Tom Miner Basin (Roadside Viewing Area for Bears)

Wow! If you want to see bears, elk, moose, deer, and other critters with little effort; come here.

The road where you park is public but the land on either side is private. This adventure has grown to be so popular that the landowners facilitated parking so traffic can still flow.

Based on what I heard the local, repeat wildlife watchers say; the bears are most active in late fall (and during sunrise and sunset) as they feast on carroway root which grows here to fatten them up for hibernation.

During our trip. I saw 7 grizzlies, 2 moose, and many deer... all foraging literally right next to the cows that live on this ranch. Truly incredible.

I was never close to the bears (at least 400 yards away) but there are lots of photos indicating the bears venture very close... even on the road where you'll be parked so be bear aware.

Please take care of this area and respect both the private land (a working ranch) and the many photographers and wildlife watchers (who have lots of expensive glass) that will get very dusty if you drive like a maniac. If this area becomes too overcrowded and abused, this wildlife viewing opportunity will be shut down.

The landowners set up "fire stations" (in fall of 2021) every 50 feet or so with water buckets, water, and yard tools to help put out fires if they spark.

Do not let your pets out of your vehicle off leash.

tl;dr: Effortless bear watching within minutes of Yellowstone National Park.