Starting with an early pickup at your Big Sky hotel, we make our way south to the town of West Yellowstone, passing through a small portion of Yellowstone Park often frequented by moose and other animals. From West Yellowstone we take the west entrance into the park and navigate the lower loop. The lower loop is home to most of the geothermal areas of the park, but still provides great wildlife viewing opportunities. The tour follows first the Madison and then the Firehole Rivers to the Lower, Midway, and Upper Geyser Basins. It then continues around to West Thumb Geyser Basin on Yellowstone Lake, up through Hayden Valley and on to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  The tour continues to follow the Gibbon River south and back along the Madison River to West Yellowstone.  A skilled driver/guide accompanies you all the way, offering insights on the latest park updates and ecological studies. A sack lunch is provided today.

The first major stop on our adventure is the Lower Geyser Basin and Fountain Paint Pot. We will get up close to all four geothermal features in the park (hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots, and geysers) from the safety of an easy to navigate boardwalk.

We will then stop and see Grand Prismatic Spring and the now dormant Excelsior Geyser at the Midway Geyser Basin.

From here we make the short drive to the home of Old Faithful, the Upper Geyser Basin. While Old Faithful is the best known feature, this area is a cornucopia of springs, geysers, and historical buildings. We will stay long enough to watch Old Faithful erupt, see the Old Faithful Inn and, time allowing, wander the boardwalks to view some of the other features.

Moving along we will cross the Continental Divide twice to reach beautiful Yellowstone Lake and explore the boardwalk at West Thumb Geyser Basin. We will then travel north through Hayden Valley, along the Yellowstone River, and stop to view the Lower and Upper Yellowstone Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, from both the south and north rims.

Hayden Valley and the areas along the rivers are home to some of the park’s most iconic animals. With any luck and depending on the season, you may find yourself within feet of elk, bison, bears, trumpeter swans, osprey and maybe even otters or wolves! Red bison calves (also referred to as red dogs) and migrating sandhill cranes are a springtime treat not to be missed!

The last leg takes us along the Gibbon River where you will see great examples of volcanic tuff, and then once again along the Madison River, back to West Yellowstone and north to Big Sky. You will be dropped off at your in-town lodging.

Take a virtual Yellowstone tour!