Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
One of the things that makes Yellowstone so wild and enchanting is its utter unpredict-
ability—something that relates to wildlife, weather, and unfortunately, road conditions. A
20-year $300-million plan is currently afoot to address the structural deficiencies of Yel-
lowstone's roads. Plan to keep a close watch on road closures and delays that can happen
any time of year because of construction, bad weather, or even fire. For a 24-hour road
report, check
Road Construction Delays and Closures
(307/344-2117,
www.nps.gov/
yell/planyourvisit
)
. Information on state roads is available from the
Montana Depart-
ment of Transportation
(800/226-7623,
www.mdt511.com
) and the
Wyoming Depart-
ment of Transportation
(888/996-7623,
www.wyoroad.info
)
.
National Weather Service
(
www.crh.noaa.gov
)
reports are available for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
By Bus
Bus service with
Karst Stage
(800/845-2778,
www.karststage.com
)
is available from
Bozeman to West Yellowstone year-round and to Gardiner during the winter and summer
seasons. There is no bus service to the park from Billings.
Linx Bus
(877/454-5469,
www.linx.coop
)
provides regular daily connections between West Yellowstone and
Gardiner, Montana, and Cody and Jackson, Wyoming. A Linx Bus daily pass for multiple
stops within the park is $25.
Tours
Xanterra
(307/344-7311,
www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com
) offers a variety of
different bus tours of the park during the summer, including historic Yellow Bus tours that
range 1-12 hours. The Grand Loop Tour departs daily from Gardiner and Mammoth and
covers the entire park in one day. Other options include early morning or evening wildlife
tours, lake sunset tours, and custom guided tours.
Depending upon your particular interests, there are a range of companies outside the
park that offer specialized tours of Yellowstone. The only one inside the park, and an
outstanding option, is the
Yellowstone Association Institute
(406/848-2400,
www.yellowstoneassociation.org
)
. Their courses are broken into summer and winter
semesters, and course fees begin around $220 with a tuition discount for YA members. The
courses are engaging and are taught by experts in their fields. Using Yellowstone as their
classroom, the instructors concentrate on “individual aspects of the ecosystem.” During the
summer, you can take the “Behind the Scenes of Wolf Management and Ecology” course
led by a wolf biologist, or “Mammal Signs: Interpreting Tracks, Scat, and Hair” with an an-
imal tracker. Classes also focus on flora with courses such as “The Art of Wildflower Identi-
fication”; other options include “Yellowstone's Geoecosystem” and “Wilderness First Aid.”
