Revealing Yellowstone June 9 17, 2018
Discover the marvels of Yellowstone National Park through the eyes of the 1871 Hayden Survey that revealed the wonderland of the Yellowstone region. See the wildlife, follow the trails of the Native Americans, and trace the lasting impact of Buffalo Bill Cody. Join Yellowstone expert, Matt Hermes, and an expedition of fellow adventurers to discover natural, cultural, and historical facets of America s first national park and the surrounding region. We ll meet local experts on location, travel comfortably, and offer opportunities to get up close and personal with this sublime region. Trip Highlights and Features: group size approximately 25 comfortable motorcoach transportation expert commentary from Matt Hermes and other guides on location and along our driving routes multi-night hotel stays in Yellowstone National Park and in Cody, Wyoming active exploration style / optional hiking and horseback riding exploration of iconic Yellowstone-area sites as well as less-visited sites Ethereal terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs
Featured Hotels: June 9 10: Best Western Plus GranTree Inn, Bozeman, MT [www.grantreeinn.com] June 10 11: Absaroka Lodge, Gardiner, MT [www.yellowstonemotel.com] June 11 14: Yellowstone s Western Cabins, Canyon, Wyoming [www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/lodgings/cabin/canyon-lodge-cabins/] June 14 16: The AmericInn, Cody, WY [www.americinn.com/hotels/wy/cody] June 16 17: Absaroka Lodge, Gardiner, MT [www.yellowstonemotel.com] Pricing information: $2950 / person (double occupancy; single supplement, $889); price includes chartered coach transportation out West, 8 nights accommodation with breakfast, all touring per the itinerary, including special presentations by local guides, evening entertainment as specified, 4 lunches, 4 dinners, bus driver tip, guide and concierge services throughout the trip. Trip price does not include airfare, some meals, trip insurance, personal expenditures, and optional activities, other discretionary tipping. [Group airfare from GSP Airport will be offered for an additional price.]
Trip Itinerary: (featuring italicized details from Matt Hermes) Saturday, June 9 Depart GSP for flights to Bozeman, Montana. Coach pick-up from the Bozeman Airport; shuttle to our hotel. Optional exploration of Bozeman (driving tour; one or two optional stops) in the mid- / late-afternoon. Dinner (on your own); overnight, Bozeman. Sunday, June 10 9:00 am (approx.) Depart Bozeman; stop at sites of interest en route to the North Entrance of Yellowstone, including Fort Ellis, Bottler s Ranch, and Devil s Slide / Cinnabar Mountain. We ll overnight alongside the mighty Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana northern gateway to the region known as Yellowstone. After a month on the trail the Hayden Survey gets an Army escort at Ft. Ellis near Bozeman and heads for the Yellowstone River. See the old fort site, and its Native American neighbors, learn of the controversial role of the Cavalry in securing Montana, and visit the staging area for Hayden s final push up the Yellowstone Valley.
Our first evening program will feature the photography of William Henry Jackson whose 1871 images catalyzed the establishment of Yellowstone as the world s first National Park. Monday, June 11 Enjoy a hearty breakfast at the Yellowstone Grill (but be wary of any tall tales the proprietor might spin about Yellowstone). Our departure from Gardiner will take us
through the famous Roosevelt Arch into Yellowstone National Park. In the Mammoth Hot Springs area, we ll explore the Upper and Lower Terraces, the Albright Visitor Center, and (optionally) the newly-refurbished Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We ll continue our drive via Tower Falls to Canyon Village. After lunch, we ll drive along the South Rim scenic drive to Artist Point. Return to Canyon for hotel check-in and R & R. Dinner this evening in Canyon Village; overnight in the Canyon Village Western Cabins. Capture the flowing and steaming mystique of the vast Hot Springs, the strange formation called Liberty Cap; follow Hayden next to Tower Falls. We can t climb Mt. Washburn as he did; we continue up the Yellowstone and reach Artists Point where Thomas Moran rendered the Lower Falls (above). Our evening programs at Canyon will be selected from: Yellowstone s volcanic presence, wildlife and the introduction of wolves to Yellowstone and, since we will be at Canyon during the dark, new moon, The Starry, Starry Nights. Tuesday, June 12 Today s exploration will take us south through the Hayden Valley, past Mud Volcano, to the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Enjoy lunch in the area. In the afternoon, we ll return to Canyon Village. Optional afternoon activities include: horseback riding; hiking to Lower Falls of the Yellowstone; R & R / explore Canyon Village. Dinner and the overnight in Canyon.
Hayden s object was the source of the Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake. We will follow him through the magical valley that now bears his name. We will likely be delayed by scores of bison who claim priority on the road and we will reach the shores of Yellowstone Lake, more than 7,000 feet above sea level the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel, c. 1891 Wednesday, June 13 Today we ll make the scenic drive via Norris to Old Faithful. We ll explore the Upper, Midway, and Lower Geyser Basins, and the village of Old Faithful (lunch). Midafternoon: We return to Canyon for R & R, hiking options... followed by dinner and the overnight in our Western Cabins. Hayden found the largest geyser basins in the world mark the hot spots of Yellowstone volcanic activity. We will spend the day in the Old Faithful area; it will give us its regular display. We will visit the other basins all along the Firehole River. Who knows, we might be lucky enough to see Steamboat Geyser, the world s largest, erupt.
Thursday, June 14 This morning we ll depart from Canyon, driving to Cody, Wyoming. We ll take in views and sites along the way, including the Wapiti Valley, Corkscrew Bridge, Pahaska Teepee, Sylvan Lake, and the Yellowstone Lake Overlook. Upon arrival in Cody, we ll enjoy down time in charming Cody, our new digs for the next two nights the AmericInn, and a special late afternoon presentation. In the evening, fetch yer bandana we re headed to the Cowboy Music Show (and dinner) at the Irma Hotel. Overnight at the AmericInn in Cody. Buffalo Bill understood the beauty and value of the Wapiti Valley and Shoshone River East of Yellowstone. More than 100 years ago he built Pahaska Teepee at the east entrance of the park. We will stop in the park at Sylvan Lake (Bring Cameras). Pass Pahaska, travel through the incomparable Shoshone Valley and pause at the Buffalo Bill Dam, built as a result of his vision for the development of this Cody Wyoming region. Our Cody evening program will feature a fourth generation member of the Foster- Richard family who first began guiding tours into Yellowstone in 1913.
Friday, June 15 Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. Afterwards, we ll visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. In the afternoon, options will include horseback riding and a visit to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. In the evening... fetch yer bandana (you re catching on?)... and we ll attend the Cody Nite Rodeo. Overnight, the AmericInn in Cody. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, five museums in one, brings the art and history of the west to life. Alternatively we can visit the museum of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center that housed 11,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, a poignant reminder of the unyielding spirit of these interred Americans. Saturday, June 16 This morning we depart Cody. We ll drive the Chief Joseph Highway to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone. Our route will take us through the Dead Indian Pass, and into Yellowstone s Lamar Valley. We ll spend our last night Revealing Yellowstone back on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana. Overnight at the Absaroka Lodge.
The Nez Perce outraced the US Cavalry in 1877, passing west to east through the new Yellowstone Park and making their escape through Dead Indian Pass. We will reverse their route back into the park through Cooke City. We will pause as Hayden did, in the lush, wildlife filled Lamar Valley, then cross the Yellowstone before arriving back at Gardiner, just north of the Park. Sunday, June 17 This morning we ll drive to Bozeman to catch our homeward flight. Bon voyage and we hope you will have had a wonderful time revealing Yellowstone! Never a dull moment at Grand Prismatic Spring
Revealing Yellowstone Photo Gallery... Heavenly view: Grand Prismatic Spring the Firehole River looking fairly typical
Western Cabin rooms, Canyon Village, Yellowstone entrance of the AmericInn, Cody, Wyoming
New, improved F.V. Hayden? Matt Hermes will deliver his best. where water meets sky
Rangers can be fun... and bear-like. (And no, those aren t really gloves, earmuffs, and coats.) and... the parting shot (next page)
Lawman... Matt Hermes, ready to round up OLLI members who miss curfew.