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 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 $440.00 for 1 – 4
people.
Rates are subject to change to cover operating costs.
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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.