Wildlife shooting location reommendation. From LA->Great Canyons->Yosemite->SF

[[email protected]]

Hi Guys,

Some suggestions needed as i am planning a trip to From LA->Great Canyons->Yosemite->SF.
Any recommendation on shooting wildlife near those areas?

 

[MrFotoFool]

Never heard of Great Canyons - where exactly is that? Or do you by chance mean Kings Canyon?

On a visit to Yosemite a couple years ago we got very lucky with a bobcat that is very relaxed around people (we followed him for half an hour and I got a photo of him pausing with Half Dome in background). Workers in the village gallery say he is seen regularly, but of course there is no way to guarantee the timing (and no guarantee he is still alive, as he looked quite old). Other than that, however, Yosemite was a dud for wildlife and we were surprised to not see a single deer.

Kings Canyon and adjoining Sequoia has mule deer easily seen almost anywhere at dawn and dusk. Crescent Meadow (in Sequoia) is very reliable for black bear.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks bro.

Grand Canyon, not Great Canyon. My bad.

 

[[email protected]]

Kings Canyon and adjoining Sequoia has mule deer easily seen almost anywhere at dawn and dusk. Crescent Meadow (in Sequoia) is very reliable for black bear.

Would you mind sharing the google map location where around it might be? I can find Kings Canyon in Yosemite but cannot find Sequoia.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park adjoin each other and are basically managed as one national park. They were established to protect giant sequoia trees (though apparently there is a grove of sequoias in Yosemite as well). The parks are located in the mountains just east of Fresno. The drive up to the Kings Canyon entrance (which would be the north entrance) is a fairly smooth and gradual highway up the mountain (which passes by Project Survival's Cat Haven if you want to see big cats in a zoo type setting). The drive up to the Sequoia entrance (which would be the south entrance) is extremely narrow and steep with hairpin turns for about an hour. Unless you are driving a Porsche, it is not very enjoyable, but it can be done if that is more on your way.

Here are a couple wildlife photos from my trip this summer, taken with a 70-200 to show you how close you can get (these are uncropped and unadjusted except for downsizing). First is a mountain quail and second is a mule deer.

 

[[email protected]]

Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park adjoin each other and are basically managed as one national park. They were established to protect giant sequoia trees (though apparently there is a grove of sequoias in Yosemite as well). The parks are located in the mountains just east of Fresno. The drive up to the Kings Canyon entrance (which would be the north entrance) is a fairly smooth and gradual highway up the mountain (which passes by Project Survival's Cat Haven if you want to see big cats in a zoo type setting). The drive up to the Sequoia entrance (which would be the south entrance) is extremely narrow and steep with hairpin turns for about an hour. Unless you are driving a Porsche, it is not very enjoyable, but it can be done if that is more on your way.

Here are a couple wildlife photos from my trip this summer, taken with a 70-200 to show you how close you can get (these are uncropped and unadjusted except for downsizing). First is a mountain quail and second is a mule deer.

Thanks bro. That Deer shot is very very nice.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Somehow I missed your earlier post that clarifies you are going to Grand Canyon. Mule deer and elk are so prolific there that it would be nearly impossible NOT to see them. I mean they are by the lodges and in the parking lots and all over. One time I few years ago I even saw javelina (collared peccaries) which used to be found only in southern Arizona but are expanding their native range northwards. Here is a young mule deer at Grand Canyon that I shot three weeks ago, part of a herd of eight or so that I followed at very close range at dawn.

Also if you are heading south after Grand Canyon, the grasslands around Prescott Valley and Chino Valley are very reliable for pronghorn antelope.

 

[Ozarker]

Grand Canyon: This time of year the North Rim is closed. South Rim is open. A lot of people don't realise the long winter closing of the North Rim.

 

[Ozarker]

Somehow I missed your earlier post that clarifies you are going to Grand Canyon. Mule deer and elk are so prolific there that it would be nearly impossible NOT to see them. I mean they are by the lodges and in the parking lots and all over. One time I few years ago I even saw javelina (collared peccaries) which used to be found only in southern Arizona but are expanding their native range northwards. Here is a young mule deer at Grand Canyon that I shot three weeks ago, part of a herd of eight or so that I followed at very close range at dawn.

Also if you are heading south after Grand Canyon, the grasslands around Prescott Valley and Chino Valley are very reliable for pronghorn antelope.

Very nice shots!