Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Courses
Established in 1907, the nonprofit
Yellowstone Institute
( 307-344-2293;
www.yellowstoneassociation.org/institute
)
conducts an educational field program offering
one- to five-day outdoor courses in everything from identifying mammal tracks and wild
edible plants to wolf behavior and Yellowstone's colorful history. It also runs multiday
backpacking and horse-pack trips, kayaking, fly-fishing for teens and women, and back-
country trips, as well as courses on photography and wildlife-watching. 'Lodging and
Learning Programs' are four- to five-day packages that include food and park accommod-
ation. These are particularly popular in winter.
Most courses are conducted from late May to late September (plus some in January and
February) at the historic Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley, though some day
courses meet at the Yellowstone Association building in Gardiner. Courses start at $80 per
day, excluding food and accommodations. Buffalo Ranch's self-catering log-cabin bunk-
houses cost $25 per person and small groups can stay in the Yellowstone Overlook Field
Campus cabins in Gardiner. View the course catalogues online.
The highly regarded
Teton Science School
( 307-733-4765;
www.tetonscience.org
)
in Kelly runs twice weekly natural-history seminars (from $65/35 for adult/child per day)
for families, plus weeklong programs. It also houses the free Murie Natural History Mu-
seum; call for an appointment to visit.
If all of that sounds too much like school, try a fly-fishing course at the
Yellowstone
Fly Fishing School
( 406-220-5234;
www.yellowstoneflyfishingschool.com
;
271 Old
Clyde Park Rd, Livingston, MT)
. Women-only courses, kid's courses, private lessons and
four-hour clinics ($100 per person in a group of three) are available, some based at Chico
Hot Springs.
Discount Cards
Always ask for some kind of discount, whether it be AAA, Good Sam, seniors, off-sea-
son, shoulder season, multiday or any other even half-credible reason you can imagine.
Rates are notoriously flexible in the Yellowstone region. Student cards are of little use.
