Yellowstone National Park continues to offer free ranger-led educational programs that will significantly enhance a visitor's understanding of the area's history, geology, and wildlife. Most programs run from early June to early September. Detailed information on locations and times is listed in the park newsletter, which is distributed at the entrance gates. On a more informal basis, you'll run into ranger-naturalists roaming the geyser basins and along the rim of the Grand Canyon in Yellowstone, and in areas where wildlife gather in both parks, leading informative walks and answering questions from inquisitive visitors.
Evening campfire programs are presented nightly in the summer at Mammoth, Norris, Madison, Bridge Bay, Grant, and Canyon. Many of these activities are accessible to those with disabilities. It's a good idea to bring a flashlight, warm clothing, and rain gear. Rangers also conduct walking, talking, and hiking programs throughout the park, including half-day "Adventure Hikes" that cost $15.
As one would expect, there are quite a few programs in the Old Faithful area. The topics of the guided walks, which can run as long as 1 1/2 hours, usually focus on the geysers, their fragile plumbing, and their role in the Yellowstone ecosystem. There is a slide-show program in the auditorium in the evening.
Beginning in June, daily hikes in the Canyon area skirt along the rim of the Grand Canyon; a ranger talk on the art inspired by the falls is held several times a day at the lower platform of Artist Point. An explanation of the origins of the hot pools and mud pots is conducted twice daily beginning in June as part of a walk of the Lakeshore area of the West Thumb Geyser Basin. The Lake Village/Fishing Bridge agenda includes walking tours of the Mud Volcano area and the shores of Yellowstone Lake. There is an afternoon talk at the Fishing Bridge Visitor Center about such wildlife as grizzlies and wolves, and a discussion concerning the native cutthroat is held on the west end of the Fishing Bridge.
Mammoth Hot Springs is host to several interesting ranger-led programs, including talks on the park's natural and cultural wonders and a historical tour of the original site of Fort Yellowstone, established more than 125 years ago. There is also a guided tour of the hot springs terraces. The hottest, most dynamic, and oldest geyser basin in the park is at Norris, where a popular 1 1/2-hour tour begins at the Norris museum on a daily basis in season.
Many changes are made annually in these presentations; consult the park newsletter that is distributed at the entrance gates.
