This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Anna Shepherd, a 24-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Eight Awesome Places To See Iconic American Wildlife
13.10.2023 - 22:10 / forbes.com
Bison in Yellowstone, grizzlies at Katmai, gators in the Everglades. Without doubt, national parks are among the best places to see America’s iconic animals in the wild.
Yet another federal park system offers opportunities to get up close and personal with many land, air and water species — National Wildlife Refuges.
Managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the system boasts more than 560 refuges from Maine to the Pacific Ocean, and Alaska to the Caribbean Sea.
While some of these are more focused on fishing and hunting, others revolve around spotting, watching and photographing wildlife in their natural habitats.
Here are eight of the best:
Wichita Mountains NWR (Oklahoma)
Rising from the mixed grass prairie of southwestern Oklahoma, the Wichita Mountains boasts two claims to fame.
Founded in 1901, it’s the oldest managed unit of the nationwide wildlife refuge system. And it helped save the American bison from extinction thanks to a herd of 15 relocated by train from the Bronx Zoo in 1907.
Bison are still the main attraction. But the reserve also boasts a sizeable elk herd and several prairie dog towns, as well as feral longhorn cattle and excellent bird watching.
Beyond wildlife, the refuge offers hiking trails through ancient granite mountains, lakeside campground, a great visitor center museum and nearby Medicine Park, a historic Wild West-era town with restaurants, shops and overnight options.
St. Marks NWR (Florida)
Located along the migratory path of monarch butterflies, this Florida panhandle refuge explodes with color come autumn as the vibrant black-and-orange insects make their way south for winter.
Perched along the gulf shore about half-an-hour’s drive from Tallahassee, St Marks safeguards a wide array of critters, from Florida black bears and alligators to nesting bald eagles, Atlantic Ridley sea turtles and river otters.
Trails and levees expedite hiking, biking and horseback riding. Between October and March, rangers lead guided wildlife tours.
Kenai NWR (Alaska)
Not to be confused with the national park of the same name that lies nearby, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge sprawls across a third of the Kenai Peninsula.
The visitor center and roadside campgrounds are easily reached from Highway One between Anchorage and Homer. But much of the refuge is backcountry, accessible only by foot, floatplane or a canoe/kayak system that stretches more than 100 miles (160 km) into the wilderness.
Like many Alaska parks, the brown bear (a.k.a. grizzly) is top of the food chain and anyone who ventures into the reserve wilderness should be prepared for bear encounters. Once called the National Moose Range, the park is also well-endowed with the world’s largest deer species.
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