Something about alligators and crocodiles really gives me the shivers, too! The animal on this list that I worry about the most is rattlesnakes because I grew up hiking around somewhere they’re extremely common, so it’s just ingrained in me to always check where I step
I saw a black bear in the Smokies when I was going back down from Clingmans Dome. I was in my car so I wasn't worried but it was by far one of the best animal encounters I have ever had. I was closer to it than I would have been in a zoo
Interesting video. We have encountered most of these on our trips. Having almost stepped on a rattle snake in Zion and having heard one at Chimney Rock they would top my list. Having once seen a mother moose chase "stupid photo seeking people" away from her baby has earned them a healthy respect from me. We also once saw the destruction a herd of "erratic elk" (as the ranger termed them) caused in Olympic, so I would never assume they are not a bit scary. we try to observe and photograph wildlife from a distance and so we have been safe in most instances except for that danged snake in Zion.
When I went to Yosemite I saw 2 black bears one was at dusk but the other one was early in the morning and me and my mom were hiking until we heard something above us in a tree and it was a bear. Luckily it didn’t see us but it was only 2 feet away above us. So we just backed up and looked from afar
I saw a moose in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2019. It was on the Skyline trail and I saw it about 200 yards off the trail, so it really wasn’t much of a threat. It was incredible to see a moose in the wild and an unforgettable experience. I saw a ton of gators in the Everglades last year. I went to Shark Valley and walked the trail there. There was a gator that was on the side of the trail and it was 7 feet from me. It was incredible to see one that close and I’m glad that he wasn’t moving.
You don't need to worry about alligators as long as you stay out of the water and give them distance. They can't move fast on land so it's easy to run away from them as long as you leave some respectable distance. They do move insanely fast in the water so the best thing to do there is swim to land as quickly as possible
Here's a list of what I've encountered on this list, in the order you mention them btw: Bison at Wind Cave and Theodore Roosevelt NPs and Custer State Park. The most notable encounter was when they caused a road block in CSP. There must have been ~ 2-3 dozen around us and they werent scared of us at all, but boy was I scared. Black Bears at Shenandoah NP. It was scary, somewhat. But I remembered what was said about keeping them away: Make noise and stay away from them. 1st time I went there, I saw around 6 of them I think. Once, there were 3 together when I was trail hiking, but they went away when I started yelling. 2nd (and last) time I went, I only saw one there, despite going to pretty much the same places as before.
@@NationalParkWild Yes it was. Others I COULD have met were (from the list) maybe mountain lion (Are there any in Shenandoah or Custer?), ticks I probably have encountered but never saw them and I typically wear bug spray anyways, coyote (I think. Are there some in Cuyahoga or Isle Royale?), wolves, rattlesnakes (I was kind of hoping both ways: TO meet them but also not because of the danger. That would have been to my Dakota trip), moose (Reallllllly wanted to see one of them, but no luck. Maybe next time I go to Isle Royale), and alligator, sort of. I might have seen wild alligators, but it's been almost 2 DECADES since I went to Florida. I did see alligators in captivity though.
I understand why they weren't included since the only park they're in is the northern portions of Gates of the Arctic... but there's a third part to the bears saying you quoted. "If it's white, goodnight." I never want to encounter a polar bear.
Alligators are scary, but my #1 would have been mountain goat. I know mountain goats attack very infrequently, but when they do, I think there's very little you can do, especially when you're hiking at the edge of a cliff, i.e. at Glacier. Since, in that instance, I'd almost certainly have a camera with me, I'd likely swing the tripod/camera at its head, but there would be nowhere to run even if you wanted to, and it would likely be a battle to the death in that case. Bear spray may work, but I've seen videos where they came from out of nowhere, so I don't know if you'd have time for that.
Alligators are scary looking but unless you are swimming or walking along the edge of a lake, they don't invoke any scare in me as they are slow and not going to attack when you are at a distance. Grizzly bears are still #1 for me. I know they don't attack often but the shear physical size with the crazy big teeth, just flat out scare me. Also in the rare times they attack, they seem to not stop the attack unless you have a gun to kill it or you can fool them into thinking you are dead. Basically once an attack starts you are in for a relentless attack of bites and mauling that likely is not going to stop and is going to leave you in bad physical shape even if you can eventually trick the bear to leave by playing dead. I would love down the road to get your top 10 scariest actual encounters with wildlife at national parks. I'm sure you have quite a few stories with how many parks you have been to. I love hiking but when hiking solo, encounters with certain wildlife is still the only thing I do not like about hiking.
@@NationalParkWild Yeah gators are scary looking to be sure, so I guess it depends how you define "scariest". For me to be scared I need to really fear being attacked and the risk of injury/death if attacked. Grizzly bears top my list in that category of the animals out there in US National Parks.
Happy Halloween! Thanks for watching.
Something about alligators and crocodiles really gives me the shivers, too! The animal on this list that I worry about the most is rattlesnakes because I grew up hiking around somewhere they’re extremely common, so it’s just ingrained in me to always check where I step
I haven’t seen a rattlesnake yet, but they do scare me a bit.
I saw a black bear in the Smokies when I was going back down from Clingmans Dome. I was in my car so I wasn't worried but it was by far one of the best animal encounters I have ever had. I was closer to it than I would have been in a zoo
Interesting video. We have encountered most of these on our trips. Having almost stepped on a rattle snake in Zion and having heard one at Chimney Rock they would top my list. Having once seen a mother moose chase "stupid photo seeking people" away from her baby has earned them a healthy respect from me. We also once saw the destruction a herd of "erratic elk" (as the ranger termed them) caused in Olympic, so I would never assume they are not a bit scary. we try to observe and photograph wildlife from a distance and so we have been safe in most instances except for that danged snake in Zion.
Those do seem like some frightening experiences, I had that same kind of elk experience at Grand Canyon.
When I went to Yosemite I saw 2 black bears one was at dusk but the other one was early in the morning and me and my mom were hiking until we heard something above us in a tree and it was a bear. Luckily it didn’t see us but it was only 2 feet away above us. So we just backed up and looked from afar
That sounds like a frightening but incredible experience.
My grandpa got chased by a caribou while biking at denali last week
I saw a moose in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2019. It was on the Skyline trail and I saw it about 200 yards off the trail, so it really wasn’t much of a threat. It was incredible to see a moose in the wild and an unforgettable experience.
I saw a ton of gators in the Everglades last year. I went to Shark Valley and walked the trail there. There was a gator that was on the side of the trail and it was 7 feet from me. It was incredible to see one that close and I’m glad that he wasn’t moving.
You don't need to worry about alligators as long as you stay out of the water and give them distance. They can't move fast on land so it's easy to run away from them as long as you leave some respectable distance. They do move insanely fast in the water so the best thing to do there is swim to land as quickly as possible
Thanks for the Halloween video, Eric!
Happy Halloween 🎃
Happy Halloween to you too!
Here's a list of what I've encountered on this list, in the order you mention them btw:
Bison at Wind Cave and Theodore Roosevelt NPs and Custer State Park. The most notable encounter was when they caused a road block in CSP. There must have been ~ 2-3 dozen around us and they werent scared of us at all, but boy was I scared.
Black Bears at Shenandoah NP. It was scary, somewhat. But I remembered what was said about keeping them away: Make noise and stay away from them. 1st time I went there, I saw around 6 of them I think. Once, there were 3 together when I was trail hiking, but they went away when I started yelling. 2nd (and last) time I went, I only saw one there, despite going to pretty much the same places as before.
Interesting!
@@NationalParkWild Yes it was. Others I COULD have met were (from the list) maybe mountain lion (Are there any in Shenandoah or Custer?), ticks I probably have encountered but never saw them and I typically wear bug spray anyways, coyote (I think. Are there some in Cuyahoga or Isle Royale?), wolves, rattlesnakes (I was kind of hoping both ways: TO meet them but also not because of the danger. That would have been to my Dakota trip), moose (Reallllllly wanted to see one of them, but no luck. Maybe next time I go to Isle Royale), and alligator, sort of. I might have seen wild alligators, but it's been almost 2 DECADES since I went to Florida. I did see alligators in captivity though.
I understand why they weren't included since the only park they're in is the northern portions of Gates of the Arctic... but there's a third part to the bears saying you quoted. "If it's white, goodnight." I never want to encounter a polar bear.
Good point. I hadn't really thought about that.
Alligators are scary, but my #1 would have been mountain goat. I know mountain goats attack very infrequently, but when they do, I think there's very little you can do, especially when you're hiking at the edge of a cliff, i.e. at Glacier. Since, in that instance, I'd almost certainly have a camera with me, I'd likely swing the tripod/camera at its head, but there would be nowhere to run even if you wanted to, and it would likely be a battle to the death in that case. Bear spray may work, but I've seen videos where they came from out of nowhere, so I don't know if you'd have time for that.
That’s fair
Alligators are scary looking but unless you are swimming or walking along the edge of a lake, they don't invoke any scare in me as they are slow and not going to attack when you are at a distance. Grizzly bears are still #1 for me. I know they don't attack often but the shear physical size with the crazy big teeth, just flat out scare me. Also in the rare times they attack, they seem to not stop the attack unless you have a gun to kill it or you can fool them into thinking you are dead. Basically once an attack starts you are in for a relentless attack of bites and mauling that likely is not going to stop and is going to leave you in bad physical shape even if you can eventually trick the bear to leave by playing dead. I would love down the road to get your top 10 scariest actual encounters with wildlife at national parks. I'm sure you have quite a few stories with how many parks you have been to. I love hiking but when hiking solo, encounters with certain wildlife is still the only thing I do not like about hiking.
Gators certainly aren’t hostile, there’s just something about them.
@@NationalParkWild Yeah gators are scary looking to be sure, so I guess it depends how you define "scariest". For me to be scared I need to really fear being attacked and the risk of injury/death if attacked. Grizzly bears top my list in that category of the animals out there in US National Parks.