Yellowstone Wildlife Safari
 

Is anyone familiar with this company? They take you out for daily trips for large animal viewing and tours of the area around Canyon and Lamar Valley? They know where and when to get a great view of the large animals..they are very expensive..Is it worth it, or can anyone find these laege animals to view by going to the right places and times? We are staying at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel in Mid-September? I wont book until I get some feedback..Thanks!

We used this company for a day trip to Yellowstone from Big Sky, Montana in September.

They are superb, and provided us with a wonderful overview, so that we were able to return to the park later in the week with a lot of advance knowledge.

We had Davina as a guide, and we were so impressed with her comprehensive knowledge, her familiarity with the park (she had worked as a biologist within the park for a time), her friendly, easy-going manner, and her flexibility. She was a good listener, and was interested in providing us with an outstanding experience.

If you have the cash, it is well worth it to use this company. Only problem was that we had requested the owner as guide, months in advance (he is very well-known and regarded in the region), and he bailed out to take a group on a Lewis & Clark day trip. While I was initially bummed about this, it turns out that Davina more than made up for it. Unfortunately, he will miss out on being featured in my nationally-syndicated newspaper travel column.

I haven't been out with that company but do have a couple of thoughts.

Last June we had no trouble finding wildlife. We saw pretty much everything we wanted and expected to. We went out early one morning and spent the day with with Yellowstone Yearround Adventures and had a very nice day. We were able to learn things about the park and the wildlife we wouldn't have picked up on our own. We were quite happy we did it once but probably wouldn't do it again.

That isn't an answer, I realize.

Unless you just want someone else to do the driving you can see just as much on a self guided tour. The animals will either be visible near the road or not. Be cautious when driving, when there is a sighting people just stop in the road get out of their vehicles and "look". Sometimes these jams can hold you up for 30 minutes or more. Keep in mind the best viewing is early morning or evening.

The company I was talking about is "Yellowstone Safari Company:" http://www.yellowstonesafari.com/

We saw lots of animals on our own, although we didn't get the knowledge of a guide. If you go out in the early morning or evening, you will likely see all that you want. The Lamar Valley is a great place to spot wolves, coyote, and bear. When we were there last June, there were grizzlies at Dunraven Pass every morning and evening. Hayden Valley is another terrific place to spot bald eagles, coyote, etc. While looking at a black bear from our car, a touring van pulled up. It seemed like it would be harder to get a good view with a big group.