Nahanni National Park
🇨🇦 Canada
🐻 Brown Bear Trails Through Nahanni's GorgesNahanni National Park is a rugged mountain and river wilderness in the Northwest Territories of Canada, famous for deep limestone canyons, sweeping alpine ridges, and wild whitewater rivers. Visitors hike through dense boreal spruce forests and tundra passes that rise above the tree line.
61.525° N 126.279° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Moose
Alces americanus
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Moose
Alces americanus
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
American Beaver
Castor canadensis
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
American Bison
Bison bison
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
Northern River Otter
Lontra canadensis
Snowshoe Hare
Lepus americanus
Wolverine
Gulo gulo
Muskrat
Ondatra zibethicus
Collared Pika
Ochotona collaris
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Urocitellus parryii
📊 Most Spotted
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Lincoln's Sparrow
Melospiza lincolnii
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Willow Grouse
Lagopus lagopus
Solitary Sandpiper
Tringa solitaria
Arctic Tern
Sterna paradisaea
📊 Most Spotted
Recent sightings in Nahanni National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Mountain Scaling
Dall sheep gather on precipitous mineral licks and lower slopes to replenish essential nutrients following the harsh winter months, engaging in dramatic head-butting dominance displays.
2Late Summer Berry Feeding
Brown bears actively forage across the tundra and valley slopes to consume abundant berries, building critical fat reserves before entering winter dormancy.
3Mid-Summer Wetland Activity
Caribou migrate to higher, windswept plateaus and breezy ridges to escape biting insects, while wood frogs emerge in full chorus across the damp forest floors.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Mountain Scaling
- 2Late Summer Berry Feeding
- 3Mid-Summer Wetland Activity
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
For significant wildlife, we saw one cow moose, one bull moose, four or five black bears, one likely grizzly bear, one caribou, four Dall sheep, a couple of peregrine falcons, a few eagles, extremely skittish Canada geese, several unidentified species of ducks, ravens, gray jays, shore birds, and squirrels.
Speaking of animals, we saw Dall sheep, wood bison, a lynx (I was the only lucky one who saw it), harlequin ducks, a moose, and wolverine tracks.
We spotted incredible wildlife during this trip—bighorn, bison, black bears, one grizzly and we were even blessed to have a whole pack of wolves running on the shore next to us as we paddled.
Later, we saw a group of five bison cross the river while we waited for our pickup in the village of Nahanni Butte.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Nahanni National Park?
The most likely sightings are Moose (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), American Black Bear (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Dall Sheep (seen by about 50% of wildlife watchers), Wood Frog (seen by about 50% of wildlife watchers), Yellow-rumped Warbler (seen by about 30% of wildlife watchers) — among 313 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Nahanni National Park for wildlife?
June has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Dall Sheep in Nahanni National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Dall Sheep sighting in Nahanni National Park, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Brown Bear in Nahanni National Park?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Bear sighting in Nahanni National Park, based on 2 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Caribou in Nahanni National Park?
Yes — about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Caribou sighting in Nahanni National Park, based on 4 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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