Upper Loop Tour and Lamar Valley from West Yellowstone with Lunch
Description
This Wildlife Viewing Van Tour is a great way to see the unique animals of Yellowstone National Park. We begin 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 scope for wildlife on the shoulders of one of Yellowstone's tallest peaks, Mount Washburn. Next we explore the Lamar Valley, known as the Serengeti of North America. We will use spotting scopes to look for wolves, bears and other wildlife. Enjoy a hot drink and morning snack while watching wolves. Next we visit the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces for a short walk. If you don't feel like walking we find a safe, scenic spot for you to wait for the group near the van. Finally, we head back toward West Yellowstone stopping for additional wildlife sightings along the way. The day concludes back at West Yellowstone.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Scope for wildlife along the Madison River in the early morning light. Bears and elk frequent this valley.
Scope for wildlife on driving up Mount Washburn. This area is home to grizzly bears and elk herds.
Lamar Valley is home to more than 60 species of mammal. Known as the Serengeti of North America, we will use spotting scopes to look for bears, wolves, bison and more! This is the richest wildlife valley in Yellowstone with the largest bison herd in North America. Wolves abound throughout the valley where they were reintroduced in 1995. This valley is also home to mountain goats, moose, big horn sheep, and other rare wildlife.
We will take a short stroll on the boardwalks near the Liberty Cap thermal feature at Mammoth Hot Springs.
Scope for wildlife along the Gibbon River where elk and bison roam.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will meet at the lobby of any hotel in West Yellowstone of any or any vacation rental within the boundaries of West Yellowstone. Pick ups begin at 6AM.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(191)
The tour was awesome. My guide Tim was personable n very knowledgeable of Yellowstone. We were fortunate to see a variety of wildlife. It was extremely a great day. I highly recommend this company.
We had a great time and Parker who was our guide was very informative about things we saw through out the day. The fact that no one in the party had to drive was nice as we all gor to take in the beauty and look for animals. It was our first visit to this part of the country and it was awesome.
Tim took us out on this tour. He was fabulous full of information, educational and entertaining stories. He set up magnification on a tripod for us, which was fantastic. we were able to see Fox coyote, Osprey, blackbear mountain goats and of course bison along with fantastic visitors and travertine terraces in Mammoth. I recommend Tim with this tour group.
We completed the van tour of the Upper Loop today. Our guide, Gillian, was cordial and very inforrmative about the history and natural features of the park. We saw elk, pronghorns, and I estimate at least 200 bison. We also got great spotting scope views of an osprey nest with two young osprey in the nest and their mother in a nearby tree. The Mammoth hot springs were so unique that they seemed "other worldly". I highly recommend this tour, especially for those interested in seeing the wildlife of Lamar Valley.
Saw a lot of bison, elk and pronghorns. Would have loved to explore mammoth springs a little bit longer.
Excellent narrative from the guide. Animal activity is hit or miss. We saw many bison and print horn. Also some Elk. Bear and wolf activity was pretty silent unfortunately.
This was our first visit to Yellowstone and we were not sure where to start seeing everything we wanted to experience. After researching multiple tours and reading reviews, we chose the Upper Loop and Lamar Valley tour. It was the best decision ever. Our guide, Tim, was professional, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable and accommodating with each passenger. Tim provided background information for each stop as well as historical information about Yellowstone. We stopped multiple times to see elk, bison, pronghorns, an osprey nest, coyotes, and even a grizzly bear. Our lunch was wonderful with multiple snacks and an assortment of drinks throughout the trip. The pick-up and drop-off were simple and easy and the van was super comfortable. We wholeheartedly recommend Tim and this trip. Barbie H.
We had a great day Saw so much of the park and amazing wildlife Tim was wonderful and very informative
Guide was amazing in spotting wildlife but you will be on the van for over 4 hours driving so be aware of such.
We had a great experience. Rory was a very knowledgeable tour guide, with an immense number of facts in mind, and knowledge about the park. She did a great job and was super attentive and kind to the guests on the tour. She had prepared our van with binoculars, a spotting scope, coffee, tea, and even hot coco for the kids. Thank you!
