“There were so many favorite moments…how excited the kids were when we saw the bison casually walking by during lunch…their excitement white water rafting…my daughters face when the kids were being sworn in as “Junior Rangers”.
Susan H. | Yellowstone Vacation PARTICIPANT
Yellowstone National Park is a place like no other—a breathtaking landscape filled with geysers, wildlife, and rugged beauty waiting to be explored.
Are you ready to experience the park, taking in its stunning geothermal wonders, spotting bison and bears, or exploring by hiking through some of the most scenic trails in the country?
Join us for an incredible journey into the heart of America’s first national park—and get to do it your way!
A Flexible Vacation Tailored to Your Interests…
When you plan a guided tour with Travel Montana & Yellowstone, we craft it to be what you are seeking, with the flexibility to make decisions as you go.
We will communicate with you and collaborate to plan an itinerary that suits your interests, ability levels, and your priorities for a trip to Yellowstone.
Plus, we can adapt options each day in real time so you have the freedom to make the daily experience the best it can be.
Visit the Best National Park the Very Best Way
Yellowstone is an outstanding National Park—and it is large! It encompasses 2.2 million acres, with five entrances, nine visitor centers, 900 miles of hiking trails, and 10,000 geothermal features.
So how do you plan your vacation to maximize your time and have the best experience possible? That is where we come in!
Spend four nights in or just outside the park, visiting all the highlights and even the best of the lesser-known park features. Early morning and evening drives maximize the chance of seeing wildlife, including bears, wolves, and bison. Experience a wild west vacation with a variety of fun outdoor activities to choose from.
Tour Highlights to Choose From
Choose an adventurous active trip, or opt for more relaxed days ideal for soaking in the beautiful scenery at a comfortable pace. Our goal is to provide you with an unforgettable experience tailored to your vacation style and pace.
- Park Highlights: Of course, the geothermal highlights will be included, and you get to decide how much of your itinerary you dedicate to them.
Wander the boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs, gaze upon the Grand Prismatic hot spring, spy the Morning Glory Pool, watch Old Faithful erupt and take a tour of the many smaller nearby geysers, head to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the West Thumb geothermal area with the Fishing Cone hot spring in Yellowstone Lake, and many, many, more. Kids will enjoy participating in the Junior Ranger program. - Animal Watching: Exploring the park affords the opportunity to see bison, elk, and deer. We encourage travelers to get up early to go wolf watching in the Lamar Valley, the number one place in the world to watch wolves in the wild. Or we can take an evening drive through the Hayden Valley, a good place to see grizzly bears.
- Hiking: Plan your itinerary to include zero hikes, short hikes to get a break from the crowds, or more challenging options to discover areas of the Park you would otherwise never see.
Ditch the van to hike to Mystic Falls, where the Little Firehole River drops down from the Madison Plateau. Explore the trails to Trout Lake, situated in a beautiful bowl at the base of Mount Hornaday. Discover the fascinating wildlife history of the park with a hike up Rose Creek to the pen used to reintroduce the wolves into the park in 1995. Getting on trails is one of the best ways to experience the variety that is Yellowstone! - Wild West Optional Outdoor Activities: Saunter through the open plains of the Paradise Valley on a horseback ride adventure. Experience the thrills of a white water river rafting trip. Visit a natural hot springs pool in the area for some outdoor soaking. Or, spend time at a wildlife sanctuary to see and learn about the animals not able to survive on their own.
Yellowstone is Ideal for Families
A vacation to the park is great way to spend quality time with your kids and indulge in loads of fun and entertainment—without having to manage the details. There is so much to see and do in Yellowstone that having a guide to coordinate, drive, and adapt the trip on the fly is one of the best family vacation decisions you can make.
What We Do & Why It Is So Important
- We specialize in creating unforgettable guided tours that combine breathtaking scenery, expertly curated itineraries, and the freedom to fully enjoy your adventure without the hassle of planning it.
- We take care of all the logistics and manage things during the trip including accommodations, meals, transportation, and activity planning, so you can focus on being present and making memories.
- Our professional guides lead the way and share local insights and hidden gems you might otherwise miss—you’ll benefit from their expertise and enthusiasm.
- We provide a dynamic, fun, fully-planned, and therefore stress-free travel experiences tailored to your group’s needs.
Because all of our tours are fully guided and encompass a comprehensive vacation, we don’t offer basic travel planning services such as booking lodging, transportation, or itineraries. We can adapt our set guided tours but if you’d like help planning your own vacation, your best bet is to consult a travel agent.
What Does a Yellowstone Vacation Include?
Your vacation includes hotels, most meals, ground transportation, activities, all permits and fees, and a professional guide. Sign up now for what will likely be the highlight of your year.
Book a Vacation in a few easy steps:
- Gather your friends and family (minimum of 4 people)
- Choose your dates
- Complete the Booking Form
- We’ll collaborate regarding your interests and preferred activity level for your group
- Enjoy your vacation!
We make it easy to plan your next amazing vacation.
Groups can be a family, couples traveling together, a multi-generational family reunion, a group celebrating a milestone, a company treating their employees, or anything else that deserves an amazing trip.
Our vacations are crafted to offer something for every interest and activity level. Gather your friends and family (minimum of four), choose your dates, and we’ll do the rest!
By booking a guided vacation, your Yellowstone trip will be more amazing than it would be if you were doing it on your own.
STILL NOT CONVINCED YOU NEED A FULLY-PLANNED & GUIDED TOUR?
By taking a guided tour your vacation will be even more amazing than it would be if you were on your own. Our guides are experts – not just in the outdoors – but in knowing the best restaurants, the best times and locations to view popular sights, the history of the region, and in interpersonal dynamics and creating group fun. It means you can let our team take care of every detail so you can actually relax and enjoy your vacation! Read more at: Benefits of Taking a Guided Vacation with Travel Montana >>
Travel Montana is an authorized permittee of Yellowstone National Park
Main Image Credit: Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development
Private Tour Info
Private tour prices are based on a minimum of 4 travelers, but can be arranged for as few as 3 with an extra fee.
3rd or 4th persons staying in the same room receive a 15% discount, including children aged 14 and under (staying in a room with their parent/s). Kids under the age of 2 years old are free.
Your vacation includes hotels, most meals, ground transportation, activities, all permits and fees, and a professional guide.
Private vacation groups can be a family, couples traveling together, a group of friends, a company treating their employees, or anything else that deserves an amazing trip.
Book Your Private Vacation NowDetails
- Activities: Park Highlights & Geothermal Features. Wildlife Viewing, Optional Hiking, Optional Horseback Riding & Rafting
- Duration: 5 days
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Price Per Person
4 - 5 people: $3,000
6 - 7 people: $2,800
8+ people: $2,600 - Single Supplement: $700
- Public Tour Date: n/a
Trip Highlights
- Experience the wonders of the world's first and possibly best national park
- Watch Old Faithful erupt in the evening, as we toast our day's successes
- Search for wildlife including bears, bison, and wolves on morning and evening drives
- Get off the tourist boardwalks on invigorating hikes tailored to your ability level
- Optionally choose to go river rafting or on a classic Montana horseback ride
The following is a sample itinerary of what your vacation could look like. We will craft your unique itinerary based on your group's interests and the order of activities will depend on the specific lodging selected for your trip. (This example itinerary uses Gardiner, MT as a lodging base).
DAY 1
We will meet you in Bozeman after lunch, and head out for a 90-minute drive to Gardiner, the small town serving as the northern gateway to Yellowstone. The Mammoth Hot Springs area awaits with options to wander the boardwalks admiring the beautiful colors and bubbling mud pots, take a hike up Bunsen Peak or the more moderate Beaver Ponds Trail, or begin your Yellowstone adventure at the Albright Visitor Center which features a museum and exhibits about the history of the area. Return to Gardiner for a Montana-style dinner.
DAY 2
Today’s the Grand Loop of Yellowstone day with a visit to all the major hotspots in the park, including the Grand Prismatic hot springs, lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge with time to watch Old Faithful erupt and to explore the many smaller nearby geysers. In the afternoon, continue around the loop to the West Thumb geothermal area, including the Fishing Cone hot spring in Yellowstone Lake, and on to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone for a walk to view the impressive Upper and Lower Falls. Enjoy dinner at the Canyon Lodge, a visit to the museum, and an evening drive through the Hayden Valley to spot wildlife. If you are looking to venture off the main loop, hikes to Mystic Fall or Fairy Falls can be scheduled this day.
DAY 3
Rise early today to head out in search of wolves, getting into the park when the sun rises—the best time to spot wolves being active. You could also choose to depart on a more leisurely schedule after breakfast to visit the amazing Lamar Valley, home to the largest herds of ungulates (hooved animals such as bison, elk, and deer) and the predators, the wolves, that roam near them. For an extra special experience, choose to venture on a hike to Rose Creek to look for the pen used to release the wolves reintroduced to the park in 1995, enjoying a packed picnic lunch on the trail.
DAY 4
Today, you can opt for the classic Montana experience of horseback riding, sauntering on your steed through the tranquility of Paradise Valley, exploring high mountain meadows, Absaroka Mountains views—and be sure to keep an eye out for wildlife. Or, choose to experience the thrills of white water river rafting, the perfect blend of adventure, adrenaline, and natural beauty, with expert raft guides who will ensure a safe and unforgettable trip. In the afternoon, venture on the short but steep hike to Trout Lake, situated in a beautiful bowl at the base of Mount Hornaday, home to cutthroat trout, otters, and muskrats.
DAY 5
This morning choose to get out for one more short hike to relish the Yellowstone wilderness, or we plan to visit a natural hot spring in the area for some outdoor soaking. After, it will be time to pack up and head back to Bozeman and the airport.
Book This VacationTrip Accommodations
LODGING
Your lodging will be determined by your tour dates and when you reserve. Availability is tight during the summer; the more advance time you give us, the more availability there will be. Lodges in Yellowstone National Park are rustic and simple but they offer the benefit of overnighting in the park. We often stay in a nearby gateway town such as Gardiner or West Yellowstone, which have more varied lodging choices, often with more availability and higher quality.
On this itinerary, you can also choose to include one night at Chico Hot Springs located between Bozeman and Yellowstone.
Arrival & Departure
Your guides meet you in the hip mountain town of Bozeman, Montana, right after lunch on the first day of the trip, so it may be possible for you to fly in that day and meet us at the airport. If you are driving to the area, we'll organize a convenient meeting location in Bozeman, Gardiner, or elsewhere. We’ll return to Bozeman’s airport the last afternoon of the trip, allowing you to take a late afternoon flight home, or to wherever you have left your car. Bozeman (airport code BZN) is served by many major airlines.
What's Included?
- One local Travel Montana & Yellowstone guide will accompany each trip. Additional guides added depending on group size.
- Our trip prices are based on double occupancy. You have the option to pay the single supplement to get your own room if you don’t want a roommate. If your private group has an odd number of participants, the single supplement for the person getting his/her own room becomes mandatory. You also have the choice to put three people in one room.
- All of your dinners and breakfasts are included. Gratuity for these meals is also included. In general, we leave lunches open so that you have time to explore and enjoy the local flavors en route.
- All your transportation is included once you meet your guides on the first day.
- NOT INCLUDED Beverages, desserts, lunches, gratuities to your guides, personal expenses and travel to and from the destination.
When To Travel
Old Faithful is at 7,375 feet of elevation, which affects its weather. In July and August, daytime highs average a beautiful 75 degrees at Old Faithful. It is a wonderful time to be in the park but also, by far, the most crowded. Average high temperatures are lower in April (47 degrees), May (55), June (65), September (64), and October (51) but crowds are much less. So it is a tradeoff. There is also more rain in the spring than in the fall. So if you are entirely free with your schedule, we would probably suggest the months of September (after Labor Day) and October for the best combination of weather and low crowds.
Yellowstone is also amazing during the winter months, when there are far fewer visitors. The animals congregate at lower elevations such as in the Lamar Valley, making them much more visible. And snow on the ground means we can snowshoe where we want to go. February is an ideal month to visit Yellowstone.
Shuttle Time
We get to explore the 2.2 million acres of Yellowstone National Park – and given the sheer size of the park itself, we will have to spend time shuttling from point to point. But no fear, keep your eyes peeled as we drive as we will get to see some amazing sights along the way!
Food and Lodging in Yellowstone
Spending time inside the park is a top priority – you get to explore and experience so much more by staying in or very near the heart of Yellowstone. Since it is a national park, the accommodations and food options are not going to be equal to a five-star hotel. But, we think the rustic experience just adds to the overall adventure!
Delays in Yellowstone
It is not uncommon to get stuck by one of Yellowstone's famous "Bison Jams". This is when a herd of bison has decided to cross one of the roads within the park and causes a traffic jam. Though they can be inconvenient while trying to stay on time, it is a one-of-a-kind experience that you won't find anywhere else. Additionally, July and August are Yellowstone's busiest months so the park will be crowded if you choose these months for your private vacation. Your guides try to manage this by timing the tour schedule appropriately as well as showing you lesser known (and frankly better!) vantage points for some of the biggest attractions.
Changes to Your Itinerary
While everything under “What is Included” will remain the same, the actual restaurants, hotels, and activities listed in our itineraries are subject to modifications. Changes that are out of our control are common – a restaurant closes or loses its awesome chef, a winery changes its visiting hours, a hotel gets remodeled, a road or trail undergoes construction. You are entrusting us to create an outstanding vacation for you and so it is possible we may take the liberty of making necessary changes (even at the last minute, during the guides’ scout trip) to the itinerary that will improve your overall trip experience. If there is any one experience that is going to make or break your trip, please discuss this with us in advance! We will attempt to keep our website itinerary as current as possible and communicate any major changes with you in the weeks prior to the tour.
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