Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone: Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful
Description
This Active Van Tour is a great way to see Yellowstone National Park beginning in the fun gateway town of West Yellowstone. The early morning part of the tour explores wildlife haunts in the famous Shadow Canyon of the Madison River. This area is home to bear and elk. Later we hike to an overlook of the famous Grand Prismatic Hot Springs. If you don't feel like walking we find a safe, scenic spot for you to wait for the group. Next we explore the Old Faithful area, including some time at the famous Old Faithful Inn. We continue over the continental divide and down to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on Yellowstone Lake for a view of some spectacular lakeside thermal pools. Continuing our drive along Yellowstone Lake we arrive at the Mud Volcano near the Hayden Valley. See bison roam along the Yellowstone River. Finally, we arrive at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to view the canyon and the amazing Lower Falls at Artist Point. The day concludes back at West Yellowstone.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Drive along the Madison River and watch wildlife in the early morning light.
Hike to a viewpoint of the Grand Prismatic Hot Springs. This hike is along an old stagecoach road before climbing 200 feet to see one of the largest hot springs on earth. We arrive early to beat the heat and crowds. This is a must see while visiting Yellowstone!
We watch Old Faithful erupt near the historic Old Faithful Inn. If time permits, you can explore the Inn or the Visitor Center to learn more about Yellowstone National Park. Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes.
We take a short stop at the Continental Divide, where water drains to the Gulf and Pacific Ocean.
This beautiful geyser basin along the shores of Yellowstone Lake has hot springs, geysers, and mud pots. We hike a boardwalk trail to see the Fishing Cone and Black Pool.
We take a short stroll to the Mud Volcano and Dragon's Mouth. Listen to the super volcano breath with powerful mud churning and steam billowing out.
We stop for wildlife viewing in one of Yellowstone's most iconic valleys. This valley is home to more bears than anywhere else in the Park. We sometimes spot wolves, elk, and trumpeter swans along the Yellowstone River.
Stop to see stunning views of the wonderous colors and thundering falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. We take a short break at Artist Point to see the 308 foot Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will meet you at the lobby of any hotel in West Yellowstone or any vacation rental located within the boundaries of West Yellowstone. For travelers who are staying outside of West Yellowstone, we meet at the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center. Please do not pick a hotel where you are not staying as your meeting point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(412)
What a wonderful experience with Parker on this tour through Yellowstone !! Excellent knowledge of the park and all the stops we made. We enjoyed lunch Parker prepared and all the stories he shared! If you are going to take a tour ask for Parker !
Our tour guide, Allison, was very knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating. It was a great way to hit all of the must-sees!
Parker was an excellent tour guide. I highly recommend the tour and the guide.
Fantastic day and Conor was an excellent guide, he was knowledgeable, informative and courteous and clearly loves his job. We originally planned to go solo through the park but are so pleased we booked the tour instead.
Trip was fantastic - even better than we thought! Our guide Conor was very knowledgeable, friendly, and so helpful. We would highly recommend this tour!
Our family of five had an out-of-this-world experience on our 8-hour tour with Max and Gillian. We arrived at our pick-up spot (West Yellowstone Visitor’s Center) at 6:45am and our guides were already there. We used the restrooms and climbed aboard the 12-passenger van, and it turns out, it was just our family! We got so lucky! Max and Gillian were kind and funny and packed with knowledge. Any questions we had were answered, and we learned so much more than we ever expected. Both guides had lots of great stories and were knowledgeable about the animals, park history, and the unique features of Yellowstone. They both have a true passion for the outdoors and the preservation of Yellowstone. They provided coffee, hot chocolate, lots of snacks, and a wonderful lunch. They even had toilet paper when one of the “Class B” toilets didn’t have it…they’re truly prepared! You will be well taken care of by Yellowstone Hiking Guides! Can’t believe all the ground we covered and all of the wildlife we saw in eight hours! Thank you, Max and Gillian!!!
Thank you Parker for an amazing day at Yellowstone. We spent a full day traveling to all the best places in the park. Parker's knowledge of the park was incredible. We really had a terrific time and will recommend this tour to our family and friends.
Everything was perfect for our first trip to Yellowstone. Chase was very knowledgeable & so accommodating. We literally relaxed and enjoyed the day. It was beautiful!
We loved the smaller van and group—super important when you are on an all day trip! Our guide Allison was so amazing. She was knowledge and passionate and enthusiastic every minute of the trip. She attitude and stories made for a great day. I’d definitely recommend and request her again!!
Allison was an amazing guide! I’ve been to Yellowstone four times and she was, by far, the most enthusiastic and passionate guide we’ve had! It is wonderful to travel with someone who loves what they do and works hard to share the experience with you. Allison was very knowledgeable and accommodating. I would definitely recommend her and request her for my next trip!
