Day 1 - Flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake City - 2 to about 5.5 hours
Pick ups for this tour take place at hotels in the tourist parts of Phoenix, and any other hotel within about 15 minutes of the airport. You will be shuttled from your hotel for the flight to Salt Lake. The cost of the flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake is included in the tour price.
On landing in Salt Lake you will be picked up and shuttled to your hotel, which is normally the downtown Crystal Inn. The hotel is not too far from the famous Temple Square, and has a good, free, hot breakfast buffet.
The route to Yellowstone goes up Interstate 15, past the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains, before entering Idaho. At Idaho Falls you will leave the freeway behind, and start making your way through rural parts of the state. About 10 miles (16 kilometres) from West Yellowstone you go over the Continental Divide and into Montana.
When we get to West Yellowstone we will stop to get your sack lunches, before making our way into the world's first national park, and possibly the most unique!
The roads running through Yellowstone make up a massive figure of eight. The lower loop of the figure of eight comprises most of the thermal features that are to be seen in Yellowstone, including, of course, Old Faithful!
From West Yellowstone we'll follow the Madison River to Madison Junction. At Madison Junction we will turn right, or south, and travel along the Firehole River which runs through Yellowstone's thermal areas. The Firehole is famous amongst anglers for its pristine beauty and selection of brown, brook and rainbow trout. Depending on the time of the year, this area is often teeming with wildlife. With any luck you will see bison, elk, Trumpeter Swans and other animals and birds. A special treat in the spring is the baby bison calves.
The first main thermal area we will be visiting is the Lower Geyser Basin, and Fountain Paint Pots. There is a boardwalk system running around and through the Fountain Paint Pots area, and it is a great place to go for a stroll, if the bison haven't got there first! Apart from the paint pots, there is also a selection of other thermal features in the area, including a number of geysers, one or other of which almost always seems to be erupting.
The next stop is the Midway Geyser Basin, home to Grand Prismatic Spring - one of the largest anywhere in the world - as well as Excelsior Geyser, now dormant, but discharging thousands of gallons of water every minute.
It is a short drive to the Upper Geyser Basin, home of Old Faithful, the world's best known and most reliable gusher. There is also so much more to the area than just Old Faithful. Old Faithful Inn, a wonderful old building - recently renovated - is located there - and a system of boardwalks will take you around the various other geysers in the area.
We will take you to West Yellowstone Lodge, where you will be staying. After checking in you can explore the town, take a walk through the forest into Yellowstone, go to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center (a must see) or check out a movie at the Yellowstone Giant Screen Theater.
The route that the tour takes will depend on possible road closures in the park, as well as the time of year, but it will be something like the following ...
There is going to be a lot to see and do. We'll head out of West Yellowstone towards Madison Junction, where the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers meet to form the Madison River. Turning left (north) we'll make for Norris Geyser Basin. Along the way we'll stop briefly at Gibbon Falls.
Although not as well known as the other geyser basins, Norris is the most thermally active part of Yellowstone. It is divided into two separate areas: Porcelain Basin and Back Basin.
The next stop is Mammoth Hot Springs, headquarters of the park, and home to a fascinating array of weird rock shapes, bright colors and sizzling hot springs. Elk are generally plentiful in this area, wandering around the old park buildings, and, if you're lucky, you might even see a whole herd.
You can stroll through the ever changing terraces at Mammoth, admiring the travertine creations and hot springs.
Leaving Mammoth we will travel towards Tower Roosevelt, which is where the road to the park's north east entrance, through the Lamar Valley, is. There is almost always wildlife to be seen in this area, even bears!
At Tower Junction we will branch off the main upper loop road, and head through the Lamar Valley, towards the north east entrance to Yellowstone. This is a particularly beautiful part of the park, and where the keen wolf watchers are generally to be found.
Everyone wants to see a bear in the wild at Yellowstone, and the trip from Tower Junction to Tower Falls is one of the best places to do so. The spring can be a great time to go looking for bears, as you have the opportunity of seeing mothers with their new born cubs. Tower Falls is an impressive water fall.
Assuming that it is open, the road from Tower Falls to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone towers up into the sky as it crosses the Dunraven Pass at almost 9000 feet. We then drop down to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
The Yellowstone River has carved an impressive canyon through the rocks, over which two falls drop. It is in this area that you can catch a glimpse of the yellowish tinge to the rocks, from which the Yellowstone River got its name, but at a different location. We will check out the canyon and falls.
Other areas along the route that we may visit, time permitting, include Obsidian Cliff, Virginia Cascade and Undine Falls.
One of the beauties of Yellowstone is that you never know what is around the next corner. This means that extra time could be spent looking at grizzlies, or perhaps trying to spot an elusive wolf, or even being stuck behind a buffalo jam for a while. For these reasons, today's itinerary is very flexible, and one or more of the above stops may be left out, depending on other activities as the hours progress.
A sack lunch is once again provided today. After a fun-filled day it is time to return to West Yellowstone.
You are on your own for dinner and will spend the night in the same place.
You will be picked up from your motel for the ride through the southern part of Yellowstone to Grand Teton. On the way we will once again go past the various geyser basins, and then climb over the Continental Divide twice, on the way to West Thumb.
As we drop down off the continental divide there are great views of Yellowstone Lake, the largest alpine lake in North America.
West Thumb is a delightful geyser basin, located right on the shores of the incredibly blue lake. We will stop to stroll around the boardwalk system that accesses the basin. An added bonus is that there are often elk at West Thumb.
The road between Yellowstone and Grand Teton is called the Rockefeller Parkway. It is only six miles and leads directly into the north entrance of Grand Teton. The main features of the park are the Grand Teton mountains, and a number of beautiful lakes.
You will see historic Colter Bay, Signal Mountain, Jenny Lake, Jackson Lake, Mount Moran, and much more. We also know the best places to find moose, and we will do our best to locate one or more for you.
You will take a leisurely drive through Grand Teton National Park, before arriving in Jackson. A sack lunch is provided today, which you can enjoy somewhere on the road.
You may like to spend more time in the Jackson Hole and Grand Teton area. The way that it works is that instead of continuing to Salt Lake City with the rest of the group, you can leave the tour in Jackson and spend a night there. We will put you on a shuttle back to Salt Lake City the next day. Please note that the shuttle makes several stops on the way, including one 45 minute layover. After you are dropped off in Jackson, the rest of the tour is unescorted. What this means is that you do not have a tour guide with you any more.
Please be aware that Jackson is a very popular destination and that the town does sell out. In addition, there are times when the hotel prices may be higher than we have quoted. If this is the case, we will always ask you what you want to do first, before charging your card. The motel will be in the moderate category, and upgrades may be possible. You can order the extension in Jackson when you check out. The price of the extension includes the shuttle back to Salt Lake in the morning.
If you do not extend your stay in Jackson, your tour continues as detailed below.
The days and dates this tour runs can be seen in the calendar at the top right of this page.
The entry fees to both parks are included.
Three nights' lodging are included: One night at the downtown Crystal Inn in Salt Lake City; two nights at a self catering studio at Yellowstone Studios and Cabins in West Yellowstone. If lodging there is sold out, you will stay at a moderate category motel in West Yellowstone.
The vehicle used is either a small mini bus, or an executive van, which is a van with individual, high back, reclining seats. If you extend in Jackson, a larger vehicle may take you to Salt Lake.
If you extend in Jackson, we will try and get you a hotel within walking distance of the shuttle departure point. If that is not possible, you may need to pay to take a taxi less than two miles to get there.
Prices are based on double occupancy. Single, triple and quad occupancy options are available and will be seen at check out. There are no taxes.
After ordering this tour please wait to receive a confirmation email from us before making any plans that are dependent on this tour.
A minimum of two people may be required for a tour to depart. That is not two in your group, but a total of two.
The tour ends in the Salt Lake City downtown area. Please let us know if we can find you a hotel, at your expense.
We try and use an airline that does not charge a checked luggage fee. If this is not possible, you will need to pay the fee. We will let you know beforehand. Please note that if you leave it too late to book this tour, the price of the flight may increase. If it does, there may be a surcharge which we will let you know about beforehand. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will try and book a morning flight for you. Depending on when you book, the flight may have one stop, and a change of planes.
If there are fewer than six people on the tour, we may transport you to the Salt Lake City airport on the second day, from where you will shuttle to Idaho Falls, where our guide will pick you up. The same may apply in reverse on the fourth day, if there are fewer than six people. Our guide will take you from Jackson to Rexburg on the fourth day, where the shuttle will transport you to Salt Lake City. If this happens, the tour will end at the airport, and not downtown.
At the start and perhaps very end, of the season, seasonal road closures and weather may prevent this tour being run as scheduled. In particular, the road from Old Faithful to Grand Teton generally opens in mid May. If that road is not open when you do your tour, more time will be spent in parts of Yellowstone, and Grand Teton will be omitted. In addition, Dunraven Pass (between Tower Falls and Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone) also generally opens in mid May. Finally, general road maintenance in the park may affect the way this tour operates.
Three sack lunches are the only meals included.
Portions of this tour may be subcontracted to other reputable vendors.
The upper loop tour may be an afternoon tour.
All times are approximate. We are not responsible for the consequences of any delays, and this itinerary may change without notice.
Payment And Cancellation Details: CANCELLATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS TOUR. Changes will also not be accepted, and refunds will not be given. Please consider purchasing trip insurance as our cancellation policy is strictly enforced. The payment schedule is as follows: This tour has an air leg. The cost of the flight, plus half of the remaining balance will be charged any time from when you make the booking. The final balance will be charged 30 or fewer days from the tour date, at our discretion.
Pick up locations in the greater Phoenix area are separated into Phoenix hotels, Scottsdale hotels and Tempe hotels. A list of all the pick up places can be seen below.
Phoenix hotels
AMERICA’S BEST VALUE INN 3400 N. W. GRAND AVE., PHOENIX, AZ. 85017
ARIZONA GRAND RESORT 8000 So. Arizona Grand Parkway, PHOENIX, AZ. 85040
ARTISAN HOTEL (Wellsley Inn) 212 W. Osborn Rd, Phoenix, AZ. 85013
BEST WESTERN AIRPORT 2426 S. 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ. 85034
BEST WESTERN BELL 17211 N. Black Canyon Hwy., Phoenix, AZ. 85023
BEST WESTERN INN STES 16TH ST& NORTHERN 1615 E. Northern Ave., Phoenix, AZ. 85020
BEST WESTERN METRO 8101 N. Black Canyon Rd., Phoenix, AZ. 85021
BILTMORE HOTEL 2400 E Missouri Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85016
BUDGET INN. 424 W. Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ. 85003
BUDGET LODGE METRO 8617 N. Black Canyon Rd., Phoenix, AZ. 85021
BUDGET LODGE DWNT PHX 402 W. Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ. 85003
BUDGET STES OF AMERICA CENTRAL PHX 611 W. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85013
BUDGET SUITES YORKSHIRE 2702 W. Yorkshire, Phoenix, AZ. 85013
(USA) 435 658 2227
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