Yellowstone Yearround Adventures




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.

Robin Lawrence Poses
Westerville, Ohio

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Yellowstone Yearround Adventures | Rick & Carol Keats | P.O. Box 105, Gardiner, Montana 59030 | Phone: 406-223-2601

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