Montana
Yellowstone Safari: Journey Through a Dramatic Landscape
Program No. 1646RJ
Join a naturalist in Yellowstone for a grand adventure that’ll see you safari through the park to discover the natural activity of indigenous wildlife and the rhythms of the seasons.
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Sep 2 - Sep 7, 2024
Starting at
3,249Sep 16 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
3,249DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Sep 2 - Sep 7, 2024
Starting at
4,279Sep 16 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
4,279Not seeing the date you're looking for?
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6 days
5 nights
14 meals
5B 4L 5D
2
Spring Wildlife Viewing, Yellowstone Lake
Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
3
Hayden Valley, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
5
Lamar Valley, Tower Falls
Gardiner, MT
6
Program Concludes
Gardiner, MT
At a Glance
Take an unforgettable journey into Yellowstone National Park’s dramatic and changing landscape. Explore the seasonal changes and the dramatic composition that unfolds on the stage of Yellowstone’s magnificent scenery. Discover how the seasonal activity of indigenous wildlife plays together with the natural history and the unique geothermal features in this ongoing symphony. An experienced naturalist will lead the safari, which will investigate the specific natural activity of the season and how it plays into the overall rhythm of what defines the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles; varied terrain. Getting on and off coach. Elevations up to 9,000 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Safari through Yellowstone and watch the unfolding drama of the season that showcases the park’s grand and wild nature.
- Enjoy four field days in the park to learn about natural history and observe native wildlife.
- Experience Yellowstone's spectacular Northern Range as an expert naturalist provides lessons on the wildlife.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Ellen Bush
Ellen Bush has enjoyed traveling through Montana and around the world during her career as a reporter, journalism professor, and non-profit director. She graduated from Northwestern University with a master’s degree in journalism and a minor in history, then worked as a reporter in Helena, Montana, and Syracuse, New York, before teaching journalism at the University of Florida. She served as Executive Director of CASA of Montana and retired as Executive Director of WorldMontana in 2016. She has also planned Montana explorations for international visitors.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Ellen Bush
View biography
Ellen Bush has enjoyed traveling through Montana and around the world during her career as a reporter, journalism professor, and non-profit director. She graduated from Northwestern University with a master’s degree in journalism and a minor in history, then worked as a reporter in Helena, Montana, and Syracuse, New York, before teaching journalism at the University of Florida. She served as Executive Director of CASA of Montana and retired as Executive Director of WorldMontana in 2016. She has also planned Montana explorations for international visitors.
Zack Baker
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Zack Baker attended high school in Livingston, Montana, 52 miles north of Yellowstone. His love for the park started while snowshoeing and observing wildlife. At Montana State University in Bozeman, he earned a B.S. in plant science, but it was Yellowstone’s mammals that grabbed his interest. He led private wildlife watching, hiking, and photography trips, and drove snowcoaches in the winter. He joined up with Road Scholar in 2017 and is now the Program Director for Road Scholar at the University of Montana Western.
Louis Spencer
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Louis Spencer spent more than 35 years in the Middle East as a student, teacher, traveler, and group leader. He studied in Beirut in the 1960s, traveled extensively in the region, then worked in Algeria, Iran, and Saudi Arabia for three decades. During that time, he led groups with an international travel agency to East Africa, Middle Eastern countries, and Asia. He also volunteered with Yellowstone Association for nine years before joining up with Road Scholar.
Shauna Baron
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Shauna Baron holds a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Science Education. She has more than 25 years of experience as an outdoor educator, studying large and small carnivores throughout the U.S., including wolves, bears, fishers, and bobcats. Shauna saw her first wild wolf while volunteering for the Yellowstone Wolf Project in 1996 and has since worked as a naturalist in Yellowstone National Park, developing outdoor educational classes for the Yellowstone Institute. She specializes in programs for disabled veterans, inner-city youth, and autistic groups.
Suggested Reading List
(11 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Yellowstone Safari: Journey Through a Dramatic Landscape
Program Number: 1646
Decade of the Wolf, revised and updated edition: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone
Research and storytelling meld to document wolf recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wolf biologist, Smith, and nature writer, Ferguson, provide an inside look at the Yellowstone Wolf Recovery Project ten years after the controversial decision was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to reintroduce wolves into the park. Smith, wolf project leader who has worked with the Yellowstone Wolf Project since its inception, has studied wolves for 25 years. Ferguson, whose writing largely arises from intimate experiences, followed through the seasons, the first 14 wolves released into Yellowstone National Park. Their collaboration offers hard facts and 'impressionistic portraits of individual wolves that reveal their epic lives full of struggle and conquest.' Here is the history of the return of the top predator to Yellowstone.
Knowing Yellowstone -Science in America's First National Park
Presently in Yellowstone there are almost 200 active research permits that involve over 500 investigators, but only a small fraction of this scientific work is reported in the popular press. Furthermore, the results are mixed and frequently confusing to the general public. The intent of this book is to explain both the general issues associated with the region and how science is done to understand those issues, from wolf and grizzly bear research to thermal activity. It further describes how science informs policy in the Greater Yellowstone Region, how scientists from an array of disciplines do their work, and finally, how the nature of that work enables or limits future plans for managing the park and surrounding lands.
The Sibley Guide to Birds
Sibley, a talented painter, offers this wonderful, data-packed color guide with range maps and detailed descriptions of songs and calls. This book is perfect for field trips with short walks and may be too heavy for some to take to the field in which case it can await back in the car.
Roadside Geology of Yellowstone Country
Updated, classic roadside geology book for the Yellowstone Region explains current geological theories.
After the Fires: The Ecology of Change in Yellowstone National Park
The ravaging fires of 1988 caused many scientists to predict long-term devastation which did not come to pass. This scientific summary by wildlife biologists, ecosystem and forest scientists and landscape ecologists discusses the many things that changed and did not change in the Yellowstone area. Realize the role of fire in the ecosystem and the resiliency of nature.
Living Colors: Microbes of Yellowstone National Park
A full-color book published by Yellowstone Forever, Montana State University Biology Institute, and Montana Institute Ecosystems that identifies different types of microbes and where to find them in the park. 52 pages-soft cover. 8" x 8"
Restoring a Presence: American Indians and Yellowstone National Park
This first comprehensive account of Indians in and around Yellowstone corrects more than a century of ignorance. Detailed here is Yellowstone's native peoples and their story of a long engagement with a remarkable landscape.
Letters from Yellowstone
Through correspondence - detailed letters and telegrams - follow an 1898 scientific expedition whose purpose is to collect flora unique to Yellowstone National Park. Learn of the park's early history, trials of pioneer scientists and the engrossing and often funny story of Cornell medical student and amateur botanist, Alexandria Bartram, who emerges as a brave leader and serious scientist. Delightful fiction.
Searching for Yellowstone: Ecology and Wonder in the Last Wilderness
Eloquent, elegant, truthful and practical - an environmental history of America's best idea, Yellowstone.
The Art of Yellowstone Science - Mammoth Hot Springs as a Window on the Universe
THIS PRODUCT IS DIGITAL ONLY
http://www.tmurphywild.com/product/the-art-of-yellowstone-science-mammoth-hot-springs-as-a-window-on-the-universe/
To Save the Wild Bison: Life on the Edge in Yellowstone
The author brings clarity and revelation to one of Yellowstone's most complex struggles by tracing the history of bison and humans into the 19th century and further into the national parks era. Here's discussion of bison management and park policy - the battle over brucellosis, snowmobiles and groomed winter roads, desires of Native Americans, bison and predators.