A white wolf prowls the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley

A wolf gazes across the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. (photo ©Bob Richard)

Though summer comes later to Yellowstone National Park than most popular vacation spots, crowds pick up in the park and temperatures rise after Memorial Day each year.

That’s why many longtime Yellowstone visitors try to get into the park as soon as possible each spring. Wildlife is more visible and crowds are much thinner. One place where visitors congregated on May 3 was along the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley, where a white wolf was prowling the riverbank.

Bob Richard, a tour guide based in Cody, Wyo., snapped a few great photos of the wolf and was kind enough to share them. Richard, a former Yellowstone park ranger, is also an accomplished photographer, but used a simple point-and-shoot digital camera for these photos. The shots prove that you don’t have to have giant lenses or expensive gear to get great photos in Yellowstone. Luck and timing play a role, but as Richard and other experienced wildlife watchers will tell you, knowing where and when to look is also key.

A wolf prowls along the bank of the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. (photo ©Bob Richard)

A wolf appears to gaze into the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park. (photo ©Bob Richard)