Wake Up to Wildlife Tour
Wake Up to Wildlife Tour
Wake Up to Wildlife Tour
4.5
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About
Dawn is really the best time to search out the wild things, so we’ll leave Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or Roosevelt Lodge bright and early and head for Lamar Valley. Here, expansive views provide great opportunities to find spectacular megafauna grazing or hunting on the open hillsides, and your driver/guide will know where the action has been as of late (as we’re looking for genuinely wild animals, there are no guarantees of course!). Our Historic Yellow Bus will be provisioned with muffins and juice for all aboard. If you really want to take your best chance to glimpse the great beasts, come Wake Up to Wildlife with us!
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
70 reviews
Excellent
42
Very good
14
Average
8
Poor
5
Terrible
1
Julia C
28 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
We spent a lovely morning on June 1st on sunrise tour leaving from Canyon Village. Our guide was so knowledgeable about history, geology and fauna of Yellowstone. We saw so much on the tour. My one suggestion is heading to Lamar valley earlier. We made a couple less than interesting stops before breakfast at Roosevelt arch. We saw herds of bison with calves and so much more in Lamar but couldn’t stay long enough before turning around because we spent too much time getting to Lamar. I would try to get to Lamar as early as possible and make the other stops after Roosevelt arch if there’s time at the end of the
Written June 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjmarkp
Chicago, IL250 contributions
Sep 2023 • Solo
Our guide, John from MT, did a great job. The trip was relaxing, informative, and spectacular.
I was a little hesitant to book this after some of the reviews I read on this site. But, I did anyway since I wanted a break from all of the driving I was doing around the park. This trip was worth every penny. I could have driven it myself, but, I'd have missed all of the commentary and historical info that John provided.
Thanks, John!
I was a little hesitant to book this after some of the reviews I read on this site. But, I did anyway since I wanted a break from all of the driving I was doing around the park. This trip was worth every penny. I could have driven it myself, but, I'd have missed all of the commentary and historical info that John provided.
Thanks, John!
Written September 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edward m
Princes Risborough, UK135 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I enjoyed it .
However, it was expensive and I think a DIY experience would have been almost as good. All you need to do is go down the Lamar Valley in the early morning and stop when you see a bunch of folks with powerful looking telescopes.
However, it was expensive and I think a DIY experience would have been almost as good. All you need to do is go down the Lamar Valley in the early morning and stop when you see a bunch of folks with powerful looking telescopes.
Written September 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ragini S
5 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
I thought this tour was pretty average but it may be that our tour guide, Rich, was new to this kind of work in the park. The tour leaves at 6:30 which is not really dawn in July and does not reach Lamar Valley until around 8:30 am from Canyon. We saw next to nothing except one wolf, the tons of bison that you can see on your own, some pronghorns and a bear on the way home. Now none of that is Rich’s fault as this is nature but he does not seem to really know the animal behavior and relied on others to find the animals. There is only a driver with this tour, no spotter so maybe that could be improved. My husband did the one from Roosevelt with Carrie and had a better experience overall. Finally, this company is extremely disorganized and communication is terrible. After calling nearly a half dozen times and not getting a call back, I was finally told that my husband and I would be put on the same tour but when we got to the hotel, we were still on separate tours. One family thought they were booked for one day but were actually on a different day according to the company records. And they wouldn’t even call Roosevelt for us to make sure they knew my husband was on his way. I think you can just drive through Lamar yourself and look for people with scopes who are more experts than these your guides. We saw more the night before our tour doing that. Or look for a tour run by actual scientists that will actually arrive in Lamar at dawn.
Written July 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jacob S
11 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
The good: saw a moose, elk, bears and a lot of bison. Time together as a family.
The bad: total lack of communication. We were told the tour left at 6 am, which was still after sunrise but thought we’d be out early to really see stuff. So we arrived 15 minutes as suggested, only to have staff say the tour would leave at 615. Short delay, no problem. Then the guide (E.S.) showed at 645 am, explaining that times changed effective august 1, that date. Our guide was disengaged and very scattered, telling a few truly terrible jokes but not really sharing that much with us as far as facts go. At our first stop, we saw another group with a different guide, and she was engaged, enthusiastic and seemed genuinely interested in her guests. Our guide could almost not have cared less. As far as wildlife sightings, didn’t get anything special that we wouldn’t have received on our own. That was disappointing given our positive experience with the other Xanterra tour.
Felt as if we were trapped, and we kinda were, in silence for most of the trip.
Truly disappointed in this outing. We should have driven ourselves starting early in the morning. The driver was only really looking for places where others had stopped in Lamar Valley and other locations.
The bad: total lack of communication. We were told the tour left at 6 am, which was still after sunrise but thought we’d be out early to really see stuff. So we arrived 15 minutes as suggested, only to have staff say the tour would leave at 615. Short delay, no problem. Then the guide (E.S.) showed at 645 am, explaining that times changed effective august 1, that date. Our guide was disengaged and very scattered, telling a few truly terrible jokes but not really sharing that much with us as far as facts go. At our first stop, we saw another group with a different guide, and she was engaged, enthusiastic and seemed genuinely interested in her guests. Our guide could almost not have cared less. As far as wildlife sightings, didn’t get anything special that we wouldn’t have received on our own. That was disappointing given our positive experience with the other Xanterra tour.
Felt as if we were trapped, and we kinda were, in silence for most of the trip.
Truly disappointed in this outing. We should have driven ourselves starting early in the morning. The driver was only really looking for places where others had stopped in Lamar Valley and other locations.
Written August 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KKTravels35
Nashville, TN21 contributions
Jun 2022
Wow, what an awesome tour! My group and I had dreamt of seeing Yellowstone wildlife (bears and wolves mostly). Well, our dreams came to reality. We were able to see a brown bear with her cinnamon cub. We were actually very lucky and saw a wolf on a separate tour. Our guide was Cari, and this was our second tour with her. I highly recommend Cari. She was so dedicated to our group and willing to go the extra mile. This tour is totally worth your time. You will see wildlife and just have a great time!
Written June 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OhioHick
Ohio, USA8,789 contributions
Sep 2011 • Couples
My wife and I stayed at Roosevelt Lodge as part of our time in Yellowstone, in part so that we could have easy access to the Lamar Valley. We expected to explore the area on our own, but at the last moment decided to add the Wake up to Wildlife Tour on a historic Yellow Bus. We had taken a Red Bus tour when we visited Glacier National Park in 2009 and that tour provided an outstanding introduction to the park, so we figured that this tour would provide an equally good overview of the Lamar Valley. We were not disappointed.
Our tour was on a Saturday in early September. We made the reservation for the tour just the afternoon before (probably only able to do this as it was near the end of the season). The staff at Roosevelt Lodge took care of the reservation details. The tour originated at Mammoth and arrived at Roosevelt Lodge at 7:00 to collect us. The stop at Roosevelt was also used as a coffee break and rest stop for the tour. The bus was nearly full when it rolled in from Mammoth, so my wife and I had to split up (no big deal), but I got lucky and got to ride shotgun. I reckon we were on the road toward the Lamar Valley about 7:15.
Our driver/guide for the tour was Charlotte and she was an OUTSTANDING guide! She was extremely knowledgeable about the park and the wildlife, a great communicator, and was a lot of fun. Sitting in the co-pilot’s seat was a great opportunity for discussion with Charlotte as well as for photos.
The tour covers the Lamar Valley, and I am sure that the tours vary from day to day based on what critters are out and about. The plan for our tour was to head over to a bison carcass located near Soda Butte Cone (the bison had been gored and died the day before, so the wolves and bears had been feeding). However plans do not always work exactly as laid out as we hit a bison jam about 10 minutes out of Roosevelt Lodge and trailed the herd for quite a while before they exited the highway. This was actually very cool, as we were traveling with the herd and had the big animals all around the bus. We saw a LOT of bison on the trip and got some good shots. We also saw a couple small herds of pronghorn, but mostly we kept heading east toward the carcass.
On the drive to the carcass area, Charlotte gave us some history on the wolves, which were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. The original wolf population was eradicated in the early 1900s. The first reintroduced pack in the Lamar Valley was the Druid Pack, however they were challenged by the Slough Creek pack and driven from the valley about 5 years ago. However, the Druids regained control of Lamar Valley 2 or 3 years ago but were then stricken by mange and decimated. Only a couple of animals survived and became the core of the Lamar Valley Pack.
As we got closer, we saw a lot of cars and many folks out in the field with spotting scopes. Charlotte was able to wedge the bus into the parking area (horse ride loading turnout). Once unloaded, we headed out to see what we could see.
We walked out to one of the groups with spotting scopes and got hooked into where the wolves were. They were about a mile across the valley in the sage brush. We saw five or six wolves from the Lamar Valley Pack. Seems they had clashed with another pack and the pups were scattered about, so there was a lot of calling and movement trying to get the pack back together. The regular watchers said that this was an extraordinary viewing and action, so we were very lucky.
We were there until well after 9:00 then headed on east to look for Mountain Goats. We spotted one on Baronette Mountain; it was just a little dot on the mountain side, but easily visible through the spotting scope. Charlotte had a scope and binoculars to share, but if you have binoculars, bring them along on the tour. Then we headed back the way we came toward Roosevelt. All was quiet at the carcass site when we passed, so we kept cruising. We saw a lot of bison and pronghorn and one mule deer during the return trip and made a couple of photo stops. We also spotted several ospreys and a Clark’s Nutcracker. We were back at Roosevelt Lodge at about 11:00.
Overall, this was an excellent tour and a great introduction to the Lamar Valley. We were fortunate to see so many animals. The bison herds were huge and seeing the wolf pack, even from a distance, was a tremendous treat. While we could have done the same drive ourselves, we would have missed all the information provided by Charlotte. Plus, having someone else do the driving so that we could both enjoy the scenery and the animal watching was a major plus.
Note that coffee, juice and muffins are also included with the tour. Tip: bring binoculars if you have them.
Our tour was on a Saturday in early September. We made the reservation for the tour just the afternoon before (probably only able to do this as it was near the end of the season). The staff at Roosevelt Lodge took care of the reservation details. The tour originated at Mammoth and arrived at Roosevelt Lodge at 7:00 to collect us. The stop at Roosevelt was also used as a coffee break and rest stop for the tour. The bus was nearly full when it rolled in from Mammoth, so my wife and I had to split up (no big deal), but I got lucky and got to ride shotgun. I reckon we were on the road toward the Lamar Valley about 7:15.
Our driver/guide for the tour was Charlotte and she was an OUTSTANDING guide! She was extremely knowledgeable about the park and the wildlife, a great communicator, and was a lot of fun. Sitting in the co-pilot’s seat was a great opportunity for discussion with Charlotte as well as for photos.
The tour covers the Lamar Valley, and I am sure that the tours vary from day to day based on what critters are out and about. The plan for our tour was to head over to a bison carcass located near Soda Butte Cone (the bison had been gored and died the day before, so the wolves and bears had been feeding). However plans do not always work exactly as laid out as we hit a bison jam about 10 minutes out of Roosevelt Lodge and trailed the herd for quite a while before they exited the highway. This was actually very cool, as we were traveling with the herd and had the big animals all around the bus. We saw a LOT of bison on the trip and got some good shots. We also saw a couple small herds of pronghorn, but mostly we kept heading east toward the carcass.
On the drive to the carcass area, Charlotte gave us some history on the wolves, which were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. The original wolf population was eradicated in the early 1900s. The first reintroduced pack in the Lamar Valley was the Druid Pack, however they were challenged by the Slough Creek pack and driven from the valley about 5 years ago. However, the Druids regained control of Lamar Valley 2 or 3 years ago but were then stricken by mange and decimated. Only a couple of animals survived and became the core of the Lamar Valley Pack.
As we got closer, we saw a lot of cars and many folks out in the field with spotting scopes. Charlotte was able to wedge the bus into the parking area (horse ride loading turnout). Once unloaded, we headed out to see what we could see.
We walked out to one of the groups with spotting scopes and got hooked into where the wolves were. They were about a mile across the valley in the sage brush. We saw five or six wolves from the Lamar Valley Pack. Seems they had clashed with another pack and the pups were scattered about, so there was a lot of calling and movement trying to get the pack back together. The regular watchers said that this was an extraordinary viewing and action, so we were very lucky.
We were there until well after 9:00 then headed on east to look for Mountain Goats. We spotted one on Baronette Mountain; it was just a little dot on the mountain side, but easily visible through the spotting scope. Charlotte had a scope and binoculars to share, but if you have binoculars, bring them along on the tour. Then we headed back the way we came toward Roosevelt. All was quiet at the carcass site when we passed, so we kept cruising. We saw a lot of bison and pronghorn and one mule deer during the return trip and made a couple of photo stops. We also spotted several ospreys and a Clark’s Nutcracker. We were back at Roosevelt Lodge at about 11:00.
Overall, this was an excellent tour and a great introduction to the Lamar Valley. We were fortunate to see so many animals. The bison herds were huge and seeing the wolf pack, even from a distance, was a tremendous treat. While we could have done the same drive ourselves, we would have missed all the information provided by Charlotte. Plus, having someone else do the driving so that we could both enjoy the scenery and the animal watching was a major plus.
Note that coffee, juice and muffins are also included with the tour. Tip: bring binoculars if you have them.
Written October 13, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris W
Cheltenham, UK50 contributions
Jun 2011 • Couples
We took the tour from Mammoth. We were taken in a refurbished "old bus" which is an interesting experience of itself. The driver/guide was knowlegeable and enthusiastic. The route took us out into the Lamar valley where we saw lots of bison, a couple of bears, elk, pronghorn deer, a fleeting glimpse of a wolf and some smaller mammals. However, we had driven through the valley on our way from Cody the previous day and covered the same territory.
If you get up early, take a flask of coffee and some eats with you and keep your eyes open you can probably see as much as you would on the tour, albeit without the input of the guide. Generally where there was wildlife to be seen there were groups of people armed with cameras and binoculars, so just stop where they are and ask what they're looking at (if its not obvious)
If you get up early, take a flask of coffee and some eats with you and keep your eyes open you can probably see as much as you would on the tour, albeit without the input of the guide. Generally where there was wildlife to be seen there were groups of people armed with cameras and binoculars, so just stop where they are and ask what they're looking at (if its not obvious)
Written October 4, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue H
Denver, CO1,510 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
We did the Wake Up to Wildlife Tour as part of the Trail of the Wolf snowmobile package in Feb 2015. You depart from the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel while it is still dark in a comfortable van. It is about 18 miles from the hotel to the Roosevelt Tower intersection, then another 15 or so miles through the Lamar Valley. By the time you get to the valley it will be light.
They provided a muffin and juice on our tour but I'm not sure if that is because we were part of the Wildlife Tour or part of the Trail of the Wolf Tour. Our guide, David, gave us lots of information about the park and about wildlife along the way.
We had driven the Lamar Valley on our own the day before and although we saw a few things, we didn't see as much as we did on the tour. We drove it again on our own several days later and saw much more because we knew what to look for.
You know it's a good day when you have a "3 dog day" - wolves, red fox, and coyotes. We saw all three, plus a bald eagle, moose, big horn sheep, and many bison. There is no way we would have seen all of this on our own for two reasons. First, you have many more eyes in the van to spot wildlife, and two, the guides know where these critters tend to be. About 10 miles after turning into the Lamar Valley from the Roosevelt Tower junction you will see a large pullout with photographers staring across the road at a close-by hill. That is where the big horn sheep tend to be. Several miles further down the road at a big bend you'll see willow trees on the right with more photographers and this is where the moose tend to be. Coyotes can be seen on the right (as you're driving into the Lamar Valley from Roosevelt Tower junction) all along the wide field between the river and the mountains. Wolves and red foxes are more rare, but if you see a string of very serious photographers with long lenses all pointed in the same direction there's a good chance they've seen wolves.
We saw the most wildlife in the morning. Regardless of whether you spot all you want to see, this is a pretty drive along one of America's iconic roads. Highly recommended.
They provided a muffin and juice on our tour but I'm not sure if that is because we were part of the Wildlife Tour or part of the Trail of the Wolf Tour. Our guide, David, gave us lots of information about the park and about wildlife along the way.
We had driven the Lamar Valley on our own the day before and although we saw a few things, we didn't see as much as we did on the tour. We drove it again on our own several days later and saw much more because we knew what to look for.
You know it's a good day when you have a "3 dog day" - wolves, red fox, and coyotes. We saw all three, plus a bald eagle, moose, big horn sheep, and many bison. There is no way we would have seen all of this on our own for two reasons. First, you have many more eyes in the van to spot wildlife, and two, the guides know where these critters tend to be. About 10 miles after turning into the Lamar Valley from the Roosevelt Tower junction you will see a large pullout with photographers staring across the road at a close-by hill. That is where the big horn sheep tend to be. Several miles further down the road at a big bend you'll see willow trees on the right with more photographers and this is where the moose tend to be. Coyotes can be seen on the right (as you're driving into the Lamar Valley from Roosevelt Tower junction) all along the wide field between the river and the mountains. Wolves and red foxes are more rare, but if you see a string of very serious photographers with long lenses all pointed in the same direction there's a good chance they've seen wolves.
We saw the most wildlife in the morning. Regardless of whether you spot all you want to see, this is a pretty drive along one of America's iconic roads. Highly recommended.
Written February 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelTwin777
Gahanna, OH71 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
I took the Wake up to Wildlife tour from the Mammoth Hotel area. This required a 6:15am departure time. Note that from this area, you will drive about 1 hour to the Roosevelt Lodge area to pick up other guests and then finally make your way to Lamar Valley. By the time you get to Lamar Valley though, the sun is already way up and shining brightly. Much too late to catch the early rising wildlife.
Our driver, Steve, was a Ranger in the park for over 30 years. He was VERY knowledgeable about the wildlife and the park and was very happy to answer questions, tell stories and chat. He was also a good driver and always made sure we were comfortable.
I just don't think this tour was worth the money though. We drove all the same main roads that everyone else drives and didn't go anywhere exclusive or learn anything that I couldn't have seen or read on the roadside signs or at the visitor centers. Despite the early call time, as I mentioned earlier, I feel the tour should have started earlier. It took much too long to drive from Mammoth to arrive in the Lamar Valley for early morning sightings. The highlight of the tour was seeing Mountain Goats that Steve pointed out. I definitely would not have known to look for them.
Not recommended. At $90 a head, I expected more - more time in wildlife rich areas, arrival in the wildlife rich areas earlier when animals are more active, more "insider" info and routes. You can do this on your own. I don't even think they should offer this tour from Mammoth area - it's just too far away from the Valley.
Our driver, Steve, was a Ranger in the park for over 30 years. He was VERY knowledgeable about the wildlife and the park and was very happy to answer questions, tell stories and chat. He was also a good driver and always made sure we were comfortable.
I just don't think this tour was worth the money though. We drove all the same main roads that everyone else drives and didn't go anywhere exclusive or learn anything that I couldn't have seen or read on the roadside signs or at the visitor centers. Despite the early call time, as I mentioned earlier, I feel the tour should have started earlier. It took much too long to drive from Mammoth to arrive in the Lamar Valley for early morning sightings. The highlight of the tour was seeing Mountain Goats that Steve pointed out. I definitely would not have known to look for them.
Not recommended. At $90 a head, I expected more - more time in wildlife rich areas, arrival in the wildlife rich areas earlier when animals are more active, more "insider" info and routes. You can do this on your own. I don't even think they should offer this tour from Mammoth area - it's just too far away from the Valley.
Written August 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am staying in West Yellowstone. How long will it take to get to the pick up point by 6 am?
Written February 1, 2020
Approximately 1 hour, depending on weather, traffic and wildlife.
Written February 2, 2020
Do we ride in one of the yellow buses? That is what the Xanterra rep mentioned during initial signup.
Written July 29, 2015
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