Wednesday started before sunrise. We headed straight to Lamar Valley to glass first light, and the valley delivered from the jump.

First stop was the Pebble Creek picnic area, where a group of mountain goats were hanging on the slopes just above the road — casual as ever, picking their way across the rocks while we watched from below.

We pushed further into the Lamar and picked up two grizzly bears near Soda Butte, one on each side of the valley. Both were deep in spring feeding mode — digging, flipping sod, grazing on fresh grasses. We spent a solid stretch watching both of them tear up the landscape. That kind of parallel grizzly action in Lamar is hard to beat.

Not far down the road we found a bachelor pod of moose — three bull moose just off the roadway, all three with their antler paddles freshly sprouting for the year. Stumpy velvet paddles, the whole look. A great find on a species that doesn’t always cooperate.

We dropped down to Slough Creek to check the wolves. Three different wolves were active in a common feeding area we’ve been watching all season. Then things got interesting: a herd of elk came through and ran two of the wolves right off. Elk getting assertive this time of year. The whole sequence played out right in front of us — one of those moments that’s hard to describe and impossible to forget.

On the way back toward Jackson we stopped at Swan Lake. The resident breeding pair of trumpeter swans were both swimming on the lake, and their nest is built and ready to go. Eggs any day now — we’ll be keeping an eye on it.

Six species, one morning. That’s why we go out early. If you want days like this, our private Yellowstone tours are built around mornings exactly like this one. For the full multi-park experience, the 3-day Yellowstone and Grand Teton itinerary is the tour most families book. You can also follow along on our YouTube channel for video from days like today.