• Roosevelt Arch - The Roosevelt Arch is a rustic triumphal arch located at the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana, USA. Built under the supervision of the US Army at Fort Yellowstone, its cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, who was vacationing in the area at the time. The top of the arch features an inscription from the Organic Act of 1872, which established Yellowstone, reading: “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.” Constructed from hexagonal blocks of locally quarried columnar basalt, the arch stands 52 feet tall. Two towers or buttresses flank the main archway, each with pedestrian passages and heavy wooden doors. Yellowstone, being the first national park in the world, was thought by local citizens to deserve a grand entrance befitting its status.

• Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces - An early visitor once described Mammoth Hot Springs as “No human architect ever designed such intricate fountains as these. The water trickles over the edges from one to another, blending them together with the effect of a frozen waterfall.” Initially, the hot springs were a commercial attraction for those seeking relief from ailments in the mineral waters. Today, to protect these unique and delicate features, soaking in the hot springs is prohibited. Mammoth Hot Springs are a surface expression of the deep magmatic forces at work in Yellowstone. Although these springs lie outside the Yellowstone Caldera boundary, scientists believe the heat from the hot springs originates from the same magmatic system that powers other Yellowstone hydrothermal areas. A large fault system between Norris Geyser Basin and Mammoth may allow thermal water to flow between the two. Additionally, multiple basalt eruptions have occurred in this area, possibly serving as a heat source for the Mammoth area.

• Fort Yellowstone Historic District - The Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District holds statewide significance as the administrative and concession headquarters of the largest national park in Wyoming. Park managers here developed important conservation policies that greatly influenced the early National Park Service. The district is also notable for its architecture, which includes Colonial Revival, Rustic, Prairie, Art Moderne, French Renaissance, and English Tudor styles. The district contains 189 buildings, 2 sites (Mammoth Hot Springs Campground and Fort Yellowstone Parade Ground), and 1 object (flagpole). Of these, 35 buildings contribute to the significance of the overlapping Fort Yellowstone National Landmark, as does one structure (Fort Yellowstone Powerhouse) and one site (Fort Yellowstone Parade Ground). These structures date back to the 1890s and early 1900s when the US Army administered the park, reflecting the layout and architecture of a typical western army fort of the nineteenth century.

• Lamar Valley - Lamar Valley is one of the nation’s premier wildlife watching destinations! Elk, bison, deer, and pronghorn thrive in the grasslands of this area, known as the northern range. In fact, some of the largest wild herds of bison and elk in North America are found here. The northern range is critical winter habitat for these large animals, which in turn provide food for several packs of wolves. Coyotes are also common, and occasional bobcat, cougar, or red fox are reported.

• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone stretches approximately 20 miles, from the Upper Falls to the Tower Fall area. The canyon was formed by erosion as the Yellowstone River flowed over progressively softer, less resistant rock. The 109-foot (33.2-m) Upper Falls is upstream of the Lower Falls and can be seen from the Brink of the Upper Falls Trail and from Upper Falls Viewpoints. The 308-foot (93.9-m) Lower Falls can be seen from Lookout Point, Red Rock Point, Artist Point, Brink of the Lower Falls Trail, and from various points on the South Rim Trail. The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gallons (240,374 l)/second at peak runoff in the spring to 5,000 gallons (18,927 l)/second in the autumn.

• Lower Yellowstone River Falls - The 109-foot (33.2-m) Upper Falls is upstream of the Lower Falls and can be seen from the Brink of the Upper Falls Trail and from Upper Falls Viewpoints. The 308-foot (93.9-m) Lower Falls can be seen from Lookout Point, Red Rock Point, Artist Point, Brink of the Lower Falls Trail, and from various points on the South Rim Trail. The volume of water flowing over the falls can vary from 63,500 gallons (240,374 l)/second at peak runoff in the spring to 5,000 gallons (18,927 l)/second in the autumn.

• Hayden Valley - Hayden Valley is an excellent location for wildlife viewing. Grizzly bears may be seen in the spring and early summer preying upon newborn bison and elk calves. Bison are often seen from spring through the fall rut. Coyotes and foxes are frequently spotted in the valley. Ducks, geese, and American white pelicans cruise the river, while a variety of shorebirds may be seen in the mudflats at Alum Creek. Keep an eye out for bald eagles, northern harriers, and sandhill cranes.

• Yellowstone Lake - Situated at 7,733 feet above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-elevation lake (above 7,000 feet) in North America. It is approximately 20 miles long and 14 miles wide, with 141 miles of shoreline and a surface area of 132 square miles. Yellowstone Lake freezes over completely every winter in late December or early January, with ice thicknesses varying from a few inches to more than two feet. The lake usually thaws in late May or early June. Yellowstone Lake remains cold year-round, with an average water temperature of 41°F. Yellowstone Lake has the largest population of wild cutthroat trout in North America. How a Pacific Ocean fish got to a lake that drains to the Atlantic puzzled experts for years. Scientists now believe that Yellowstone Lake once drained to the Pacific Ocean via the Snake River, and that fish swam across the Continental Divide at Two Ocean Pass.

• Old Faithful - Watching Old Faithful Geyser erupt is a cherished tradition at Yellowstone National Park. Visitors from around the globe have come to witness this famous geyser. While the park’s wildlife and scenery are well-known today, it was the unique thermal features like Old Faithful Geyser that inspired the establishment of Yellowstone as the world’s first national park in 1872. Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone and one of six that park rangers currently predict. It is rare to predict geyser eruptions with regularity, and Old Faithful has lived up to its name, only lengthening the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the last 30 years. Thermal features change constantly, and it is possible Old Faithful may stop erupting someday. Geysers and other thermal features are evidence of ongoing volcanic activity beneath the surface, and change is part of this natural system.

• Old Faithful Inn - The Old Faithful Inn was designed by Robert C. Reamer, who wanted the asymmetry of the building to reflect the chaos of nature. It was constructed during the winter of 1903–1904. The Old Faithful Inn is one of the few remaining log hotels in the United States. It is a masterpiece of rustic architecture in its stylized design and fine craftsmanship. Its influence on American architecture, particularly park architecture, was immeasurable. The building is a rustic log and wood-frame structure with gigantic proportions: nearly 700 feet (213 m) in length and seven stories high. The lobby of the hotel features a 65-foot (20-m) ceiling, a massive rhyolite fireplace, and railings made of contorted lodgepole pine. Stand in the lobby and look up at the exposed structure, or walk up a gnarled log staircase to one of the balconies. Wings were added to the hotel in 1915 and 1927, and today there are 327 rooms available to guests in this National Historic Landmark.

• Madison River - The Madison River, a tributary of the Missouri River, begins in Yellowstone National Park at the confluence of the Firehole and Gibbon rivers. This site is called Madison Junction. Both the Firehole and Gibbon rivers are thermally influenced by contributions from geothermal features. The Madison River travels 19 miles (31 km) through Yellowstone National Park before crossing the park boundary and flowing into Hebgen Lake towards Ennis, Montana. It continues northwest from there and meets the Jefferson and Gallatin rivers to form the Missouri River. The Madison River is a renowned recreation destination for fishing, birding, and wildlife viewing. There is a park legend which tells of explorers camping here in 1870 and deciding Yellowstone should be set aside as a national park. It is a wonderful story, but it isn’t true. Explorers did camp at the junction in 1870, but they apparently did not discuss the national park idea.

• Grand Prismatic Spring - Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone’s largest hot spring, is 200-330 feet in diameter and more than 121 feet deep. Hot springs are the most common hydrothermal features in Yellowstone. Their plumbing has no constrictions. Superheated water cools as it reaches the surface, sinks, and is replaced by hotter water from below. This circulation prevents water from reaching the temperature needed to set off an eruption. Hydrothermal features are also habitats in which microscopic organisms survive and thrive. They are called thermophiles: “thermo” for heat and “phile” for lover. Although they are too small to be seen with the naked eye, trillions are grouped together and appear as masses of color. They are nourished by energy and chemical building blocks. Colorless and yellow thermophiles grow in the hottest water. Orange, brown, and green thermophiles grow in cooler waters.

• Firehole Canyon Drive - This 2-mile, one-way road off the Grand Loop south of Madison is nestled against the caldera walls and offers excellent viewing opportunities for waterfalls, rapids, and wildlife.

• Gibbon Falls - Gibbon Falls drops 84 feet (25.6 m) over a remnant of the Yellowstone caldera rim. The caldera was created by a massive volcanic eruption approximately 631,000 years ago. The flow at the falls varies greatly throughout the year. During the spring snowmelt, the Gibbon River carries much more water than it will later in the summer, and this season provides the most impressive views of the falls. However, due to weather and other variables, this falls is always worth a look.

• Sheepeater Cliffs - Sheepeater Cliff is composed of columnar basalt deposited by lava flows roughly 500,000 years ago. The Gardner River flows through the valley, exposing the flow and forming the cliff. The basalt of Sheepeater Cliff is known as columnar basalt due to the hexagonal fracture lines that formed in the basalt when it cooled. The cliffs are noted as a textbook example of a basaltic flow with well-defined joints and hexagonal columns. They were named after a band of Eastern Shoshone known as Tukuaduka (sheep eaters). Many of the exposed cliffs are located along a steep, inaccessible canyon cut by the Gardner near Bunsen Peak, but some of the cliffs located just off the Grand Loop Road can be reached by car.

• Private transportation
• Bottled water
• Lunch
• Snacks

• Entrance fees

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Yellowstone’s Summer Season runs from May 1 - October 31

• All participants must be at least 16 years of age without exception
• We will be driving long distances between locations, travel time will vary depending on traffic, conditions, weather.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.