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Yellowstone Hiking Tour

Quick Details

  • Duration: 8 hours
  • Start time: Varies by dates and pick up location - see dropdown menu below
  • Meeting Locations: Gardiner, MT; Mammoth Hot Springs; Tower Junction; Roosevelt Lodge
  • Alternative Meeting Locations: Canyon Visitor Center (extra $100); Sage Lodge (extra $150)
  • Ages: Ages 8+
  • Hiking: 4-12 miles, customized for your interests and abilities
Summer 2023 Rates
1 person
$850
2 people
$850
3 people
$900
4 people
$950
5 people
$1,000
6 people
$1,050
7 people
$1,100
8 people
$1,150
9 people
$1,200
10 people
$1,250

Hike Through Yellowstone’s Mountain Meadows and Forests to Spectacular Views

Day Hike Highlights

  • Experience the magic of Yellowstone’s iconic wildlife 
  • Your own local naturalist guide
  • Fully custom-designed hike
  • Difficulty level matched your fitness level
  • Small, single-party groups
  • Away from the crowds and into the wild
  • Vast wide open spaces and clean mountain air
  • Breakfast and lunch – picnic style 
  • Safe, fun and educational

Are you looking to step off the beaten path and experience Yellowstone’s beauty away from the cars and crowds?  Our trekking tours do exactly that, either on established trails or scouting our own route off trail, as we match the difficulty with your fitness level and abilities. Our hikes venture into the pristine wilderness that makes Yellowstone so special, to our favorite wild places and inspiring vistas.

We often walk through educational examples of how animals live in this beautiful landscape and what their relationships are like with the other animals and plants around them. Exploring a stream bank, we might find bird nests, animal tracks, or even see where a beaver has been working. Our path may lead us to the secret places where different animals choose to live and raise their babies, and we stop to talk about why certain animals might live in one place over another.

Hiking with an experienced naturalist guide is key to safely and comfortably enjoying the best that Yellowstone has to offer. Our hikes, structured specifically for your desired level of difficulty, are the best way to truly experience the wild spirit and beauty of Yellowstone.

Looking for something more?
Make This a Combo Tour with Wildlife Watching!

One popular option is to combine early morning wildlife watching (when animals are most active) with a day hike beginning mid-late morning. Check out the Wildlife Watching & Day Hiking Combo Package  for more information!

Still have questions?  Check out our FAQ’s page!

Best wildlife experiences of my life

I have gone out with Emil twice now and both times were highlights of my year if not my life. Emil is incredibly well informed, a passionate conservationist, and really committed to the greater Yellowstone community an ecosystem. The first time we went together we were fortunate enough to see a rare Great Gray Owl nest and were able to watch it for over an hour. It was the most memorable wildlife experiences of my life. The second time we went together we hiked in to a remote valley and came upon a pack of six wolves. Emil's deep understanding of the wildlife in Yellowstone combined with his relationship with other guides means that you will likely have the best possible chance of seeing great wildlife with Emil. Emil does care deeply about creating a meaningful wildlife experience and I would recommend coming with an open mind instead of just trying to check things off of your list. With an open mind, a day with Emil will be amongst the most memorable in your life.

– Jason K.
If you want some customization, this is the guide service for you!

We visited Yellowstone National Park for the second time and realized that we'd like to hike a little more off the beaten trail but have very little experience hiking in areas with bison and bears. Yellowstone Wild was incredibly flexible and allowed us to customize our hiking desires to benefit the most from their guides' varied and extensive expertise. The staff could not be more accommodating to our desire to do some activities that were not necessarily part of their normal offerings. The guides we had over 6 different days were incredibly knowledgeable, interesting and enthusiastic! We can't recommend Yellowstone Wild highly enough, especially if you would like to customize your experience.

– Navigate780116, TripAdvisor
Fabulous Day Hike in Mammoth Springs

Tyrene led my friends and me on a lovely hike through Yellowstone near Mammoth Springs. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna. Tyrene pointed out things to us we would not have known or discovered on our own had we been by ourselves. I will definitely book another tour again! Great value for a lifetime of memories!

– Blair, TripAdvisor
Best hike we've ever been on!

We went on a full-day hike with our guide. Within a few minutes of starting our hike, we were off trail and spent the remainder of our day either on game trails or bushwhacking. We were hiking in the middle of elk rut season so we heard numerous bulls bugling. We had three separate times where we were relatively close (twice where we could see the elk within about 50 yards) of competing bull elk bugling at each other! It was so amazing! Our guide taught us a ton about the elk, other wildlife in the area and geology in Yellowstone. He was incredibly knowledgeable. We would go on a hike with Yellowstone Wild again!

– Jennifer L., TripAdvisor
Best last-minute booking

My friend and I booked this guided hike last-minute and could not have been happier with our experience. Ty (our guide) picked us up promptly at our agreed-upon location in a clean, well-marked SUV. From the get-go, it was clear how knowledgeable she is about the park, its history, its fauna, its flora, and its landscapes. She was able to point out little signs of past wildlife, down to identifying which animals left which piles of scat. I'm a very curious and talkative person and Ty was able to answer plenty of my questions and ramblings. It was so much fun for me to get to learn more about the nature of Yellowstone to better understand what I was seeing in my time in the park. While we didn't see much wildlife on our day-long hike, being able to see what had been around and was probably still lurking about was fun. We heard elk bugling to one another down in a valley. From up above the river, we spotted what was probably an otter's den. My friend and I already are trying to figure out the next time we can go to Yellowstone and the logistics of backpacking and hope to book another tour with Yellowstone Wild and Ty!

– Mads L., TripAdvisor
An Amazing Experience!

My family of eight had the pleasure of hiking with Carolyn, and wildlife photo shooting with Kyle. Priceless! Memorable, educational, engaging, exciting, exhilarating. Thank you for a life changing experience!

– Brian, TripAdvisor
A unique experience away from crowds, appreciating Yellowstone with some really awesome guides

My husband and I did a day hike (wildlife focus) tour with Yellowstone Wild. The owner Emil was one of our guides, as was Tyrene. Both were super knowledgeable, warm and friendly and personalized our trip to make it unique. We did some off trail hiking, saw several different animals and breathtaking landscapes away from the crowds while respecting the land. We had great conversation, learned a ton, enjoyed lunch at a beautiful spot and explored the park in ways most people don’t get to! It was a really wonderful day, highly recommend!

– Giovanna G., TripAdvisor
Words are not enough...

This experience was a once in a lifetime dream come true! Our guide, Tyrene, exceeded our high expectations and kept the rapt interest of two educated adults, 16 and 13 year old boys and 11 and 8 year old girls - the whole age range! We saw wolves/pups, black bear, elk, pronghorn and bison - also some birds and other mammals. The kids loved the hike and elk skeleton and everything we did had a purpose and educational benefit. Our kids continued eating the wildflowers all week that Tyrene pointed out as edible and we even found some huckleberries later in the trip which she recommended and let us know how to spot and find them. Additionally, we came across another sculptor / naturalist / friend of Tyrene's while we were bison watching and she introduced us and we were able to help / learn how to sculpt birds with him to place on his bison clay mold. A 14-day vacation across the West and this was a highlight for everyone! 110% would recommend this tour to any family traveling to Yellowstone!

– Aijzm, TripAdvisor

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