Upper Loop Tour: Exploring Yellowstone's Unique Wildlife
4.6
40 Ratings
West Yellowstone
Embark on an active van tour through Yellowstone National Park to discover its unique wildlife. Explore Shadow Canyon, Mount Washburn, Lamar Valley, and Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Madison River - Scope for wildlife along the Madison River in the early morning.
- Mount Washburn - Scope for wildlife on Mount Washburn.
- Lamar Valley - Lamar Valley is home to more than 60 species of mammal. We will use spotting scopes to look for bears, wolves, bison and more! This is the richest wildlife valley in Yellowstone.
- Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces - We will take a short walk on the boardwalks around Mammoth Hot Springs.
- Gibbon Meadows - Scope for wildlife.
What's Included
- Use of binoculars and spotting scope included
- Complimentary carbonated beverages
- Assorted snacks provided
- Lunch included in the tour
- Enjoy in-vehicle air conditioning
- Tea and coffee available
What's Not Included
- anding and/or facility fees
Additional Information
This Dynamic Van Excursion is an excellent opportunity to observe the exclusive fauna of Yellowstone National Park. Our journey commences at the exciting entrance town of West Yellowstone. The dawn segment of the tour takes us to wildlife hotspots in the renowned Shadow Canyon of the Madison River, a habitat for bears and elk. Subsequently, we gaze upon the wild from atop one of Yellowstone’s highest mountains, Mount Washburn. Our tour then carries us to the Lamar Valley - often referred to as North America’s Serengeti. Here, we utilize telescopes to catch a glimpse of wolves, bears and other fauna. Warm yourself with a hot beverage while spotting wolves. Our next stop is the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces for a brief stroll. If walking isn’t to your liking, we provide a secure, picturesque spot to rest while waiting for the group near the van. Finally, we make our way back towards West Yellowstone, pausing for more wildlife viewing opportunities en route. The day ends where we first started, at West Yellowstone.
Location
West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center
Yellowstone Avenue
For guests staying outside of West Yellowstone, we meet at the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center at 6:15AM.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.6
(40 Ratings)
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Margo
Aug 26, 2023
Beautiful Day in Lamar Valley - Had a great tour with Mark today to drive the Upper Loop. Saw wolves, many bison herds, and a large large herd of momma elks and babies! Beautiful scenery! Had a lovely lunch at a shady picnic location that we would never have found!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anonymous
Aug 19, 2023
It was wonderful being a... - It was wonderful being a passenger with Mark as our guide. We saw many Bison and even got to witness a Grizzly Bear from afar (thanks to Binoculars and Scope) and a Bison carcass being devoured by Ravens. It was a little disappointing that we didn’t see any wildlife up close besides Bison but that in no way makes this tour less enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Norma_n
Aug 19, 2023
Bison, bears, and views, oh my! - If wildlife is what you came to see, this is the tour for you! You will be taken to Lamar Valley to where the herds of bison roam. You can spot pronghorns, and with luck, a grizzly. We didn't see any wolves but that's the way of nature. Our guide Mark was great, informative and patient, with a good eye for spotting wildlife.
We also did Mammoth Hot Springs and had a nice lunch in a lovely picnic spot.
Review provided by Viator
Jean_m
Aug 18, 2023
Tour don’t Drive - Mark was a great guide full of knowledge about the history of the park, recent events of the park, the good spots to see wild life. We got to see Bison, Grizzly, Pronghorn. There really wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer. Very personable too.
Review provided by Viator
U1461zxdianer
Aug 12, 2023
Upper Loop tour review - Had a lot of fun on our tour with Chris of the Upper Loop of Yellowstone. He was so personable and knowledgeable. Lunch was great and was nice to not have to drive and be able to sit back and see the sights! ( including the bears)!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jocaughy16
Aug 10, 2023
Upper Loop Yellowstone Van Tour - Our guide Chris was amazing. We learner so much about the history of Yellowstone. We saw sights we would not have found on our own and saw a lot of wildlife, so even up close. Would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Randalynnh
Aug 8, 2023
Highly recommend - This tour was spectacular. Mark is a curious, knowledgeable guide! He’s a true people person with a laid back personality and a true passion for the history of the park, science, environmentalism. He has a bright career ahead of him. We saw all kinds of wildlife from elk, to bison, wolf and more! The tour took so much stress off finding key spots, it allowed us to sit back and relax to enjoy the scenery. Bonus: Mark knows the quality spots for necessities like bathrooms, quiet lunch spots and more!
Adam and Randalynn- Grand Rapids, MI
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z3790ttcatherinek
Jul 31, 2023
Great Trip - Mark was an excellent guide, and we saw plenty of wildlife! The bus was airy, and it was great to make new friends. My only complaint is that the lunch I ordered wasn't what I received
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Faith
Sep 20, 2023
Impressed with the scenery and animal spottings but not the tour guide! - The guide we had named Mark showed no enthusiasm and did little explaining accept when asked as we went through the park! He was polite but was more concerned about getting back within the time range! Coffee was supposed to be included but he was. It stocked and could only offer tea! Other companies give you a choice on lunch menus but we were given a sandwich he made - meat cheese bread - no condiments offered. Would definitely look at other companies to tour with - we were really impressed w one of their competitors that took us on the lower loop —- should have used them!. On positive side we did see many animals especially buffalo and a few wolves!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annette_b
Sep 15, 2023
Not at all what I expected - Memorable???? Not a lot. Disappointing?
SMALL overcrowded van, stopping to see animals, but not the other beauties of nature I was looking forward to. Going the upper loop meant seeing everything there, didn’t it? We saw LOTS of animals, but I think if I hadn’t asked we wouldn’t have seen mammoth hot springs. We didn’t stop in any visitor centers - forget getting national park passport book stamped, that wasn’t important to many I guess Very not what I had expected. With the time spent waiting for road construction - we would have seen more on our own cuz we would have avoided those roads.
Review provided by Viator
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