Where to See Bison in Wind Cave National Park

Sighting map

Bison sightings in Wind Cave

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Where Bison has been reported, from 600 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM2% of the busiest hour1 AM2% of the busiest hour2 AM2% of the busiest hour3 AM3% of the busiest hour4 AM11% of the busiest hour5 AM42% of the busiest hour6 AM79% of the busiest hour7 AM95% of the busiest hour8 AM84% of the busiest hour9 AM68% of the busiest hour10 AM53% of the busiest hour11 AM37% of the busiest hourNoon26% of the busiest hour1 PM21% of the busiest hour2 PM26% of the busiest hour3 PM42% of the busiest hour4 PM63% of the busiest hour5 PM84% of the busiest hour6 PMBusiest hour7 PM89% of the busiest hour8 PM58% of the busiest hour9 PM32% of the busiest hour10 PM13% of the busiest hour11 PM5% of the busiest hour

Bison is most seen 7 AM and 6–8 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Bison sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	2%
1 AM	2%
2 AM	2%
3 AM	3%
4 AM	11%
5 AM	42%
6 AM	79%
7 AM	95%
8 AM	84%
9 AM	68%
10 AM	53%
11 AM	37%
Noon	26%
1 PM	21%
2 PM	26%
3 PM	42%
4 PM	63%
5 PM	84%
6 PM	100%
7 PM	89%
8 PM	58%
9 PM	32%
10 PM	13%
11 PM	5%

Audio tour

Hear about Bison on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Wind Cave, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Wind Cave Tour Guide

A Bison’s Dust Bath

0:00 / 0:30

“A bison rolling in the dust is worth watching. That dust bath, called wallowing, can help with biting insects and the itch of shedding a winter coat. Repeated rolling also leaves a shallow bowl in the ground.”

Plays as you drive in Parkwolf’s Wind Cave Tour Guide.

One more story about Bison in the app

Bison from the Bronx

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Wind Cave spots that mention Bison

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Bison. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

Visitor centerWind Cave Visitor CenterStart here for the cave tour and its prairie-side story.

Scenic pulloutHighland Ridge OverlookSee the red valley and hogback that ring the Black Hills.

CampgroundElk Mountain CampgroundA pine-and-prairie base near cave tours, with seasonal elk bugles.

Trails

ModerateEast Bison Flats Trail7.4 mi · 4 hrOpen prairie, a steep canyon dip, and broad Buffalo Gap views.

EasyRankin Ridge Nature Trail1 mi · 1 hrA short ridge loop with a fire tower and wide plains views.

ModerateLookout Point Trail and Centennial Trail Loop4.8 mi · 2.5 hrPrairie dogs, creek bridges and one steep climb on a 4.8-mile loop.

ModerateCold Brook Canyon Trail2.8 mi · 1.5 hrA short prairie walk with canyon cliffs and a prairie dog town.

ModerateBoland Ridge Trail5.2 mi · 2.5 hrFour rolling climbs lead to wide views over Red Valley.

EasyWind Cave Canyon Trail3.6 mi · 2 hrAn easy former road beneath limestone cliffs, with nesting birds overhead.

ModerateHighland Creek Trail8.6 mi · 5.5 hr8.6 miles one way across prairie, creek bottoms, and canyons.

ModerateCentennial Trail: Norbeck to Highland Creek6 mi · 2.8 hrA six-mile one-way mix of prairie, ponderosa forest and creek crossings.

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Wind Cave, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
28 audio storiesplay as you drive Wind Cave, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Wind Cave

All 16 sighting maps

59 sightingsElkCervus canadensisMost seen 6–8 AM & 6–9 PMSighting map

258 sightingsPronghornAntilocapra americanaMost seen 6–9 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

14 sightingsBighorn SheepOvis canadensisMost seen 7 AM & 6 PMSighting map

131 sightingsCoyoteCanis latransMost seen 6 AM & 7–9 PMSighting map

26 sightingsGolden EagleAquila chrysaetosMost seen 9 AM–4 PMSighting map

35 sightingsPrairie RattlesnakeCrotalus viridisMost seen 7 AM & 5–8 PMSighting map

609 sightingsPrairie DogCynomys ludovicianusMost seen 7–10 AM & 4–6 PMSighting map

49 sightingsBurrowing OwlAthene cuniculariaMost seen 6 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

Where to see Bison in Wind Cave