Drive-Thru-Safari-Wildlife-Parks-in-wyoming

Drive-Thru Safari Wildlife Parks in Wyoming

Wyoming has no commercial drive-thru safari parks. It doesn’t need them: it’s home to the best wild-animal road trip in North America. Yellowstone’s Lamar and Hayden valleys are famous for bison, wolves, and bears, Grand Teton has moose and elk along its scenic roads, and Jackson’s National Elk Refuge has a free road with bighorn sheep. Most of Yellowstone’s roads close to cars around November 1.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – LAMAR & HAYDEN VALLEYS

Type: National park with world-famous roadside wildlife viewing
Location:

Size: The park covers 2.2 million acres. Lamar Valley is known as “America’s Serengeti.”
Animals:

  • Bison (thousands), elk (fall rut with bugling bulls), gray wolves, grizzly and black bears, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and bald eagles
  • Lamar Valley is the top spot for wolves and bison.
  • Hayden Valley is known for bison herds, grizzlies, and elk.

Admission:

  • Private vehicle: $35 (7 days)
  • Motorcycle: $30
  • Walk-in or bike: $20 per person (16+)
  • America the Beautiful passes are accepted.
  • New for 2026: Non-U.S. residents pay a $100 per person surcharge, waived with an America the Beautiful or Yellowstone Annual Pass.
  • No vehicle reservations required.

⚠️ Fall Road Closures:

  • Most park roads close to regular vehicles around November 1 (the last day to drive is about October 31). This includes the roads through Hayden Valley.
  • High-elevation roads like Dunraven Pass can close earlier for snow.
  • The North Entrance (Gardiner, MT) to Northeast Entrance (Cooke City, MT) road through Lamar Valley stays open year-round, weather permitting.
  • Text “82190” to 888-777 for road alerts.

Rules & Tips:

  • Stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from bison, elk, and other wildlife.
  • Use pull-outs only, and never stop in the road during “bison jams.”
  • Dawn and dusk are best. Bring a spotting scope or binoculars for wolves.
  • Expect snow anytime in October.
  • Construction on the Gardner River High Bridge near the North Entrance is causing delays through October 2026.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

Type: National park with scenic roads through prime moose, elk, bison, and pronghorn habitat beneath the Teton Range
Location: Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center, Moose, WY 83012 (12 miles north of Jackson)
Phone: (307) 739-3300
Website: nps.gov/grte · Fees & Passes · Road Conditions
Social Media: Facebook · Instagram (@grandtetonnps)

Animals: Moose, elk (fall rut), bison, pronghorn, grizzly and black bears, wolves, and bald eagles

Top Wildlife Drives:

  • Antelope Flats & Mormon Row: Bison and pronghorn
  • Oxbow Bend: Moose, elk, river otters, and eagles
  • Moose-Wilson Road: Moose, plus bears in fall berry season
  • Gros Ventre Road: Moose along the river, and bison

Admission:

  • Private vehicle: $35 (7 days)
  • America the Beautiful passes are accepted.

Season: The park is open year-round, but Teton Park Road (Taggart Lake to Signal Mountain) closes to vehicles around November 1 for winter. US-89/191 stays open.

Rules & Tips:

  • Stay 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from other wildlife.
  • The Moose-Wilson Road can have traffic management delays.
  • Fall color and the elk rut make late September – mid-October prime time.

NATIONAL ELK REFUGE – REFUGE ROAD

Type: USFWS national wildlife refuge with a free self-drive road, right on the edge of the town of Jackson
Location: Refuge Road, at the east end of E Broadway Ave, Jackson, WY 83001. The Visitor Center is the National Elk Refuge & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, 532 N Cache St, Jackson.
Phone: (307) 201-5409
Website: fws.gov/refuge/national-elk · Visit Us
Social Media: Facebook

Size: About 24,700 acres of valley meadow and foothills
Animals:

  • Bighorn sheep on Miller Butte (fall through spring)
  • In winter, 5,000–8,000 elk (they begin arriving in late fall)
  • Trumpeter swans, bald eagles, wolves, coyotes, and bison

Admission: FREE

Hours:

  • Refuge: Sunrise to sunset, year-round
  • Visitor Center: Daily 9 AM – 5 PM

Refuge Road Access:

  • May 1 – November 30: Open past the Twin Creek subdivision to the National Forest access roads (Flat Creek and Curtis Canyon). It’s dirt for the first several miles but fine for most passenger cars.
  • December 1 – April 30: Open for the first 3.5 miles only.

Winter Sleigh Rides: These run mid-December to early April. Buy tickets at the visitor center, then take the shuttle to the sleighs.

Rules & Tips:

  • You must stay on the road or in designated pull-outs, even when out of your car. Walking onto refuge land is prohibited.
  • Sunset drives come with views of the Tetons.

Explore Drive-Thru Wildlife Parks in Neighboring States:
Montana · South Dakota · Nebraska · Colorado · Utah · Idaho