|
 Gardiner, Montana is the
perfect spot to start your Yellowstone Wildlife Tour.
Armed with binoculars and spotting scopes we will take
you to the northern range of Yellowstone on a wildlife
safari. Often called the Serengeti of North America the
Lamar Valley is home to the most numerous and diverse
herds of large animals in the area.
Our adventures don’t stop when the snow flies. Let us
take you on a Winter Wildlife Tour. The North
Entrance to Yellowstone National Park is open year-round
for road based touring. When snow comes to Yellowstone
the Lamar Valley area is a winter home for wildlife.
Large herds of bison and elk congregate
along the Lamar River and big horn sheep graze
atop the ridges. January through March is prime time for
watching gray wolves in this area. Our Winter
Wildlife Tours leave before daybreak to take advantage
of the most active time for wildlife. Listening to a
wolf howl before daylight is an experience not soon
forgotten. Pronghorn and mule deer can be
seen near Gardiner, they come to the low country for
winter.
 Spring Wildlife Tours provide the opportunity for
you to see the bears as they emerge from their winter
sleep. The large male grizzlies usually come out
first and they are hungry. It is not unusual to see them
challenge a pack of wolves and take away their
hard-earned meal of an elk or bison. Eagles and
owls nest in the spring and the wolves are
preparing to den before the birth of their pups. The big
bull elk have lost their majestic antlers. Black and
grizzly bears usually start appearing with their cubs in
April. May brings the birth of bison calves, the elk
start calving in May.
Early Summer Wildlife Touring gives you the
opportunity to watch all of the different species of
wildlife found in Yellowstone; black and grizzly
bears, coyotes, gray wolves, elk, bison, pronghorn
antelope, bighorn sheep, deer and maybe even
moose or mountain goats. The weather is still
generally cool and the roads are
not crowded. The
wetlands along the river are home to many species of
birds and water fowl; we will look for bald and
golden eagles, hawks and view the nest
sights of osprey, owls and sandhill
cranes. Wildlife tours during the hot summer months
of July and August mean rising at daybreak and hoping to
catch a glimpse of
 the animals before they move into the
cool shade of the timber. Most of the wildlife has moved
into the high country to escape the heat, we can usually
find bears on the high mountain slopes and elk, bison
and big horn along the timberline. The osprey are
teaching their young to fly, birds and wildflowers are
plentiful.
During Fall Wildlife Tours you will find bison
and elk in rut. The big bulls challenge each other for
the right to be king of their harem of cows. Listening
to the bugle of elk and watching these massive animals
charge and fight each other is exciting. The bears will
be preparing to den; they eat constantly putting on
enough weight to survive their long winter nap. The
blooms of the wildflowers have faded and are replaced by
the aspen and underlying shrubs turning bright colors.
Birds will be flocking for migration to warmer climates,
late fall will bring snow and the return of the
trumpeter swans to the interior river valleys.
 We provide a spotting scope and binoculars for your use.
Wildlife is best observed from a distance so we don't
disturb them; all of their energy is needed to help them
survive in Yellowstone. Remember to bring your camera
and dress in layers, you can shed clothes as the day
warms.
It is best to start Wildlife Tours early in the morning.
Daybreak is the most active time of the day for
wildlife. We like to leave at or before daybreak and so
we include a hot breakfast of home baked cinnamon rolls,
breakfast burritos and coffee or hot water for cocoa or
tea. Since we stay in for a full day we provide a lunch
of homemade soup and rolls during cold weather and pasta
salad and rolls during warmer months. For dessert we
always bring home baked cookies.
Rates for our Wildlife Tours start at $395.00 for 1 – 4
people.
|
We
had a great experience in Yellowstone National Park thanks to the
guidance of Rick Keats. His knowledge of the geology and animals in
the park is incredible and we would
never
have seen all we did without his guidance. Our days with him were
tailored to our interests and abilities that made for an exciting
vacation and exploration of the park.