Depart Salt Lake City, Enter Yellowstone National Park

Depart Salt Lake City, Enter Yellowstone National Park Starting at our designated gateway hotel in Salt Lake City, we embark on a journey to Yellowstone National Park, traversing through Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Your guides will introduce Yellowstone National Park including information about the flora, fauna, and unique geology that make this one of the most unique places on the planet. Plan on exploring one of the geothermal areas today for a leisurely but exciting boardwalk hike. We’ll settle down for the evening in Gardiner, Montana. This town overlooks the Gardiner River and often gets elk and pronghorn roaming close by. Enjoy a delicious meal at a favorite local restaurant before relaxing for the night at a rustic lodge.

Wildlife Tracking in Yellowstone & Mammoth Hot Springs

For this day we’ve teamed up with our partners at Yellowstone Wildlife Guide Company for an included half-day wolf tracking adventure. We’ll meet our expert step-on guide before dawn, when wildlife is most active, and venture into Yellowstone’s wilderness equipped with high-powered spotting scopes. Typically, grizzly bears and wolves are the top of the list for visitors to want to see, and that’s their forte. In addition to these apex predators, your guides will keep a keen eye out for bison herds, bugling elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and pronghorn across the stunning valleys.

The morning’s wildlife safari will focus on either Lamar Valley or Hayden Valley, both prime locations for observing the park’s diverse wildlife. After a picnic lunch, we’ll explore the otherworldly terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs. Here you’ll walk the boardwalk system through steaming thermal features, witnessing nature’s artistry as mineral-rich waters cascade over limestone formations, creating an ever-changing palette of whites, oranges, and browns. The evening brings us back to the charming gateway town of Gardiner, Montana, where you’ll have free time and dinner on your own at one of the local establishments.

Driving Time: Local
Hiking: Distance: 1-3 miles | +/- 500 feet elevation gain | Varied Trails
Accommodation: Ridgeline Hotel or similar in Gardiner, Montana
Activity: Wolf Tracking
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Explore Hayden Valley & Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Today we’ll depart Gardiner and venture back into Yellowstone, focusing our morning on further wildlife viewing opportunities. Depending on which valley we explored during our wolf tracking adventure, we’ll likely spend time in Hayden Valley and visit the spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Here we’ll embark on a scenic 3-4 mile hike along the canyon rim to various viewpoints, including the famous Artist Point – one of the park’s most photographed vistas. From these dramatic overlooks, you’ll witness the thundering Lower Falls plunging 308 feet into the colorful canyon, where mineral-stained rocks create a stunning palette of reds, yellows, and oranges along the canyon walls.

Throughout the day, your guides will continue to seek out wildlife viewing opportunities, from herds of bison to elk, bears, and other park residents that call this area home. This evening we’ll return to Gardiner for an included dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants.

Driving Time: 3 hours (Inside the National Park)
Hiking: Distance: 3-5 miles | +/- 400 feet elevation gain | Varied Trails
Accommodation: Ridgeline Hotel or similar in Gardiner, Montana
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Old Faithful & Depart for Grand Teton National Park

This morning we’ll depart Gardiner and head south through Yellowstone to explore the world-famous geothermal areas. We’ll visit stunning features like the rainbow-hued Grand Prismatic Spring and witness the reliable eruptions of iconic Old Faithful – some of the most spectacular geothermal wonders on Earth. These fascinating areas often serve as natural gathering spots for wildlife, particularly bison who seek warmth from the rising steam during cool morning hours.

After exploring the geyser basins, we’ll continue south to Grand Teton National Park, where you’ll get your first views of one of North America’s most iconic mountains. Grand Teton towers above the valley floor at 13,776 feet. We’ll make several scenic stops as we make our way to the charming mountain town of Jackson, Wyoming. This evening you’ll be free to explore the town’s eclectic shops, local breweries, art galleries, and the famous Town Square with its distinctive arches made of shed antlers from the nearby National Elk Refuge.

Driving Time: 3 hours
Hiking: Distance: 2-5 miles | Minimal elevation gain | Varied Trails
Accommodation: Mountain Modern or similar in Jackson, Wyoming
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Grand Teton Hiking and Sightseeing, Then back to Salt Lake City