The Upper Loop tour brings you waterfalls (Gibbon and Tower), the most thermally active area of the park (Norris Geyser Basin), areas of historical significance (Mammoth Hot Springs) and “America’s Serengeti” (Lamar Valley), all with a skilled guide offering insights on the latest park updates and ecological studies. A sack lunch is provided today.

Leaving West Yellowstone we follow the Madison Rive and make a left at Madison Junction to follow the Gibbon River, stopping briefly at Gibbon Falls. We then stop and walk a portion of Norris Geyser Basin before heading on to the park headquarters – Mammoth Hot Springs.

After wandering the terraces around the ever changing travertine formations and hot springs, we will move on toward the parks northeast entrance, stopping in Lamar Valley and keeping our eyes open for elk, pronghorn, coyotes, bison, nesting osprey, and with luck even bears and wolves!

As we drive back we will veer off at Tower Junction and take the short drive to Tower Falls. Aside from being a beautiful waterfall, the drive between the junction and the falls is one of the more regular places to find bears!

If the road is open, we will then drive over Dunraven Pass to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, before returning back to West Yellowstone by following the Gibbon and then Madison rivers.

If Dunraven pass is not open, we will return to West Yellowstone following the route we came in, possibly making stops at other view points such as Obsidian Cliff, and Undine Falls as time allows.