We toured Lamar Valley and other wildlife locations on a full day family tour with Yellowstone Wild. Our guide was Frank. I do not know if Frank wants to be known as the one that was good with kids, but he was really fantastic. I had researched a number of tours and Yellowstone Wild came up as family friendly and available. We stayed in W. Yellowstone, so we had to get up about 4:30 to drive to Mammoth Cave before the tour started. We were still on Eastern Time, so it did not feel TOO early. And it was worth it. Every penny.
Our trip out west was a long trip with a lot of details. It was so nice to not to have to figure out the wildlife viewing piece to Yellowstone. Yellowstone Wild provided excellent viewing scopes and binoculars, neither of which we already owned or wanted to carry around. I do not know if your kids do this, but they listen significantly more intently to people who are not me. I am confident they learned WAY more on this tour than if I had said the exact same words out loud.
We met Frank at Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge before the sun was up. It was just our family and Frank in his company’s SUV, so the whole tour was tailored to us. He started driving east immediately. Just before turning up American Valley, he did a Uturn just in time to see a black bear crossing the street right in front of us. Suddenly, we were all awake! We then returned to our original route straight out to Lamar Valley.
The sun came up on the valley and everything was beautiful. Seeing the sun pick up the mountain sides, the tree tops, the plants, was symphonic.
There were plenty of other folks already up and ready with their scopes pointed at the hillsides. They would point and pick up their binoculars and share. Frank was really on the spot, parking, setting up the scopes at different levels so each of us could see. We saw many animals that day: black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, mountain goats, and bison. So. Many. Bison. Hot tip: if you are coming to Yellowstone to see bison, you do not need a tour. There are lots. Everywhere. They are nice to see, but no special effort seems necessary.
Frank contacted folks and asked around to find wildlife. He did a great job at making it seem effortless for him, but I have no doubt that he worked hard that day. He has one piece of advice that I am keen to pass along: do not be a box checker. If you go see wildlife at Yellowstone, stay and watch for a while. It is fascinating. If you simply want to see animals to say you did, your local zoo can help.
We had a great day. Thank you, Frank!
The tour is perhaps out of reach for some folks as it is expensive. My best advice: get out there EARLY, pack you patience, and ask folks who are already stopped what they are looking at (most people are happy to share). Binoculars or a scope are required. Please review all safety requirements from the Rangers and strictly observe the spacing requirements for viewing wild life. Humans are injured annually in usually preventable circumstances. Leave no trace, folks.
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