A number of tour companies offer bus and van tours of the park originating in gateway communities: Yellowstone Alpen Guides (tel. 800/858-3502; www.yellowstoneguides.com) takes travelers around the park from West Yellowstone. Salt Lake City-based AdventureBus (tel. 888/737-5263; www.adventurebus.com) takes groups to Yellowstone and Grand Teton between June and August. If you are looking for specialized guided trips -- such as photo safaris -- contact the chambers of commerce in the gateway community where you want to begin.
Within the park, the hotel concessionaire, Xanterra Parks & Resorts (tel. 307/344-7311; www.travelyellowstone.com), has a variety of general and specialized tours. Five different motorcoach tours are available from all of Yellowstone's villages. For $55, you can explore the Circle of Fire (Old Faithful, Yellowstone Lake, the Hayden Valley); you can cruise to the southern neighbor of Grand Teton for $58 on Teton Vista Rendezvous; or, for about $60, you can do the Yellowstone in a Day tour. These are full-day tours, with stops at all the sights and informative talks by the guides. In 2007, eight restored Old Yellow Buses that roamed the Yellowstone roads here in the first half of the 20th century went back into service for Xanterra. Tours in the buses range from 1 hour to all day ($30-$87). Other specialty trips include custom van tours, photo safaris, wildlife trips up the Lamar Valley, and Yellowstone Lake sunset tours in historic buses from the 1930s.
At Bridge Bay Marina, 1-hour Scenicruiser tours (tel. 307/344-7311) depart throughout the day from June to the end of September for a trip around the northern end of giant Yellowstone Lake. You view the Lake Yellowstone Hotel from the water and visit Stevenson Island while a guide fills you in on the history, geology, and biology. Fares are $11 for adults and $7 for children ages 2 to 11. Guided fishing trips on 22-foot and 34-foot cabin cruisers are also available at Bridge Bay ($70 and $90 per hour, respectively), and you can rent smaller outboards and rowboats.
Buses are replaced in the winter by snowcoach tours. These are closer in size to a van than a bus, mounted on tank treads with skis in front for steering. The snowcoach can pick you up at the south or west entrances, or at Mammoth, and take you all over the park. You can spend a night at Old Faithful and then snowcoach up to Mammoth the next night, or do round-trip tours from the gates or wherever you're staying in the park. One-way and wildlife-watching trips range from $30 to $60, while round-trips cost $100 to $120. Yellowstone Alpen Guides (tel. 800/858-3502; www.yellowstoneguides.com) offers snowcoach trips and tours from West Yellowstone for $99.
Guided horseback trail rides lasting from 1 to 2 hours are available at Roosevelt Lodge and Canyon Village. Children must be at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall; adults cannot exceed 240 pounds. Tour prices are $35 for a 1-hour ride and $54 for a 2-hour ride (no discount for children). Check any activity desk for times and dates. Reservations are recommended and can be made at Xanterra Parks & Resorts activity centers in the hotels, although not before you leave home.
The Yellowstone Association Institute (tel. 307/344-2293; www.yellowstoneassociation.org) offers a slew of guided classes, from daylong hikes to multiday backcountry adventures, often with a historical or scientific bent. The Institute has teamed with Xanterra Parks & Resorts to offer visitors days spent exploring trails with guides and nights at the comfortable lodgings throughout the park. These Lodging and Learning packages are excellent options for those who want to delve into the park without too much of the traditional "roughing it." Rates (starting at about $600 per person) include box lunches, breakfast, and in-park transportation. Contact Xanterra Parks & Resorts (tel. 307/344-5566; www.travelyellowstone.com).
In September, the Institute takes over Roosevelt Lodge with the Roosevelt Rendezvous, a series of 4-day educational experiences with a daily menu of different field trips led by park experts. There are also evening programs. Rates start at $629 per person, including a cabin and three meals a day.
