Study Wildlife & Ecology in Yellowstone

Upon arrival in Bozeman, Montana, you will be greeted by your local guide and transferred to your hotel. 

This evening you are invited to a welcome dinner, where you will meet fellow travelers and gain valuable information to enjoy your trip. Your guide is an expert on the area and will be with you for the duration of your adventure in travel tour. Winter is a quiet time in the area, so you will have many exclusive viewing opportunities.

This morning, you will depart Bozeman to experience the awesome winter vistas of Paradise Valley. You will follow the Yellowstone River towards Yellowstone National Park with many opportunities to view wintering wildlife including pronghorn antelope, deer, hawks, eagles, bighorn sheep, elk, and bison. 

In the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to embark on a cross-country skiing tour of the area and perhaps more opportunities to view the local wildlife. Skiing will be followed by a welcome soak in the pools on the Travertine Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Later in the afternoon, you will pass through the territories of four known wolf packs living in the area. Enjoy an evening patio barbeque near their known waterhole where you may have additional opportunities to see one or more of the packs.

You will head out early today for a full day of wolf and wildlife observation in an area known as the “American Serengeti.” Dawn and dusk are the best times to see wolves active in their natural habitat. Winter is also the best time to see many of these big animals in Yellowstone’s Northern Range. You will have opportunities to spot, track, and witness the wild predators of the area.

A Yellowstone Wolf Project biologist, who is consistently in the field observing wolf behaviors, will provide an educational talk about the wolves, their habitat, and the threats to their survival.

It is also likely you will see one of the largest herds of American bison remaining in the country as you travel closer to Yellowstone National Park. You will stop near Soda Butte Creek to observe bighorn sheep and mountain goats high in the Absaroka Mountain peaks.

This morning you will board a private snow coach to explore the snowy landscapes of Yellowstone’s interior. Your guide will check with park rangers to determine the areas with the most animal activity. Most likely you will head towards Hayden Valley and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone or towards the well-known wildlife hotspot of Madison River and the Old Faithful Geyser Basin. Both areas are well-known for plentiful winter wildlife viewing.

In the afternoon, you will visit the “supervolcano” of the west, Old Faithful Geyser and the surrounding geo-thermals in the lower loop of Yellowstone National Park. Your guide will share the geology, microbiology, and volcanology of these ancient structures, which continue to have a huge environmental impact on the west today.

This morning, you will travel along the Continental Divide into Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here you will have additional opportunities to view the wildlife of the Great Plains in its natural habitat.

You will have numerous opportunities to photograph and observe these magnificent animals, as well as learn more about the fragile ecosystems of the area.

Today, you will visit the world-famous Buffalo Bill Cody Center of the West to see some of the best area-inspired artwork ever created. You will also learn of the life of the cowboy and the Native American cultures of the region.

As you travel, you will see glaciers, frozen rivers and waterfalls. But you’ll also visit historical sites as you hear tales of fur trappers and the men and women of the wild west, and see the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains in northeast Yellowstone with their glacier-carved peaks.

Today you will travel back to Bozeman through the incredibly beautiful and snow-covered mountain passes of Paradise Valley. You may have opportunities to observe more wildlife along the way as you stop at various viewpoints.

Enjoy a farewell dinner with your guide and a presentation by the Greater Yellowstone Conservation Coalition.

This morning you will begin your return trip home. We hope you have enjoyed your journey through this beautiful winter wonderland to see the animals of the Great Plains. Plan a return trip during the summer to see an entirely different picture of the area.