Your best opportunity
to view and learn about wolves in their natural habitat lies in hiring a
guide and
spending a day tracking and observing these elusive wild animals.
Along the way guests are also likely to see large herds of elk and bison, as
well as, grizzly bears, eagles, moose, pronghorn
antelope, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, coyotes, black bears, and
others. Possible, too, are sightings of river otters, badgers, pine martens, owls, and other more rare wildlife. Most importantly
about the guiding services is that you will learn about the ecology, history, and current issues of
Yellowstone from local biologist guides with
experience in wildlife study with wolves and other species in Yellowstone!
Rates:
$480 for up to 5 people; and $680
for 6-14 people, flat rate per day (up to 8 hours).
Price includes our
transportation, a comfortable and roomy touring Suburban, or our 14-passenger
"Adventure Bus," park entrance fees, hot drinks &
breakfast, top-of-the-line spotting scopes, and expert interpretation
and guiding services. Inquire about step-on guiding for 6+ people in which we ride along with your group in transportation you
provide.
Additional days booked
are discounted at a rate of $40 per day.
To
arrange a guide, please call 406~223~2152 or email
Description:
Our meeting time and place will be prearranged with the
preferred meeting place being Gardiner, Montana, at the North Entrance to
Yellowstone National Park. Best search times are at sunrise due to
activity patterns of wildlife during the early hours. "Early
morning" varies from 5 AM in the summer to 7 AM in the winter. The outing will last 6-8 hours depending upon
sightings, interest, weather, etc. You will explore
much of the northern portion of the park and many different wildlife areas.
The primary focus will be on finding and observing wolves, bears, or other
wildlife at guests' request. Much of the search will be road-based, but depending upon
guest interests,
we can include short nature walks in spectacular locations. Guides use the top-of-the-line spotting
scopes (Swarovski 80mm HD, Nikon 82mm ED). Wolves, being shy of humans, are often
viewed from a distance. Photographs of wolves are rarely won, though
photographers have been pleased with the variety of scenic and wildlife
images captured during our outings.
Guides:
The Wild Side, LLC, only uses guides with extensive experience in natural
and cultural history in Yellowstone Park. Our guides have worked
with the National Park Service, the Yellowstone Association Institute, and
other organizations prior to their work with The Wild Side, LLC.
While we can not guarantee your outing with any one of our guides, but we will
try to fulfill any requests.
MacNeil
Lyons - is a published writer,
photographer, and naturalist with 10 years' experience working for the
National Park Service as an Interpretive Park Ranger and Education
Specialist. He has worked with the 
Yellowstone
Wolf Project's Winter Study recording data and collecting field samples
from Northern Range wolf packs; spent a winter season in the Grand Canyon
of the Yellowstone; and was the very first Bear Education Ranger.
With the Yellowstone Association Institute, he crafted a new program,
Yellowstone For Families, that won awards as the "Best Family Camp in
America" by Good Morning America and Family Fun Magazine. Learn more
about MacNeil.
Michael Leach,
grew up in mountains of Idaho and Montana
where his love for the region was fostered at an early age. He received
his B.A. from the University of Montana with an Environmental Studies
Degree. He moved to his beloved Yellowstone Park where he began his work
as a ranger naturalist. Michael had the honor of being one of the park's
two bear education rangers where he shared his knowledge of bears and
passion for Yellowstone with park visitors.
After
seven years rangering, Michael founded Yellowstone
Country Guardians (YCG), a grassroots nonprofit organization based in
Gardiner, Montana. He currently serves as the organizations Director,
working on the ground to inspire local communities to nurture the wildness
and spirit of Yellowstone Country through education and outreach programs
at the community level. Michael also works as a freelance nature writer with a diverse
portfolio of essays, Op-Ed’s and natural history pieces that have
appeared in regional publications, and a keynote speaker presenting on an
array of topics ranging from grizzlies in Yellowstone, to motivating youth
to action.
Nathan
Varley, M.S., Ph.D., and Linda Thurston, M.S., are
the owners of The Wild Side, LLC,
and each have 20+ years of
experience working in Yellowstone. Their work includes scientific research and conservation
efforts on behalf of wolves, bison, elk, otters, bears, and mountain goats. In addition to guiding,
both currently maintain ecological research at major universities, field courses for colleges and
prominent conservation organizations, and on-the-ground efforts that address today's
most pressing wolf
conservation issues.
Wolf-watching
