Stunning Perfection: Yellowstone in the Fall Offers Wildlife, Perfect Temperatures, and Less People!

By Emma Heller

The Madison River in on a beautiful day in Yellowstone National Park.

Spending time in Yellowstone National Park in the fall is a highlight for both visitors from out of state and locals. At Yellowstone Scenic Tours, fall is one of our favorite times of year in Yellowstone Park. Fall offers a refreshing crisp nip to the air, giving you a spring to your step to explore Yellowstone and all it has to offer. If you haven’t visited Yellowstone Park, we highly recommend a visit this September or October! We’ve created a list of just a few of the things we love about autumn in the park.

Enjoy the views of bison right from the road!

1. Wildlife viewing in Yellowstone Park is at its prime during the fall! With the bison rut or breeding season winding down at the end of August and early September, you can still see lots of activity. Bison congregate near Hayden and Lamar Valley roads, making for a memorable experience with bison just feet away from the van! 

As September and October arrive, the elk rut keeps things in the Park exciting! During elk breeding season, bull or male elk have harems of female (or cow) elk that they keep near and dear to them. A chorus of bull elk bugling can be heard during the rut. Mammoth Hot Springs offers excellent elk watching because of the lush green grass that was initially planted by the army stationed at Mammoth from 1886 to 1918 for practicing military drills. Yellowstone elk love to enjoy the grass and offer us excellent wildlife watching right in Mammoth! 

A bull elk bugling in Mammoth Hot Springs during the rut.
Photo by NPS / Addy Falgoust

The opportunities to see black and grizzly bears in Yellowstone also increase in the fall! Both types of bears are in a feeding frenzy (hyperphagia) to prepare for their long winter nap. It is typical to see bears feeding on vegetation and insects in meadows near the roads. Bears will also take advantage of the bison and elk ruts by feeding on male elk or bison injured while fighting each other. It can make for an exciting time of year with all of this animal activity!

Two young grizzly bear cubs grazing on vegetation near the road in Yellowstone Park.
Photo by Stephen Seleb

2. Autumn brings us shorter days! We know you are asking why this matters, and we owe you an explanation! While we all love the long days of summer, in July, sunrise is around 5:30 a.m., and the sun sets around 9:30 p.m. The best times for viewing wildlife in Yellowstone Park are sunrise and sunset, making for some early mornings and late nights if you are hoping to spot animals like wolves and bears mid-summer! In September and October, sunrise is around 7:00 a.m., and sunset is around 7:45 p.m. For wolf-watching or bear-watching, this means an extra hour of sleep and a cup of coffee before heading out to Lamar or Hayden Valleys.

3. We don't necessarily recommend visiting Yellowstone if you are a leaf peeper since it isn't home to many deciduous trees. However, Yellowstone's beauty is still breathtaking during the fall. You will see some quaking aspens and cottonwoods throughout the park, but Yellowstone isn't known for fall leaf colors. There are plenty of golden hues to enjoy from vegetation and the soft, welcoming light that autumn brings. Pair this with the yellows, pinks, reds, blues, and greens of the thermal areas, and it'll be a sight you'll enjoy for years to come. 

Mammoth Hot Springs on a fall day with beautiful fall colors and minimal people!
Photo by NPS/Diane Renkin

4. Autumn in Yellowstone National Park offers some of the year's best weather! Temperatures are often cooler than July and August, with temperatures in the mid-60s. Like any time of year, the weather can vary, and we've seen higher temperatures in the high 70s and even snow this time of year. You just never know!

5. Park visitation in the fall often drops starting in September. Popular spots like Old Faithful, Artists Point, and geyser basins become less crowded and easier to navigate. Families and students are back in school, easing the visitation numbers.

Have we convinced you yet to visit Yellowstone this fall or in the future?! If we have, we highly recommend joining us for one or multiple days. If our testimonials page doesn’t give you enough reason to book a tour with us, below are a few other reasons why a Yellowstone day tour with Yellowstone Scenic Tours is the best choice for your visit to the park!

1. Our team at Yellowstone Scenic Tours is proud to be led by a group of expert guides, each with years of experience in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Their wealth of knowledge and passion for the park ensures that your experience will be both educational and enjoyable.

2. One of the many benefits of our tours is the freedom from the stress of driving and navigating through Yellowstone. We handle all the logistics, allowing you to simply sit back, relax, and fully immerse yourself in the beauty of the park.

3. Our guides know the ins and outs of the park. We know all of the road and facility closures, the best picnic spots, what outhouses to avoid, where to look for wildlife, and we love to show you the often overlooked areas of the park.

4. Yellowstone Scenic Tours only offers private day tours in Yellowstone Park. That means it is just you and your group on a tour, no randos. Our day tours are fully customizable because it is just you and your group. Our customizable Yellowstone National Park tours offer custom pick-up locations in West Yellowstone, Big Sky, Paradise Valley, Bozeman, and Gardiner. All ages are welcome on tours from kids to seniors and in between!

5. Not only will you receive intriguing information about Yellowstone during your tour, we love giving local recommendations on the best places to eat, stay, and other activities in Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Bozeman, and surrounding areas!

Will you spend a day in Yellowstone with us this fall?!  We hope so! Learn more and book a Yellowstone National Park tour with us!

Adventures in Guide Training with Yellowstone Scenic Tours

By Emma Heller

Each spring, as the bears emerge from a long winter of hibernation, the snow starts to melt, the Glacier Lilies begin to emerge, and elk and bison calves are born, the Yellowstone Scenic Tours guide team starts to resurface in Big Sky for guide training and another incredible summer in Yellowstone National Park. 

This time of year is exciting for our team for many reasons. While many of our guides live in Big Sky or Bozeman, a few live elsewhere over the winter, seeking other adventures or higher education. We all spend our off-seasons exploring other wonders around the United States and the World! We all look forward to seeing each other for guide training and the chance to soak up new information about Yellowstone National Park! This year, training looked slightly different than in past years to offer unique learning opportunities. 

In years past, our guide team has spent three days training in Yellowstone National Park with local experts. This year, with all eight seasoned and experienced guides returning, we changed it up a bit! So far, we’ve had two days of training that included experiences that we get to share with you to make your stay in Yellowstone Country your best vacation yet!

May Guide Training Adventures

The Yellowstone Scenic Tours guide team is excited for another incredible summer in Yellowstone National Park!

Our first training took place in May, focusing on catching up with our team, operations, park updates, and a tour of the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center. 

It is imperative for our team to know what is going on in the park. This includes road closures, construction updates, park service hours and operations, and unique opportunities for visitors. We’ve got this covered so you can get the most out of your time in Yellowstone Park! 

This year we are excited to add new equipment to our fleet of 14 passenger Ford Transit vans. Many of the exciting animal sightings (like grizzly bears and wolves) don’t happen close to the road. Because of this, we need spotting scopes to observe these animals. While we’ve had spotting scopes since our start, this year we have phone adapters so we can video or snap photos of these impressive animals! 

One of our guides, Porter, took this video of a sow (female) grizzly bear and her cub using one of our new phone adapters for our scopes!

That’s not all that we’ve added to our vans. Much of the park does not have cell phone reception. In case of an emergency or issue with a van, we now have SPOT Messengers in each van to ensure we can contact authorities or repair services. We are super excited about this addition! It’s not all serious on training days with the Yellowstone Scenic Tours team. We also had lots of fun exploring the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center!

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center is a nonprofit in West Yellowstone, Montana. Our team of guides was given a tour of the Center, and it sure is neat! It is a wildlife and education facility that many animals like grizzly bears, wolves, birds of prey, fish, otters, and ground squirrels call home and act as ambassadors to teach the public about their species and how to preserve their habitat. Many of these animals have been saved from dangerous situations and cannot be re-released to their natural habitats. While on tours, we take you to locations in the park to see many of these animals. However, there is no guarantee of seeing grizzly bears or wolves in the wild, and this is a perfect opportunity to see these impressive animals!

The guide team enjoying observing a grizzly bear at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.

After a fun-filled and educational day, the team enjoyed drinks at one of our favorite spots in Big Sky, the Horn and Cantle Saloon at Lone Mountain Ranch. It serves up some great cocktails and has an authentic saloon vibe. After refreshing cocktails, we enjoyed dinner at Ousel & Spur, boasting some of the best thin-crust pizza topped with Montana and locally sourced toppings. It made for an incredible first day of training for the season!

June Guide Training Adventures

The Yellowstone Scenic Tours guide team got back together again for another educational and fun-filled day of training in June! While some of our team was in the field on tours,  the remainder of us spent time on Lake Yellowstone and exploring short hiking options in the park. 

Keith, Joel, and Porter scanning Hayden Valley for wildlife.

To get the best out of what Yellowstone Park has to offer, the earlier you get up, the better! With wheels rolling at 6 a.m. from Big Sky, Montana, we headed south to our first stop, with an exciting and unexpected detour along the way. 

On behalf of the guide team, I can say that we were all excited about the main adventure of the day: a boat tour of Lake Yellowstone! 

Our journey took an unexpected turn near Mud Volcano, a typical stomping ground for bison. Instead of the usual sight, we were greeted by a young grizzly bear! We were able to spend about ten minutes viewing this bear at safe distance for us and the bear. The timing was perfect as we had an appointment to catch at Lake Yellowstone. 

Many of the guide team have never had the opportunity to go out on a Lake Yellowstone Scenicruise. I believe we all wished we would've gone sooner had we known how incredible of an experience it was and how reasonably priced it is! The five of us boarded the Lake Queen II with our highly knowledgeable captain and guide for the tour.

Our guide, Ken, educating us about Lake Yellowstone.

We don’t often get to see the stunning Lake Hotel from this view!

For an hour, our guide, Ken, taught us about much of the fascinating history of Lake Yellowstone. Highlights included stories of the controversial but ingenious businessman E.C. Waters, who not only built a steamship to transport guests from Grant Village to Lake Hotel, sparing wealthy guests an uncomfortable stagecoach ride around Lake Yellowstone, but also put animals on Dot Island as an attraction, and eventually was run out of business because of his shady antics.

Part of the tour showed us the burnt remains of the steamship from 1921. We would go out again with Ken and the Lake Queen II crew and highly recommend this experience!     We learned so much and look forward to sharing it with you on our tours. While out in the park, we also did some recon on worthwhile short hikes we would love to take you on. 

Photo of E.C. Waters wrecked steamship at Stevenson Island in Lake Yellowstone.

Most people visiting Yellowstone National Park never venture 100 feet off the asphalt! One of our goals is to show you many of the incredible and memorable places away from the road. While we only had time for one short hike to explore, we discussed many other options we could offer during our tours. We decided to explore the expansive Upper Geyser Basin and hiked from Old Faithful to Biscuit Basin. The further we ventured from busy Old Faithful towards Morning Glory Hot Spring and Artemisia Geyser, the less crowded and stunning our hike became. Along with this hike, we also have a handful of other hikes we'd love to explore with you in both the Upper and Lower Loops! 

Joel, one of our fantastic guides, showing us Morning Glory Hot Spring!

We are thrilled for another incredible summer experiencing Yellowstone National Park! Our highly experienced and trained guide team aims to offer you the best day ever in our Nation's first National Park! We can't wait to share our knowledge and passion with you. Learn more about our private custom tours, see what people are saying about us, and book today to start your Yellowstone adventure! 

Yellowstone Scenic Tours: From Booking to Exploration

This article was originally published in Yellowstone Country. See the original here.

Yellowstone National Park is a treasure trove of natural wonders, from majestic wildlife and geothermal marvels to breathtaking landscapes. Whether you're staying in West Yellowstone, Big Sky, Bozeman, or Paradise Valley, make the most of your visit by booking a tour with Yellowstone Scenic Tours. Their expert guides and tailored experiences ensure you’ll see the park’s best sights in comfort and style. Here’s a step-by-step guide to planning, choosing, and enjoying your perfect Yellowstone adventure.

Step 1: Schedule Your Tour

Planning your perfect Yellowstone adventure starts with scheduling your tour. Yellowstone Scenic Tours offers a variety of options tailored to your needs, interests, and desires. Here’s how you can ensure a seamless start to your unforgettable journey:

Booking‍

Visit the Yellowstone Scenic Tours website or call their team at 406-404-6879 to book your tour. You'll provide details such as your preferred date, the number of people in your party, and any specific interests or requirements you have.

Customization‍

Whether you’re fascinated by wildlife, geothermal features, or iconic landmarks like Old Faithful, the team will customize your itinerary. This means you get to see what you want, when you want, without the stress of planning it yourself.

Pickup Arrangements‍

Yellowstone Scenic Tours offers convenient pickup from your lodging in Big Sky, West Yellowstone, and the Gallatin Valley and Paradise Valley regions. Ensure you provide your location details during booking for a hassle-free start to your adventure.

Expert guides ensure a fun and educational tour.

Step 2: Choose Your Adventure

With Yellowstone Scenic Tours, you have abundant options to choose from so that you can explore the park based on your interests. Select from various tours, but remember, no two tours are ever the same. Here’s what you can expect:

Upper Loop Tour: This tour focuses on the northern section of Yellowstone, showcasing its incredible diversity. Key highlights include:

• Mammoth Hot Springs: Terraced formations of travertine.

• Lamar Valley: Often called "America's Serengeti," this area is perfect for wildlife watching.

• Tower Fall: A picturesque waterfall plunging 132 feet.

• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: Stunning views of the canyon and waterfalls.

Lower Loop Tour: The Lower Loop Tour covers the southern part of the park, rich with iconic geothermal features. Highlights include:

• Old Faithful: The world-famous geyser that erupts approximately every 90 minutes.

• Grand Prismatic Spring: The largest hot spring in the United States with vivid colors.

• Yellowstone Lake: The largest high-elevation lake in North America.

• Fountain Paint Pot: A showcase of various geothermal features including mud pots and geysers.

Custom Tours: For those seeking a personalized experience, Custom Tours allow you to focus on specific themes or areas of interest. Options include:

• Hiking: Explore Yellowstone’s vast network of trails, tailored to your fitness level and interests.

• Waterfalls: Visit some of the park’s most beautiful and lesser-known waterfalls.

• Thermal Features: Delve deep into Yellowstone’s geothermal wonders, beyond the main attractions.

• Wildlife: Concentrate on finding and observing the park’s diverse fauna in their natural habitats.

• Water: Spend time by Yellowstone’s lakes and rivers, perfect for serene picnics or scenic views.

• Geology: Learn about the park’s fascinating geological history, including its volcanic origins.

• Less Visited Areas: Escape the crowds and discover Yellowstone’s hidden gems, off the beaten path.

Each tour is about 8-10 hours from pick-up to drop off.

Black Pool in the West Thumb Geyser Basin

Step 3: Enjoy the Ride

The day of your tour promises a mix of excitement and relaxation as you traverse one of the world’s most iconic national parks.

Expert Guides‍

The tours are led by expert naturalist guides who bring the park’s wonders to life with their knowledge and passion. Whether you're interested in the park's wildlife, geology, or history, they will provide engaging and informative commentary.

Logistics Taken Care Of‍

From pre-packaged lunches for a scenic picnic to perfectly timed stops that sync with Old Faithful’s eruptions, Yellowstone Scenic Tours ensures everything is meticulously planned.

Comfortable Transport‍

Ride in style in spacious, climate-controlled passenger vans. These vehicles are designed for optimal viewing and comfort, allowing you to focus on the stunning landscapes and wildlife.

Memorable Moments‍

Expect well-timed stops at major attractions, serene picnic spots, and hidden gems known only to experienced guides. Whether it’s watching a herd of bison graze or feeling the mist from a geyser, every moment is crafted to enhance your Yellowstone experience.

Safety and Ease‍

Relax knowing that all safety protocols are followed, from vehicle maintenance to providing information on how to navigate the park's unique environments safely.

Ford Transit Passenger Vans comfortably sit 14 people.

By following these steps, you’ll ensure your Yellowstone tour is everything you dreamed of and more. With Yellowstone Scenic Tours, you’re not just visiting a park; you’re embarking on a thoughtfully curated adventure designed to create lasting memories.

In partnership with Yellowstone Country, Yellowstone Scenic Tours is offering $100 OFF your 2024 guided tour with code Yellowstone2024. Book now to save!