The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Waterfalls and Geysers

Quick Details

Duration: 8-10 hours
Start Time: Varies by pickup location - See drop down menu below for specifics
Meeting Locations: Gardiner, MT; Mammoth Hot Springs; Norris Geyser Basin; Canyon Visitor Center; Tower Junction
Alternative Meeting Locations: Sage Lodge or Chico Hot Springs (extra $150)
Ages: Ages 5+
Activity Level: Easy to moderate based in your interests and abilities

Tour Highlights:

Experience the magic of Yellowstone’s iconic hydrothermal features, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Hayden Valley
Your own local naturalist guide
Private and customizable tour – just your group!
Activity level based on your interests and abilities
High quality optics for all
Breakfast and lunch – picnic style
Safe, fun and educational

Explore a landscape carved by glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, enormous lakes, and thermal rumblings!

On this full-day private tour, you’ll discover evidence of massive forces of nature while visiting some popular attractions as well as hidden gems not often seen by the masses. Along the way, it is certainly possible to encounter any number of wild animals that call Yellowstone home, so plan on a day full of unexpected surprises!

We’ll beat the crowds for an early morning walk to explore the fascinating and complex Norris Geyser Basin. Home to Steamboat Geyser, the world’s tallest erupting geyser, Norris presents a scene reminiscent of another planet. With its weathered rhyolite deposits, hissing steam vents and porcelain-colored hot pools, this area represents Yellowstone’s hottest, most acidic, and continually changing thermal area.

The rest of the day includes short walks or hikes that take us away from the crowds to best explore, understand, and connect with the majestic waterfalls, deeply carved chasms, and “painted” rocks in Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. The canyon, of which an 1871 painting was instrumental in securing the establishment of Yellowstone, is a water-carved masterpiece formed through the incredible forces of both heat and ice.

The mighty Yellowstone River dominates the eastern side of the park, and remains a powerful symbol of raw, untamed wild beauty. Beginning just south of the park and flowing freely for 671 miles to its confluence with the Missouri River, it remains the longest undammed river in the Lower 48! Throughout its history this magnificent waterway has provided a critical lifeline for the animals, flora, and human inhabitants of this region.

If time and interest allows, we’ll explore Hayden Valley where the pristine Yellowstone River slowly winds timelessly through gently rolling meadows. Ancient glacial lakes laid the perfect foundation for dense grasses, sedges, and forbs making it prime habitat for our grazing animals. While this tour is not primarily wildlife focused, it is common to spot herds of bison and elk taking advantage of the rich foraging possibilities here. There is also a chance to see wolves, grizzly bears, coyotes, fox, and birds of prey, and we will always take advantage of any wildlife sightings we may come across.

The first human inhabitants to benefit from Yellowstone’s bounty can be dated to over 11,000 years ago. It should be no surprise that the otherworldly thermal features inspired a sense of wonder and awe, as they do today, inspiring deep cultural lore such as the fascinating creation story that was borne out of the thermal feature now called Dragon’s Mouth!

Your tour experience may include stops at:

Norris Geyser Basin – Home of the world’s tallest active geyser and otherworldly landscapes of porcelain pools and hissing steam vents.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Geologic wonder, grandeur, and jaw-dropping colors of the Grand Canyon and its magnificent waterfalls.
Waterfalls – Our favorite views of the 109’ Upper Falls, 308’ Lower Falls and, time permitting, a peek at the lesser-known but no less spectacular 129’ Crystal Falls.
Hayden Valley – The Yellowstone River winds through this picturesque mountain valley with abundant wildlife, giving the ultimate sense of “big sky” country.
Mud Volcano and the Dragon’s Mouth – A cave that belches pungent sulphurous steam and bubbling mud with explosive history.

Park Rules and the Yellowstone Wild Code of Ethics

As a licensed Commercial Use Permit holder with Yellowstone National Park, we must follow all park rules and regulations. Additionally, as life-long proponents of wildlife and wild places, we will also follow our own ethical wildlife viewing practices. We will take this opportunity to teach you about how we can have the very best viewing and photography opportunities possible without having negative impacts on wildlife by respecting the animals’ space and movements as they go about their lives.

While on tour with Yellowstone Wild LLC, we will observe the following park rules (subject to law
enforcement):

Keep at least 25 yards from all wildlife
Keep at least 100 yards from wolves and bears
Avoid remaining near or approaching wildlife, including birds, at any distance that disturbs or displaces
the animal.

It is our ethical responsibility as visitors to the park to make sure that our actions do not inflict undue stress or hardship upon the animals that we are observing. Wild animals in a natural setting do not have easy lives, and the last thing we want to do is make their lives any more difficult. Your guide is an expert at reading animal behavior, and the moment that our presence is bothering an animal, we MUST back off until we are no longer disturbing its natural behavior. Failure to promptly respond to your guide’s instructions to back away from wildlife may result in the termination of your tour, subject to the discretion of your guide.

This is where our optics prove invaluable. We use only the finest quality Swarovski and Vortex spotting scopes so that we can thoroughly enjoy our wildlife sightings at a distance that allows the animals to carry on about their business, as if we were not there. In fact, much of the time they probably don’t know we are there, yet our high powered and crystal clear optics give us an up-close and personal view. Furthermore, we must be mindful of any animal feeding on or resting near a carcass. Approaching such an area may drive the animal(s) away and deprive them of valuable food. It is important to remember that a carcass is regularly scavenged upon by any number of other animals, including grizzly bears, who will violently defend such a food source. Approaching such an area is strictly prohibited and can seriously put people and wildlife in danger. Finally, it is important to be mindful of the other park visitors and biologists who may also be observing the same animals. We promote quiet, respectful behavior to maximize everyone’s wild Yellowstone experience.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Waterfalls and Geysers

Tour Highlights:

Explore a landscape carved by glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, enormous lakes, and thermal rumblings!

Your tour experience may include stops at:

Your Tour Includes:

What to Bring

Park Rules and the Yellowstone Wild Code of Ethics

SEE WHAT OUR GUESTS ARE SAYING!