Best Nature Photography Hot Spots Across the United States

Sep 4, 2024

Photographers, get ready, because today’s blog is all about you! We’re celebrating National Wildlife Day by sharing some of the best destinations across the US for wildlife photography. You’ll find unique backgrounds and habitats, interesting and endangered wildlife, unique species found only in specific areas of the US, and build up a great portfolio. So hop in your new car from Classic in Waukegan, and let’s hit the road to top notch photography spots.

Antelope Island State Park in Utah

You’ll find plenty of impressive animals to photograph here including free-range Bison, mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, porcupines, black tailed jackrabbits, desert cottontail rabbits, ord’s kangaroo rats, american badgers, red foxes, long-tailed weasels, bobcats, coyote, ten different varieties of bat, and plentiful birds both large and small. The park habitats include grasslands (90% of the topography), shrublands, shorelines, salt flats, and more than 40 freshwater springs.

Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana

This scenic wildlife refuge features bayous, swamps, oxbow lakes, and bottomland hardwood forests on its 1,500,000 acres of protected lands. This unique refuge area is home to Louisiana black bear, white-tailed deer, bobcats, coyotes, minks, otters, muskrat, armadillos, foxes, opossum, and the omnipresent alligator. It’s also a special breeding and nesting area for neotropical songbirds such as warblers, white ibis, American kestrels, wood duck, swallow-tailed kites, and large raptors, and many more especially during the fall and spring migration seasons.

Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico

Located in Southern New Mexico, this is prime viewing for autumn and winter migratory birds such as Sandhill Cranes! Nearly 7,000 acres of flood-plains make up the center of the park, and these beautiful wetlands attract an absolutely stunning amount of birds. The best months to visit here are November through January, where you’ll find record numbers of wintering bird populations. Mammals in this area include coyotes, mule deer, elk, javelina, beavers, badgers, skunks, and muskrats.

Cape May in New Jersey

Located at the southernmost tip of the state, the beautiful Cape May National Wildlife Refuge and Cape May Point State Park Areas feature coastal and freshwater wetlands, dense forests, open fields, shorelines and beaches, as well as sandy and grassy dunes. Coastal waters are home to dolphins, sharks, and plentiful fish varieties as well as turtles. Common mammals include muskrat, opossums, foxes, river otters, beavers, racoons, red and grey foxes, coyotes, various deer, and bats. Bird varieties include sandpipers, laughing gulls, osprey, herons, ibis, and egrets, but hundreds of species of birds call this area home as well as migratory birds passing through.

Everglades National Park in Florida

Featuring an abundance of different habitats including hardwood hammocks, pinelands, mangroves, coastal lowlands, freshwater sloughs, cypress groves, freshwater marl prairie, pine rocklands, and seagrass areas, you’ll find an absolutely stunning variety of wildlife here to photograph. From frogs and fish to waterfowl and more, there’s no shortage of incredible creatures: Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, Great Blue Herons, West Indian Manatee, American Alligator, American crocodiles, white-tailed deer, Great Egrets, marsh rabbits, North American river otters, Florida black bear, Florida Panthers, Bobcats, wild hogs, peacocks, snakes and more.

Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho

Covering 485,000 acres of protected lands along 81 miles of shoreline on the Snake River, this area houses the most densely populated area of nesting birds of prey in all of North America; it’s estimated that around 800 pair of birds including eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls call the lava cliffs and desert plateau area their home. The rocky cliffs and canyon area create strong thermal updrafts, all of which attract an impressive number of bird species including American kestrel, Barn Owls, Burrowing Owls, Cooper’s Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle, Great Horned Owls, Merlin Falcon, Northern Goshawk, and many more.

National Elk Refuge in Wyoming

This area protects critical wildlife habitats for species such as elk, bison, wolves, trumpeter swans, bald eagle, moose, pronghorn, grizzly bears, voles, badgers, beaver, and bighorn sheep. Habitats here include glacial outwash plains, rolling hills, creeks and streams, meadow grasslands, and marshy wetlands. The area is an especially well-known hotspot for migrating elk, which number in the thousands each winter, estimated to be more than 5,000-7,000 on average. During the winter months you’ll be able to opt for a scenic sleigh ride and educational tour from the park rangers. It’s part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and butts up against the Teton and Gros Ventre Mountain Ranges.