Ptarmigan Tracks

2019 was the "year of the lynx." Sightings were too numerous to count. Guests saw this stunning creature of the far north during hikes, en route from activities, and even on trips to the loo!

6/2: Wolverine! Guests braving the strenuous hike watch the stocky, chocolate weasel lope across alpine tundra and up a rocky drainage.

6/7: Guests witness a grizzly bear climb atop a beaver lodge and begin pulling it apart; minutes later, a beaver pops up in the middle of the pond.

6/12: First duckling sightings of the year, Northern Pintail chicks.

6/14: First of a handful of fantastic red fox family viewings during the bus ride to the lodges. Adults often resting while nimble kits scamper about a rocky outcrop on Polychrome Pass.

7/4: A rare but always uplifting appearance of Arctic Terns fishing in the kettle ponds.

7/16: Bull caribou on Camp Ridge.

8/5: Four mink visit the Pearson Cabin next to North Face Lodge. One attempts entry, while another runs up the leg of the cabin's inhabitant! Later in the week, perhaps the same four are spotted at the nearby Moose Creek swimming hole.

8/9: First stars since April.

9/5: A cold, wet, foggy morning clears to spectacular afternoon sun, bringing Sandhill Cranes by the thousands, from horizon to horizon, for a world-class migratory event.