Ultimate Yellowstone – Geysers and Wildlife

Day 1 – Geysers & Hot Springs:

May – August

• Gardiner, MT, Sage Lodge & Chico Hot Springs::  6:00am
• Mammoth Hot Springs: 6:15am
• Norris Geyser Basin: 6:45am
• Canyon Visitor Center: 7:00am
• Madison Junction: 7:15am
• Old Faithful Visitor Center: 7:45am

September – October

• Gardiner, MT, Sage Lodge & Chico Hot Springs:  7:00am
• Mammoth Hot Springs: 7:15am
• Canyon Visitor Center & Norris Junction: 8:00am
• Madison Junction & Old Faithful Visitor Center: 8:30am

Day 2 – Wildlife Watching:

May 1st – August 15th:

• Gardiner, MT, Sage Lodge & Chico Hot Springs::  5:00am
• Mammoth Hot Springs:   5:15am
• Tower Junction:   5:45am
• Canyon Visitor Center (beginning Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend):   6:15am

August 16th – September 30th:

• Gardiner, MT, Sage Lodge & Chico Hot Springs:  5:30am
• Mammoth Hot Springs:   5:45am
• Tower Junction: 6:15am
• Canyon Visitor Center: 6:15am

 October 1st – October 31st:

• Gardiner, MT, Sage Lodge & Chico Hot Springs:  6:00am
• Mammoth Hot Springs:   6:15am
• Tower Junction: 6:45am
• Canyon Visitor Center: 7:00am (if Dunraven Pass closes due to winter conditions, you may be asked to meet your guide at Mammoth Hot Springs at 6:15am)

estimated drive times between park locations:

Your Tour Includes

• 2 full-day (8-hour) private guided tours: 1 day exploring the geysers and hot springs, and 1 day searching for the charismatic wildlife that call Yellowstone home
• Local naturalist guide (the same guide both days!)
• Transportation in our fully equipped touring vehicle (we drive, you enjoy the scenery)
• Optics for everyone – top-of-the-line binoculars and high-powered spotting scopes for wildlife viewing
• Plenty of space for gear and extra clothing
• Breakfast pastries and hot drinks (coffee, tea, hot cocoa)
• Healthy and hearty snacks and beverages
• Full picnic lunch spread
• Dynamic and engaging discussions to interpret the wildlife, geology, and ecology you are observing – and how all the pieces of this Wonderland fit together to make it one of the most magical places on earth

Lodging is NOT included. When booking your lodging, please note that Day 1 (Geysers & Hot Springs) can depart from Gardiner, MT, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin, Madison Junction, or Old Faithful; Day 2 (Wildlife Watching) can depart from Gardiner, MT, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, or the Lamar Buffalo Ranch. (See our partners page for lodging recommendations.)

Gratuity is NOT included in the price of the tour. Tipping your guide is a common practice in North America, and tips are an important part of their income.

What to Bring

• Warm clothes for cooler early morning hours
• Dress warmly so that you can comfortably be out in the elements during the cold hours of the dawn. You will be at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains, and temperatures will be unseasonably cold. Be prepared!
• Close-toed shoes/hiking boots
• Long pants
• Sweater/sweatshirt
• Windbreaker/rain jacket
• Hat and gloves
• Duffle/backpack to store warm clothing as the day warms up
• Water bottle (reusable) *please remember to drink plenty of water at this high altitude
• Sun hat
• Sun glasses
• Sunscreen
• Lots of questions and curiosity!

Can you expect to see all the wildlife you hope for?It is important to remember that the wild animals we seek to observe are exactly that, WILD free-ranging animals that can roam across all of Yellowstone’s vast and rugged 2.2 million acres. The probability of locating and observing them is greatly elevated due to your guide’s intimate personal familiarity with the landscape and the animals themselves. We do not guarantee any wildlife sightings on our tours; however, we will guarantee that your guide will use their knowledge, skills, and network of other guides, wildlife watchers and photographers to do everything we can to find you the animals you’d like to see. We are in the park nearly every day searching for and watching wildlife, and that consistent experience pays off in finding the animals you’ve traveled to see.

Weather

Yellowstone National Park is a very large place divided by mountain ranges, deep valleys and a massive lake. The weather within the 2.2 million acres can vary widely, so checking the weather in the park can be a difficult task. We recommend checking several different NOAA weather stations around the park (such as Gardiner, MT, Old Faithful, and Tower Junction, WY, and working an average of those if you’re planning to travel around the entirety of the park.

BOOKING, DEPOSIT, & FINAL PAYMENT POLICIES:

In order to reserve your tour, a $200.00 deposit per tour day is due at the time of booking. Preferred payment method is via credit card through our secure booking system. The balance due will be charged to the card on file 30 days prior to your tour departure date. 

CANCELLATION POLICY OPTIONS:

The Cancellation Policy that you select at the time of booking will apply to your reservation.

TRIP PROTECTED FLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICY +12% OF TOUR TOTAL COST

• • If you cancel your tour 24 hours before your scheduled tour, your tour fee is fully refundable minus a $50.00 processing fee.
  • If you cancel within 24 hours your tour fee is 65% refundable minus a $50.00 processing fee.
  • We are unable to offer any refund for no-shows or tours canceled after the scheduled departure time
  • The “Trip Protected Cancellation Policy” fee will be charged within 48 hours of booking and a receipt will be emailed to the email address on file

The 12% Trip Protected Fee is non-refundable. If you booked online, the “fees” charged by the third-party booking system are also non-refundable.

Rescheduling Your Tour with Us: We are happy to reschedule your tour for no additional charge up to 24 hours prior to your tour departure dependent upon availability.

STANDARD CANCELLATION POLICY

• • If you cancel your tour more than 30 days in advance of your tour start date, you will receive a full refund minus a $50.00 processing fee. If you booked online, the “fees” charged by the third-party booking system are also non-refundable.
  • If you cancel your tour within 30 days of your tour start date, we are unable to offer a refund.

Should your tour need to be canceled due to factors beyond our control, including (but not limited to) extreme weather conditions, wildfire, natural disaster, park closure, airline cancellations, war, government shutdown, pandemic, or an “Act of God” we are unable to offer a cash refund.

As a small business, we regret that we are rarely able to make exceptions to our Standard Cancellation Policy. ***We strongly recommend that you select the “Trip Protected Cancellation Policy” or purchase third-party travel insurance in order to protect your investment in case of unforeseen events affecting your travel plans.***

Rescheduling Your Tour with Us: We are happy to reschedule your tour for no additional charge up to 48 hours prior to your tour departure dependent upon availability.

Updated 7/23/24

Yellowstone National Park is a reminder that everything is connected and that its landscapes thrive through balance, diversity, and coexistence – as do all of us.

When the world feels divided, we turn to this wild place for lessons in how to move forward together.

At Yellowstone Wild, we promise to lead by example. We will choose curiosity over judgment, compassion over indifference, and connection over division — both on and off the clock.

We welcome our guests into an environment of shared discovery guided by kindness and curiosity. On our tours, we honor the backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures each guest brings, while holding firm to the expectation of respect for one another and to this place we all care for.

We believe our tours, though limited in time, have the power to establish common ground, form connections, and share experiences that bring us closer together as humans. 

Ethics, Regulations & Responsibility

Yellowstone Wild operates as a licensed Commercial Use Permit holder under the National Park Service (NPS). This means we are required to follow—and strictly enforce—all NPS rules and regulations. Beyond that, as lifelong advocates for wildlife and wild places, we uphold our own ethical wildlife-viewing and resource protection standards.

Our goal is to provide exceptional viewing and photography opportunities without negatively impacting wildlife or the natural fluctuations of ecological processes. That balance is only possible when animals are allowed to move, feed, rest, and hunt without interference, and our geologic features are allowed to function without human tampering.

While on tour with Yellowstone Wild, the following National Park Service regulations apply and are non-negotiable (subject to federal law enforcement). Please note this list is not all-inclusive. You can visit the Yellowstone National Park NPS website for a comprehensive list of all regulations:

• Maintain at least 25 yards from all wildlife
• Maintain at least 100 yards from wolves, bears, and cougars (mountain lions)
• Never approach, follow, or remain near wildlife—including birds—if your presence alters their behavior
• Vehicles must be completely pulled off the road when stopping to view wildlife or load/unload passengers
• Feeding wildlife is illegal
• In thermal areas, travel is restricted to boardwalks and designated trails only
• Throwing anything (including snow or natural objects) is prohibited and may result in fines and/or tour termination

Why These Rules Matter

Wild animals live demanding lives. The ethical responsibility of visiting Yellowstone is to ensure our presence does not add stress, risk, or hardship to theirs. Your guide is trained to read animal behavior, and if an animal shows signs of disturbance, we must increase our distance immediately.

Failure to follow a guide’s instructions—especially regarding wildlife proximity—may result in the immediate termination of your tour, at the guide’s discretion.

Special care must be taken around animals feeding on or resting near carcasses. Approaching these areas can displace animals from critical food sources and may put people at serious risk. Carcasses are often defended by predators and scavenged by multiple species, including grizzly bears. Approaching such areas is strictly prohibited.

Finally, we share this park with other visitors, researchers, and permanent employees. Quiet, respectful behavior ensures the best possible experience for everyone and helps preserve the integrity of wildlife observations and continued preservation of our sensitive thermal features, waterways, and all pristine areas.

At Yellowstone Wild, ethical behavior is an expectation. Meeting these expectations is the foundation of meaningful, safe, and responsible wildlife and wilderness experiences.

If you are visiting Yellowstone to celebrate an important milestone in your life (anniversary, birthday, honeymoon or graduation) or are simply on a much-needed family trip, our Adventure Portrait Photography Package is designed to capture your special moment. Our partner, Jess, at Chocolate Moose Images specializes in classic portraits as well as highly candid photographs in and around Yellowstone National Park. Jess has a special gift for capturing genuine moments that vividly portray personality and emotion – and in a setting like Yellowstone, personality and emotion shine bright!

Jess will visit with you before your tour to develop a rapport, share ideas with one another and discuss how her photo shoot works. She will then join us on your tour out in the wilds of Yellowstone. She works discretely to capture meaningful moments of you exploring Yellowstone, while also keeping her trained eye open for the perfect Yellowstone-themed backdrop for your portraits. If you have more specific questions about how to customize this for your adventure, please reach out to Jess.

Cost: $789 including a planning session on the phone as well as 3-4 hours on tour, candidly capturing your experience. Additional ‘formal’ and more posed session available as an add-on, scheduled for a different time than the tour.

Final products: Around 30 low resolution images delivered in an online gallery. Printing services are available and highly encouraged. High resolution files also available.