Autumn Wolf Watch-NOV 2019


Dates:
Nov. 3-8, 2019
Places left:
1
Cost*:
$1,950.00
Deposit required:
$500.00 per person

*Cost is per person based on double occupancy. $150.00 additional for single room supplement. Plus tax when applicable.

Sign up for trip >


Description

Have you always wanted the vast expanse of Yellowstone's wild country all to yourself? This is a rare opportunity! Enjoy wildlife watching in Yellowstone National Park when the glory of late autumn reigns in quiet contentment. By mid-October, the visitors have mostly gone home leaving the park to the wildlife, which are abundant, including wolves settling into their winter territories, mass migrations of elk and bison to lower elevation, and a few grizzly bears looking for a good meal before hibernation.

Join Yellowstone Wolf Tracker biologists for this unique fall program that is sure to impart lasting memories of amazingly pristine landscapes coated in frost, abundant wildlife of great variety, fantastic gourmet food, and comfortable lodging all in one ideal package! Includes naturalist guiding for this 6-day, 5-night package with lodging, transportation to/from Bozeman, Montana (BZN), in-park transportation, park fees, the highest quality spotting scopes, and all meals (as noted).

Yellowstone Wolf Tracker (The Wild Side, LLC) is an authorized tour and transportation provider (CUA 13-133) in Yellowstone National Park.


Schedule

November 3, 2019

Travel to Bozeman, Montana, served by Bozeman Yellowstone Airport at Gallatin Field (BZN) on your own. Take a free airport shuttle provided by Best Western GranTree to the Grantree hotel for the first evening's stay (included). Check in under your own name as traveling with Yellowstone Wolf Tracker (anytime after 3 PM). Dinner is on your own.

November 4, 2019

Have breakfast at the GranTree with a tour voucher then after check out, meet our staff at 11 AM in the lobby for transport to Yellowstone National Park. The route is through the scenic Paradise Valley rimmed with rugged mountain peaks. A lunch stop is planned on route to the park. In Gardiner, the group will visit the famous Roosevelt Arch and search the local basin for wildlife sightings.

Check in follows at the Absaroka Lodge in Gardiner, where the group stays until the last night. From your room, the views of the Yellowstone River and its rolling hills and snow-clad mountains astound! The Absaroka Lodge features wifi, cable tv, and balconies in each room overlooking the Yellowstone River. Our evening meal will be prepared and served by our chef Zac Kellerman of Zac's Montana Kitchen. Zac has been at the helm for our program's dinners for years with thoroughly rave reviews. Dinner is accompanied by an orientation by our naturalist guides for the days ahead.

November 5, 2019

An early morning departure creates our best chances of viewing active wildlife. Wolves will be our priority, but many wildlife species are seen along the way. We will search the park's northern range for wildlife from bison to bears, badgers to bald eagles. Search areas include the Blacktail Plateau, the Slough Creek valley, and the famous wildlife haven, Lamar Valley, for resident wolf packs. Our search will team with rangers, scientists, and the eclectic wolf-watching faithful in a mutual effort to find and observe wildlife. Picnic breakfast each morning will be served in the field to maximize our time searching and observing in the field. Lunch on day 2 will be at the home and photography gallery of our good friends, Dan and Cindy Hartman, who are exceptional naturalists that share their many insights to wildlife in the area. An evening presentation accompanies Zac's gourmet catered dinner at the Track Education Center in Gardiner.

November 6, 2019

We will return to areas where sightings have been best, including Lamar Valley, Tower Junction, and Blacktail Plateau. After lunch in the town, you will have time for rest, take a walk around town, or visit the shops along Park Street. Chef Zac will again host our evening meal at the track center.

November 7, 2019

To maximize our opportunities for viewing wolves, bears, and many other wildlife species we will return to the Northern Range and Lamar Valley. Lamar is one of the best areas in the park for wolves, bears, and vast herds of bison and elk. The sheer abundance gives this area its well-earned nickname, 'The Serengeti of North America.' After lunch, we will visit Mammoth Hot Springs to walk the terrace boardwalk and experience the amazing travertine hot springs, some of Yellowstone's finest thermal features. Our last evening with Zac will include another special guest speaker.

November 8, 2019

After breakfast we will transport to the Bozeman airport (or a nearby destination) for mid-day airlines departures no earlier than NOON.

NOTE: Best-laid plans are always subject to change pending weather, wildlife sighting opportunities, and/or any unforeseen circumstances. Please bear with us and remain flexible to better enjoy this experience. If you have any questions concerning the tentative itinerary, do not hesitate to contact us!


Terms and conditions

Cancellations: To book a package, multi-day group program, a per person deposit is required up front to reserve a space. The balance will be due prior to the beginning of the program, usually 30-60 days out, depending on the specific program. A full refund minus $45 processing fee will be given for all cancellations more than 45 days before the trip. For cancellations less than 45 days prior to departure, the deposit is non-refundable. We accept personal and/or cashier's checks made to THE WILD SIDE, LLC, and mailed to PO BOX 769, Gardiner MT 59030, or you may also sign up here at the Yellowstone Wolf Guides web pages.

Health and Safety: The trip requires good physical fitness and mobility, or the ability to walk up to 1 mile over uneven terrain. The trip is suitable for people of all ages, though children below the age of 14 must receive prior approval. If you have health questions, consult your doctor for more information. The tour leaders must be advised in advance of any special health needs. Weather conditions can change without notice and it is the responsibility of the traveler to have proper clothing and equipment. We will provide a list for the clothing and gear recommended for the trip.

Responsibilities and Conditions: We act only in the capacity of agent in all matters of transportation and tour operation. We are not responsible for delays, inconveniences, accidents, expense or mishap of any kind whatsoever resulting entirely, or in part, from the negligence of others or from causes beyond our control. We can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the participant, as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute accommodations or modes of transportation and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in transportation schedules. We take no responsibility for special arrangements or problems incurred by persons physically unable to participate in the planned activities. No refund can be made for absence from the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of the booking. The right is reserved to decline, to accept or to retain any person as a tour member for any reason which affects the operation of the tour or the rights and welfare or enjoyment of the other tour members. We will not discriminate against any individual because of race, sex, creed or nationality.

Cancelled Trips: We reserve the right to cancel any trip if conditions arise that are beyond our control and adversely affects the well-being of the trip members. In such a case, a full refund of the trip cost is given, but we are not responsible for additional expenses incurred by members in preparing for the trip including flights and other travel expenses.

Sign up for trip >