Yellowstone Lake Kayak Tour: Explore Hidden Geysers
4.8
267 Ratings
Yellowstone National Park
Embark on a guided kayak tour of Yellowstone Lake and discover hidden geysers. Explore the pristine West Thumb Geyser Basin from your kayak, enjoy a picnic lunch on a secluded beach, and return with unforgettable memories. No experience necessary!
Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Grant Marina Road - Kayak in Yellowstone! Our experienced and trained guides provide expert kayak instruction and information on the local history and geology, as they lead you around the shoreline to the West Thumb Geyser Basin and explore the many geothermal features on land and under water. We’ll paddle by the more remote features, most of which are not accessible from land, where there are no signs, no boardwalks and most importantly no other people. We always stay in small groups to make sure you get the most information and best access to this incredible area, and to ensure safety throughout the trip. We have both single and double kayaks available. No prior kayaking experience is required. Space is limited on each trip so sign up as soon as possible.
What's Included
  • Lunch included
  • Educational introduction to Yellowstone’s history and geology
  • Professional guides for equipment and kayaking instruction
What's Not Included
  • Guide Gratuities are not included but greatly appreciated.
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Join us on a guided paddle through Yellowstone National Park, which begins with an informative intro about the Park’s past and geology, particularly regarding the Lake. Your guide will provide an overview of the kayaking gear and instruct you on how to use them. Then, you’ll paddle around the lake edge towards West Thumb Geyser Basin, home to many unique geothermal features both on dry land and beneath the water, accessible only by watercraft. From our boats, we’ll inspect an unspoiled geyser basin devoid of any man-made structures or crowds. We break for a packed lunch on a private beach before retracing our route back to the starting point, arriving there around two or three pm, contingent on the group. All the kayaking gear, along with a tutorial on rowing methods are part of the package. No past kayaking know-how is necessary and participants of all ability levels are welcome. Both solo and tandem kayaks are accessible. We facilitate small and intimate group experiences.

  • All children 12 and under must paddle in a tandem kayak with an adult. If booking with children, you must choose the tandem kayak option. This is the rate per kayak, for 2 people.
  • If you wish to have single kayaks (not available for children under 13), the rate is per person.
  • Please advise any dietary requirements in the Special Requirements field at checkout. Vegetarian and gluten free lunches are available if you let us know.
  • Please come dressed for cold weather, as it is usually colder in Yellowstone than you are expecting. Keep in mind that while kayaking, you will get wet. The weather in Yellowstone can vary greatly, and change quickly. Typically the days are sunny with temps in the upper 60’s to low 80’s, however it does get cold at night and early morning. Afternoon showers and passing thunderstorms are always possible in the mountains. We plan to go in rain or sunshine. We will provide all the necessary kayaking equipment. You should arrive dressed according to the weather, keeping in mind that while you wont ever be submerged in the water, you will get wet. Therefore dressing in layers is always best, with shorts or wind pants made of synthetic quick drying material, and shoes that you dont mind getting wet. Having a rain or wind jacket, extra layers, and/or a change of warm dry clothes for after the trip ends, is also a good idea. Guide gratuities are always appreciated, but never expected. If you have any questions any time, please dont hesitate to ask.
Location
Grant Marina Road
Meet at the marina, in Grant Village inside Yellowstone National Park. There is no exact street address in a National Park, so we meet you in Grant Village, at the marina boat ramp, where the kayaks will be spread out on the beach. There are restrooms and parking for all sized vehicles.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(267 Ratings)
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K3871nmrobertc
Jul 22, 2023
Fun day. - Our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable about the park. The equipment is simple and easy to use. The kayaks have rudders. The sack lunch was good. We had excellent weather and light breezes. It's a little bit of a workout, so be prepared to paddle a bit. If this old guy can do it, you can too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arnoldp640
Jul 22, 2023
Terrific kayak trip - This trip exceeded our expectations. We are on our late 70’s and we had no problem paddling the kayak. Our guide Bryan could not have been better. He was extremely knowledgeable about the area and history and this added immeasurably to our trip. We had one mother and her son in our group that struggled and he handled this delicate situation with tact and grace! This day trip should be included in your stay and you will finish it with a deeper knowledge of Yellowstone and having visited the geyser basin from the water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Archerc2013
Jul 17, 2023
Relaxing (yet intense), Memorable Family Adventure - Our family of four (kids aged 14-18) took the Day Trip with Brian and Tim on July 10. Fantastic. Brian was very informative and educational, and both were really friendly and accommodating. They engaged with everyone on the trip and truly wanted all to have a great time. They remembered that one child had a peanut allergy so they provided a non-allergic lunch. They lunch they served was filling and well-balanced. What was also cool was that they provided "dry bags"for us to store extra clothing in, and they also offered extra jackets just in case anyone needed them. Overall a very cool and memorable adventure. Thank you so much Brian and Tim!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ambercwru
Jun 21, 2023
Great experience - would recommend - This was fantastic. Our guides, Noah and Brian (I think), were both awesome. They made sure we were safe and comfortable in our kayaks, and entertained us the entire way. The lake was beautiful, and we had a really great time. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Achilleen
Jun 18, 2023
Great day on the lake - What a cool experience ! It was cold but Brian was prepared for whatever weather we had ! He was also incredibly knowledgeable, we got a full history lesson. We learned so so much! Highly recommend !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trippingtony
Jun 14, 2023
Fun on the lake - We had a great time! Guides were great - helpful and knowledgeable and had lots of gear available to borrow if you needed it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karolineb820
Sep 26, 2022
Wonderful Day! - Awesome day with wonderful guides! We were gifted with an unusually calm day on Yellowstone Lake! Our guides Brian and Jonathan gave us an introduction to the geography of the lake and the area. They also gave us a nice intro to paddling. We paddled 3 miles up and back along the west shore of the thumb of Yellowstone Lake. It was beautiful with the highlight being the geothermal geysers along the shore- one of which put on a show right in front of us! Our guides knew it was ready to blow by the steam output and sure enough, it blew! Our guides were great and did not try to rush us away. Lunch was very good. Nice day of paddling with and awesome crew! We would do this again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Megkoster
Sep 14, 2022
Bluebird day on Yellowstone Lake - What a day! This is a very unique opportunity to kayak in Yellowstone and perhaps the only place in the world to view geothermal features from the water. We brought our family of 5, ranging in age from 4 to 71, with 2 double and 1 single kayak. The highlight of the experience is interacting with the incredible guides. Garrett and Tom led our trip and were both fantastic - they had such depth of knowledge about the area given their science and geology backgrounds. The distance is about 6 miles total. We had a glassy first 4 miles including the geothermal features and a pit stop for delicious lunch, followed by a choppy final 2 miles. I was impressed that the guides stayed with the paddlers and didn't leave anyone straggling behind, even in the more challenging weather. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rolltide2022
Sep 11, 2022
Kayaking 101 and Masters Level Geology - Garrett is a true professional and passionate about ensuring guests have a safe and educational kayak day paddle! His expertise of the Yellowstone ecosystem is phenomenal! We strongly recommend Garrett and this day paddle!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B4483hmkayp
Sep 3, 2022
Family-friendly Paddle on Lake Yellowstone - We kayaked with Geyser Kayak Tours in late August 2022. Our guides Garrett and Tom were super friendly and personable. As others have mentioned these guys are WAY over qualified - a geologist and former science teacher (!) - and very very knowledgeable about the park. Their description of thermal features, stories about the park history, etc. added to our experience of Yellowstone. We had a fairly large group on our tour and it took quite while to get out on the water - we had arrived as requested before 8:45 am for a 9 am tour. We started paddling around 10 am and returned by 1:30 pm. The return paddle was a wee bit rushed because of incoming storms that the guides (and we !) wanted to avoid. The paddling itself was quite manageable for anyone with a bit of kayaking experience who is in reasonable shape. Does depend which way the wind is blowing though! The lunch provided plenty of food (sandwich, fruit and snacks) although you can't specify what you get so be forewarned if you have picky children like we do. We enjoyed the tour and thought Garrett and Tom were fantastic. It is an expensive activity - close to $700 for the four of us. It's the only way to get on the lake as tourists, however, unless you bring your own boat (hard to do if you are flying!) because they do not rent kayaks, etc. on Lake Yellowstone. So bottom line - a guided tour is the only game in town and it's great but pricey.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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