Wildlife

The park provides habitat for a diverse array of birds and other wildlife.

Plan Around Wildlife

A good stop is not just something to read about. Once it belongs on the day, move into a saved trip and build the route around it.

Add to trip View park guide

Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.

Wildlife Details

As the elevation changes from 4,000 feet at the park's edge to over 8,000 feet at the summit of Mount Scott, the forest composition also changes, providing habitat for a diverse array of birds and other wildlife. In the summertime, you are likely to find Red Tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Blue Grouse, Great Horned Owl, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, Western Blueburd, American Robin, Western Tanager, and Cassin's Finch, among other species. Certain areas of the park also are home to the Horned Lark, Winter Wren, Common Merganser, and the Common Nighthawk. A variety of amphibians and reptiles also live in and around the caldera's steep walls, including the Northern Sagebrush Lizard, Short-horned Lizard, Northern Alligator Lizard, Northwestern Salamander, Rough-skinned Newt, and Pacific Tree Frog. The park is home to several large, carnivorous mammals such as black bear, coyote, and red fox. You might also find elk, deer, badgers, shrews, moles, bats, pika, gophers, voles, porcupines, and various species of chipmunk and squirrel, including the Northern Flying Squirrel. For complete lists of birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals that live in the park, and what season to find them, you can pick up informational packets at the visitor centers or download a PDF of the [Informational Brochures](https://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/publications.htm).

Difficulty

Open

Distance

N/A

Estimated time

N/A

Region

Activities