Nothing compares to seeing a rumbling herd of bison at Yellowstone National Park.
If there was a place to go to see North America’s largest land animal, it would be Yellowstone. Somewhere around 5,000 bison call Yellowstone National Park home, and with most of them traveling in herds, encountering a large group on the move like this isn’t out of the ordinary. That being said, videos of herds moving along never get old, and to see them stampeding like this is something that would make a trip to the national park very much worth it.
The setting of this clip is the Lamar Valley area of Yellowstone National Park. The area is actually known for its active bison population, and those that were there to see this stampede definitely got their money’s worth. This bison viewing feels cinematic, and the herd was so large that it truly felt like it was never-ending. And the craziest part? It looks like almost every member of the herd is running about as fast as they can.
In case you didn’t know, the 2,000 pound beasts can top out at around 35 miles per hour.
Trent Sizemore, a wildlife photographer based out of West Yellowstone, Montana, was in the right spot at the right time to capture it all on video. It was a magnificent captures, and showcases just how large bison herds can get in Yellowstone. The beasts are very much a “strength in numbers” type of animal, and the herd mentality is always strong within the national park.
A typical bison herd usually consists of a couple hundred bison, but in Yellowstone, that number has been known to reach into the thousands. It’s not out of the ordinary to see upwards of 4,000 bison traveling together… and I didn’t take the time to stop and count this herd one-by-one, but it’s definitely pushing the 1,000 mark.
It’s best not to get caught up in the numbers… that’d be a waste of time. The focus should instead be on the natural beauty that still exists out in the wild. Technology is great and all, but the best thing this planet has to offer is and always will be the great outdoors. One of the best places to get outside is one of our nation’s most historic and visited landmarks: Yellowstone National Park.
If you ask me, stuff like this is what should be going viral online:
“Hundreds of bison running across Lamar Valley. Not sure what spooked them!”
I could sit and watch that for hours.
Shoutout to Sizemore for capturing that video, and posing a great question: What were all the bison running from? Typically if you see something running in the wild, it’s either chasing something or being chased itself. Social media users that came across the video made their best guesses at what had this group of bison running for the hills:
“Herd mentality. Only a handful have any idea of why they are all running.”
“They have been doing that for ever. Nothing new, anything like thunder will spook them.”
“Imagine what it’s like to hear and see thousands of bison running on the open grasslands.”
“Such a fantastic thing to watch… what a sight to see.”
“Sometimes they just run.”
For some reason, I like that last answer the most.
