FAQ

All of our tours are 100% private. All of our guides have a formal education in a scientific field related to Yellowstone and have years of experience guiding in the park. This will be an fun educational experience for your kids and group. We will get you off the beaten path and away from the touristy sites as much as possible while still seeing the iconic sites. We do not follow a script or strict time constraints. We provide high end Vortex Binoculars and spotting scopes for every passenger on our tours. Your tour will be fully customized to your groups desires, hiking abilities, and goals for the day. We give science based tours that focus on the parks ecology, geology, and history. We are constantly reading and updating so we can provide the most up to date information on the parks wildlife populations, volcano, geysers, etc. Unlike other tour companies that stick to strict time schedules/ constraints and take you only to boardwalks we will take several hikes/ walks through out the day that get you to hidden geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, and mud pots that are not easily found. If your group still has energy by the end of the day let your guide know because we will keep touring the park until your group is ready to go home! If you have something specific in mind that is not offered on other tours or on our website we will do our best to make it happen. We will safely and efficiently navigate through the park to get you back to your hotel or accommodations by 4/4:30pm but the tour can be prolonged if you are still wanting more!

Full refund up to 30 days prior to your trip (minus 3%  credit card processing fee).

If you need to cancel within 30 and 14 days prior to your trip we can offer a 50% refund.

If you need to cancel within 14 days your deposit is non-refundable. 

The gateway communities of West Yellowstone and Gardiner Montana offer the best  access to the park.  They are both located on the parks boundary and have plenty of hotels, restaurants, and shops to keep you occupied before or after your tour. Not to mention more sleep since we recommend the earliest start time possible to maximize wildlife sightings and get ahead of the crowd.

Bozeman: Bozeman is a great college town with a cute downtown.  It has plenty of fantastic restaurants and shops.  It is a 1 hour drive 17 min from the North Entrance and 1 hour 50 min drive to the west entrance.  We can offer pick up from Bozeman but only one per day.  So please call to confirm your Bozeman Pick up.  You can also meet us in West Yellowstone where our main office is located if we cannot facilitate a Bozeman pick up on your desired tour date. 

Big Sky is a nice town with the highest quality od accommodation in the region.  It has plenty of summer recreational opportunities but it is at minimum an hour drive to/ from the park boundary.  This adds up when we already have an entire day of driving in our tour vehicle inside the park boundary. If you only plan on one day in the park Big Sky is a great option. 

Island Park. Idaho:  Island Park has the longest Main Street in America that is over 40 miles long.  Therefore it is difficult for us to pick up there.  It can either be 26 min away or 1 hour.  We request that all clients staying in island park meet us in front of the Holiday Inn in WestvUellowstone.  It offers easy access to the gate and free/safe parking for the entire day.  Als there aren’t many amenities in island park.  It is likely you will want to stop at a grocery store or restaurant in West Yellowstone Immediately after our tour. 

In park locations pick ups:

*NOTE: food at the park hotels are notoriously awful.  You will be staying in a food desert.

Canyon Village: great access to Lamar and Hayden Valleys, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls.  1 hour drive to Old Faithful/ Geyser Basins .  Great place to start for early morning game drives .

Old Faithful Inn is very historic and nostalgic.  At night they a sting orchestra that plays old tunes in front of the fireplace. It offers great access to geyser basins but poor access to animal viewing areas.  For animal viewing areas such as then Hayden Valley it is a minimum hour drive.  If you book wildlife safari tour we request that you meet us at a convenient area for pick up called: Madison Junction 

Lake Hotel:  it is the oldest hotel in any national park,  Opened June 1891.  It offers decent access to wildlife viewing in Hayden Valley.  Poor access to the Lamar Valley and northern loop. As well as poor  access to the geyser basins. a $150 fee will be added on to the Lake Hotel due to the distance and time required to ick up there.

JACKSON HOLE:  We cannot under any circumstances pick up in Jackson Hole.  if you do book from Jackson Hole and we agree to meet at Grant Village there will be an additional fee of $150 added to your tour costs due to the distance and time required to ick up there.

Norris Geyser Basin, Artist Paint Pots, Mud Volcano, Grand Pristmatic boardwalk, Grand Prismatic Overlook (unless requested), West Thumb Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin, Fishing Bridge.  

The Upper Geyser Basin contains the worlds largest concentration of geysers. As well as some of the worlds most famous and predictable geysers/ hot springs.  We recommend that you spend some time walking these boardwalks. Park at Old Faithfull Inn and walk to the north towards morning glory pool.  Its a busy but incredible area to explore. 

Call this Hot Line  to get the geyser prediction times for Riverside, Grand, Daisy, and Castle geysers: (307)344-2751

We leave these areas out of our tour because we will take you to places that you would not find on your own.  The areas listed above you do not need a guide for. So we do not want to waste your time by taking your family to a place that you can easily do on your own.

Bozeman Yellowstone International (BZN) offers the most flights into the region.   It is in a great location to easily get to the towns of West Yellowstone,  Gardiner, Big Sky, Old Faithful, or Canyon Village.   If you fly into the Bozeman airport you will need a rental car.  BZN is 1 hour 50 min drive to West Yellowstone.

There is a small regional airport in West Yellowstone. There is one Delta flight from SLC per day and one United flight from Denver per day.  If you use this airport and only go on tours with us you will not need a rental car.  We can most likely offer pick up/ drop off at the airport. Please call or email to confirm.

You also fly into the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) to get to the town of West Yellowstone.  It is a 1 hour 45 min drive. 

We provide high-end vortex spotting scopes and binoculars for everyone in your group including kids binoculars. That way everyone can see wildlife up close. 

We are now proud to announce a partnership with Daniels Meats in Bozeman, MT! Each tour will come with a complimentary packet of locally made preservative free Montana beef jerky and bison sticks.  

Each tour comes with a provided picnic style lunch from a local bakery that makes all of their breads from scratch. You will get to choose from turkey, roast beef, ham, gluten free, or a vegetarian/ vegan option which is a garden salad loaded with fresh vegetables dressed with a Montana huckleberry vinaigrette on the side. All sandwiches come with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion with mustard and mayo on the side.  Your lunch will come with a large selection of chips, an organic apple, and a fresh baked cookie.  

Snacks:  We will provide a random assortment of fig bars, trail mix, dried fruit, fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, and chocolate.  Please feel free to bring along any snacks that you want.

Drinks: We will provide bottled water, sodas, sparkling waters, and juice on your tour.

Coffee:  Please brew your own cup from your hotel room or obtain from your hotel lobby.  

Breakfast:  If we are starting our tour before your hotel offers breakfast please plan ahead by going to the local grocery store and picking up items that your family enjoys in the morning. IE Bananas, yogurt, etc.

Alcohol: We can not provide alcohol for your tour.  However, feel free to bring your own beer or wine to enjoy with lunch.

Yes, our tours are 100% private and customized to your families desires and ability range. It will be just your family and friends for the entire day on your tour.

On all of tours we can see wildlife.  However, animals roam the park freely. We can not guarantee bear, wolf, moose, or the sighting of other species. There is a 99% certainty that we will see bison and elk up close on every tour. Yellowstone is a wild place, you never know what you will see. We are professionals that track the daily movements of wildlife and we do our very best to provide you with the most possible sightings on your tour.

The Best of Yellowstone tour covers many bases on Yellowstone National Park. Even though we are going to the Lamar Valley we will still see loads of wildlife. Certain times of the year we will see bears and wolves plus see all of the famous destinations in a single day. 

The Wildlife Safari goes to Yellowstones famous Lamar Valley for wildlife viewing and Mammoth Hot Springs   You will be put in the best position for animal viewing but it does not go to the geysers, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Old Faithful, Yellowstone Falls, etc. 

Park Entrance Fee is not included in the price of the tour. However, if you have an annual park pass, it will get up 4 adult members of your group into the park. Otherwise, adults are $20/day.  Children 15 and under are free.  If you have a Senior Pass, are active Military, purchased a National Parks Pass, or are in the 4th Grade you will get yourself and part of the tour group in for free.

Annual 4th Grade Pass

Cost: Free (valid for the duration of the 4th grade school year though the following summer (September-August)

Available for: U.S. 4th graders (including home-schooled and free-choice learners 10 years of age) with a valid Every Kid in a Park paper pass.  If your child is in the fourth grade, please see the below link:

www.everykidinapark.gov

Spring &Fall :

Daytime temperatures range from 30°F to the 60°F (0°C to 16°C) with overnight lows in the teens to single digits (-5°C to -20°C). Snow is common in the spring and fall with regular accumulations of 12 inches (30.5 cm) in a 24-hour period.

Summer:

Daytime temperatures are often around 70°F (21°C) and occasionally 80°F (27°C) at lower elevations. Nights are usually cool and temperatures may drop below freezing at higher elevations. Thunderstorms are common in the afternoons.

Winter:

Temperatures range from zero to 20°F (-18°C to -7°C) throughout the day. Sub-zero temperatures are common, especially at night and at higher elevations. The record low temperature is -66°F (-54°C). Snowfall is highly variable. While the average is 150 inches (381 cm) a year, it is not uncommon for higher elevations to get twice that amount.

Source: Yellowstone NPS

 Any hotel, camp ground,  or address in West Yellowstone, Big sky, Old Faithful, Bozeman, Paradise Valley, Gardiner, and certain campgrounds within the park.  

Campgrounds inside YNP: Madison Junction or Mammoth Hot springs 

Canyon Village: If you are staying in Canyon Village we request that your family meets us at Madison Junction (about a 40 min drive). If you still would prefer our guide to pick your family up even though its out of our pick up zone we can accommodate your family and provide the extra service for an additional fee of $150.  Due to the distance from the gate & starting and ending a tour from your location means that your guide has to drive an extra 2 hours minimum on an already long day.

Lake Hotel/ Fishing Bridge/ Bridger Bay Marina: If you are staying in one of these areas we request that your family meets us at Old Faithful.  If you still would prefer our guide to pick up your family up even though its out of our pick up zone we can accommodate your family and provide the extra service for an additional fee of $150.  Due to the distance from the gate & starting and ending a tour from your location means that your guide has to drive an extra 2 hours minimum on an already long day.

Island Park: We recommend that you meet us in West Yellowstone. There is zero restaurants or grocery stores in Island Park. When the tour ends it will ultimately save you time because its likely you will want to stop to grab a bite of food or groceries and we are unable to accommodate the time that would require.

Pick up times and locations vary depending on which tour and what season you are trying book.

Our pick up times vary from location to location to allow best possible tour in the park. There is fluctuation from month to month as these decisions are made on how much light is available and how busy the park is. Generally, the rule of thumb for Yellowstone is the earlier the better.  Earlier start times yield the best results for viewing wildlife and it gets us ahead of the crowds. Wildlife is the most active at sunrise.   Anywhere between 5:00am and 6:30am is the recommended starting time frame but we customize to your individual needs. We do not recommend any late starts for wildlife tours during the hot summer months.

If your family just flew in and is on East Coast time.  We can start even earlier.  Just let your guide know. 

Yellowstone offers very limited opportunities to swim or soak. High elevation lakes and rivers swollen with snowmelt make for cold water where hypothermia always presents a risk. On the other end of the spectrum, the water in hot springs can get close to boiling point. For this reason, and to protect the parks unusual thermal environments, soaking in hot springs is prohibited.

There is very little service in the park. So, put your phones away and focus your attention on this unique landscape filled with geysers, bears, wolves, bison, and the largest waterfall in the Rocky Mountains!  Yellowstone is the first place in the world to be preserved.  Americas first great idea!

Tours run rain or shine!

All of tours have several family friendly walks/ hikes built into the itinerary that lead to off the beaten path locations.  We have led over 1300+ trips and have received tremendous feedback on the hikes that we will take you on.  Just let us know if you want to do more strenuous walks or less walking.  

We will customize your tour to each groups energy level and ability range. 

Of course! We will get out of the car as much as possible to view wildlife and take many family friendly hikes to hidden areas that few other tourists seem to find.

We have a maximum of seven passengers per suburban. Note: if you have seven full sized adults it is going to be a tight fit.

Extra guests are more than welcome to follow behind us in there own car. We will be in touch via high frequency radios so they can be apart of the discussions, jokes, and fun throughout the day!

We have comfortable Chevy Suburbans that seat 7 passengers maximum.  They have comfortable heated leather seats, air conditioning, large tinted windows, a sun roof, and room to store backpacks and extra gear.

We do not stop at Grand Prismatic Spring unless requested. This is a self guided trail that you do not need guide service to accomplish and it takes up a lot of time from our tour. This a great hike that you should do before or after our tour. We can take you to many unique places in the park that are off the beaten path and away from other tourists.

We preplan to stop at all of the cleanest bathrooms with flushing toilets that can be found within the park! They are not easily found unless you know where to go. Over theirs we have found them all. We will make several stops at these locations and do our best to never use one of the hundreds of vault toilets that smell like the geothermal areas. 

We can offer you a 10% commission.  We offer a variety of tours and can customize any tour to your clients liking or yellowstone wishlist.   Feel free to book if there is an opening on our calendar to lock in your booking.  We can send commission payments via Zelle or  check.