Yellowstone Tours

1. Shoshone Geyser Basin

Old Faithful Geyser may get all the fanfare, but there are nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone, and it’s well worth exploring all your options. Shoshone is the largest backcountry thermal basin in the park, boasting one of the highest concentrations of geysers in the world. Instead of boardwalks and crowds of people, you can see the bubbling, steaming, and boiling landscape in all of its natural glory. If you’re willing to take a longer hike into the backcountry, you’ll be rewarded with a priceless experience packed with thermal geysers, mountain views, and one of the most unspoiled places on the planet.

2. Grand Prismatic Spring

Discovered in the 1800s, Grand Prismatic Spring is one of America’s most beautiful and most photographed sites. At 160 feet deep, this literal hotspot is the largest hot spring in the country, but it’s not just its immense size that makes it worthy of a visit. The boiling spring takes its name from the sequence of its colors, which follow the same as a rainbow—deep rich blues surrounded by vivid rings of color that range from green to orange. Grand Prismatic’s distinctive, otherworldly colors make it the star of the Midway Geyser Basin and an unmissable moment of any Yellowstone vacation.

3. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Did you know there’s a Grand Canyon in Yellowstone? It might not be as large as the other Grand Canyon, but it’s just as impressive with sweeping colorful walls and thundering waterfalls. Once a geyser basin, the canyon stretches over 20 miles and is up to 1,200 feet deep in some places with beautiful rock walls of dusty pinks and yellows. There are several fantastic hiking trails to outlook points on both the North and South rims, where you’ll enjoy stunning vistas against the backdrop of the mighty Lower Yellowstone Falls as they plunge over 300 feet into the heart of the canyon.

4. Lamar Valley

Yellowstone is absolute nirvana for wildlife watchers, and Lamar Valley is a prime location to see herds bison and other wildlife. Known as the Serengeti of North America, the rolling Savanna-like plains are usually dotted with hundreds, sometimes thousands, wild bison roaming free across the lush green grasses of this river valley. Lamar Valley’s remote location means less human traffic, so you have a greater chance of spotting elk, pronghorn antelopes, grizzlies, and even, on occasion, the elusive wolf packs that so many visitors hope to glimpse.

5. Rafting on Snake River

If you’re looking for a little adventure to spice up your Yellowstone vacation, nothing beats a whitewater rafting adventure on Snake River. While you can’t raft in Yellowstone, the waters around the park offer something for everyone—from thrilling rock-and-roll rapids to lazy flowing stretches. Of course, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing and unique views of the surrounding mountain ranges as you paddle. Ask your Travel Expert for more information on how to book! Less