · Step 03

Choose Where You Start and Open a Route.

Set the place where your drive begins, then choose one of the wildlife routes available in that park. The route gives the day a clear direction while you still decide where to stop, how long to stay, and when to change course.

  • Choose the city, lodging area, entrance, or park location closest to where your drive begins.
  • Compare real wildlife routes instead of trying to understand every park road at once.
  • Open the route on the full map, then use field entries, notes, directions, and Places to Explore along the way.

Choose a Route

Set a starting point, then open one route to review.

Antelope Flats Pronghorn Drive Starting from Jackson

Routes to consider

Try the starting point and route choices. This page example does not open the full wildlife map.

Antelope Flats Pronghorn Drive selected, starting from Jackson

Both Paths · Field Notes

Open a Field Note. Learn to Read the Wild.

Whether the planner suggests a route or you build the day yourself, the map leads to the same deeper information. Open a wildlife entry to see why the country matters, what to watch for, how to use the stop, and when another move may make more sense.

  • Read the habitat, timing, road context, and legal places to stop.
  • Open the field note, what to look for, how to use the stop, and safety information.
  • Open directions when the area fits your day, or keep moving to another field entry.

Bison

Sample

Antelope Flats, Grand Teton

Best window Morning–Evening Habitat Open Sage + Grassland
Why this country matters

Open sage and grassland give you long views across the flats. Legal pullouts make it easier to slow down, scan the country, and include this area as one part of a larger wildlife drive.

Open Directions
Field note

Bison may be spread across the flats in smaller groups instead of standing in one large herd. Stop only at legal pullouts. Scan both sides of the road, then look farther into the sage before deciding that nothing is there.

What to look for
Open sage Long views Legal pullouts Movement in the flats
How to use this stop

Give the flats a slow scan before moving on. Look for dark shapes, dust, movement, or a line of animals farther from the road. If the view is poor or traffic begins to build, continue the route and try another pass later.

Safety

Follow current park distance rules. Use legal pullouts, stay well back from the herd, and never block the road or walk between animals.

Sample field information. Not a live wildlife location or promised sighting.

Both Paths · Places to Explore

Let Wildlife Lead. Add What Fits Along the Way.

Your route gets you into wildlife country. Places to Explore show scenic pullouts, historic sites, overlooks, and other worthwhile stops already near the drive. Open a place, see why it matters, and decide whether the day has room for it. They are optional side adventures, not a second itinerary.

  • Help Me Choose shows Places to Explore that fit the suggested route.
  • Build My Own Route lets you turn them on under More Map Options.
  • Add what fits, skip what does not, and keep wildlife at the center of the day.

Places to Explore

Open a place and see whether it belongs in the day.

Selected place Schwabacher Landing Scenic stop Grand Teton Review the place, access, and directions before deciding whether it fits the route and time you have. Open details and directions in the full map

More Places to Explore

This page example does not open the full map. Places to Explore change with the park, route, and area you are viewing.

Schwabacher Landing selected

Before you start driving

Open What You Need Before Cell Service Fades

Cell service can disappear quickly inside the parks. Open your trip summary, route, and the field notes you may need while you still have a strong connection. This can help you stay prepared, but the planner is not a full offline map or navigation tool.

  • Open your trip summary and review where the drive begins.
  • Open the wildlife entries and field notes you may want during the day.
  • Check current park conditions and save a separate offline navigation option before you leave service.

Your sample wildlife plan is ready

Your First Move

Park Grand Teton
Wildlife Bison, Elk
Start Jackson
Best time Morning / Evening
Suggested route Bison & Big Views to Moran
Drive Jackson → Moran · About 55 minutes of drive time

Why this route fits

  • Starts near the selected starting point.
  • Includes the wildlife chosen for the day.
  • Keeps the drive focused instead of crossing the whole park.

Places along the way

National Elk Refuge Snake River Overlook Moran Junction

What to watch for

Use scenic stops and shaded habitat edges to scan for bison and elk without rushing through the drive.

Backup move included

The live result also gives you another move tied to the matched route, so traffic, weather, crowds, or poor visibility do not force you to start the whole plan again.

Build My Own Route

Sample plan. The live summary changes with the visitor’s answers. This is wildlife planning, not live tracking, and sightings are never guaranteed.

Help Me Choose · Trip Summary

See the Whole First Move in One Clear Summary.

Help Me Choose does not stop at a route name. It pulls the park, starting point, wildlife focus, timing, route, Places to Explore, and backup move into one plan you can review before the drive. Build My Own Route skips the suggested summary and takes you straight to the full map.

  • See where to begin, which route fits, and how much time to plan.
  • Understand why the route matches the answers you gave.
  • Review wildlife, Places to Explore, and what to watch for along the drive.
  • Keep a backup move ready when the original plan stops making sense.

Ready when you are

Choose Your First Move. Let the Wild Take It From There.

Use Help Me Choose to get a suggested route and trip summary, or choose a park, wildlife, starting point, and route before opening the full map. One $29 payment unlocks Yellowstone and Grand Teton for this trip and every return.

Two field books and future core planner updates included
Try the Sample Route Get Lifetime Access for $29
  • $29 once. No subscription.
  • Yellowstone + Grand Teton
  • Suggested route + trip summary
  • Field notes + Places to Explore
  • 30-day planning guarantee

Secure checkout through Stripe. Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.

Cluster Sample field entry
Sample map preview

These five entries are examples only. They are not current sightings.

Unlock the Wildlife Map