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Gardner Canyon & North Entrance, Mammoth Hot Springs

North Entrance Road may not be the most stunning park drive yet it is a grand way to enter Yellowstone. Roosevelt Arch, designed by Old Faithful architect Robert Reamer in 1903, embodies the spirit of the national park system. The sagebrush flats that flank the first mile of track are home to bison, elk and pronghorn. Bighorn sheep are spotted time and again in Gardner Canyon. Eagles, osprey, dippers and kingfishers grace the skies above the Gardner River. This short thoroughfare but five miles (8 km) long is a child-sized prelude to the wonderful world of Yellowstone National Park.

Roosevelt Arch, Yellowstone National Park

Alfredo De Simone

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn Sheep, Yellowstone

John Good courtesy National Park Service

There are lots of fun facts about Bighorn Sheep. Did you know that:

Bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis, are a member of the sheep family.
The bighorn gets its name from the large, curved horns borne by males aged 3 or more.
Bighorn sheep live in rocky habitats. They are found in North America (Canada to Mexico and California to Texas) as well as Siberia.
Bighorn sheep are both grazers and browsers meaning they eat grasses (grazers) as well as shoots and leaves (browsers).
Desert bighorn sheep can go without water for long periods of time. They get the water they need from the food they eat.
Bighorns are ruminants. They have four-chambered stomachs and chew their cud.
Male bighorns are called rams. Females are called ewes. Young bighorn sheep are called lambs.
Bighorns have a dark brown coat that fades in winter. They have a white muzzle as well as white patch on their rump. Bighorn sheep have two-toed cloven hooves and a short brown tail.
Ewes and lambs live, feed and move in herds. Rams also travel in bands but they are single sex and much smaller in size. Adult males join female herds during the rut (mating season).
Bighorns are prey for coyotes, wolves, cougars, mountain lions and bears.