Most people would feel like they had missed something if their vacation package did not include at least a day in Yellowstone National Park. Thus our vacation packages are designed to offer you the option to see as much or as little of the Park as you desire.
For this part of your vacation package you will join the 3000 daily visitors as you enter the Park via West Yellowstone. Your route pass through burned out forests, the leavings of the 1988 fire but soon the Madison River comes alongside. A famous eagles nest will catch your eye a few miles before the valley opens to reveal beautiful views of Mount Jackson and Mount Hayden. You should be spotting your first elk and bison shortly.
Turning north your route will follow the Gibbon River to Norris Geyser Basin. Heading north from Norris Geyser Basin, you will have a chance to examine the 'Hoodoos', or explore Sheepeater Cliff's natural amphitheater, or walk the 1925 massonary steps to Apollinaris Spring, or marvel in the light refracting off Obsidian Cliff or puruse the Cliff's exhibit in a unique gazebo built from columns of quarried volcanic rock in 1931.
Next stop Mammoth Hotsprings. Here you can stare into the face of 'The Howler'. Take the little side trail which leads to Canary Hotsprings - once extremely yellow it is the most active hotspring today at Mammoth. Wonder at the water and chemicals which built this magnificent multi-layered terrace. Watch the elk nap where boiling water used to flow. Stop to visit an old stone chapel built in 1913. Gaze in awe at the painted and stained glass windows which depict Old Faithful, Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, and the area's flora and fauna.
From here your route crosses Sheepeater Canyon Bridge 200 feet over the Gardner River. A little while later a short walk will take you to Wraith Falls. A few more miles and you can drink in the 120 degree panaramic views near Hell-Roaring Creek and even follow sections of the old Bannock trail. Then stop for a look at the lone surviving petrified tree.
A short side trip into the Lamar Valley gives you a chance to spot a wolf or catch a glimpse of a black bear near in Tower Junction. Turning south you will drive past basalt columns which dwarf your car. Tower Falls, although crowded, is worth the short walk. Heading on, your vehicle will cross over the highest paved point in Yellowstone National Park. Keep your eyes pealed for the bears which often frequent the area. Dropping back down to the valley floor watch the Washburn hotsprings panorama unfold before your eyes.
The next 11 miles you can sit back and relax, but don't relax too much. Keep an out for wildlife as you traverse this short section to Norris Junction.
The final leg of your journey begins with a stop at the Norris Geyser Basin. This basin is generally both hotter and more acidic than other Yellowstone geyser basins. It reflects the underground forces by constantly changing. Additionally, some special springs exist in this basin. One deposits a material which may be a previously unknown form of arsenic sulfide. And, if you happen to visit in mid-July to early autumn, you may witness some unique disturbances which occur seasonally in this incredible basin.
Of course this is only the north loop. For more spectacular scenery and world famous Old Faithful, you'll have to spend another day traversing the more heavily traveled (but worth every minute) south loop.
Don't put your camera away, you'll be passing back through the Madison River meadows soon. You'll surely see more wildlife there. Then it's back to West Yellowstone and the lovely drive back over the Continental Drive - twice - to your comfortable home-base at Elk Lake Resort.
Let someone else hassle with the traffic (and make sure you see the 'best' spots). Our Experience Montana Package makes it a reasonable option.
$85 per person / per day