Shared tour, run by CoveredGround Tours
Guided Yellowstone Tour from Big Sky and West Yellowstone
From $275 per adult Dates and prices
Starts in West Yellowstone: Pickup at 7 a.m. from West Yellowstone hotels, campgrounds and RV parks, or meet in the Visitor Center parking lot at 30 Yellowstone Ave.
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Price and dates
From $275 per adult
Checked 21 October 2026 for Saturday 24 October
Daily until 25 October. The dates to choose are the days it runs.
Price shown: the date and party in the boxes above. Switch either for an updated figure.
Check Availability- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Instant confirmation
- If poor weather makes the operator cancel, you have the choice of another day or a full refund.
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At a glance
- Length
- 8 to 10 hours, starts 7 a.m.
- Runs
- Daily until 25 October
- Later dates
- Some dates on sale between 1 May 2027 and 25 October 2027
- Group
- Shared, up to 11 people
- Ages
- 1 and over; an adult must be in the booking
- Guide
- In English
- Park entry
- Park entry not included
Before you book
A $100 nonresident fee applies to each visitor aged 16 or over who does not live in the US, including people on tours. An annual or America the Beautiful pass removes it. Cars may use the road from town into the park until 31 October 2026; driving tours end when it closes.
Where it starts
Pickup at 7 a.m. from West Yellowstone hotels, campgrounds and RV parks, or meet in the Visitor Center parking lot at 30 Yellowstone Ave. Ask for a pickup, or meet the others at the starting point.
The 38 West Yellowstone lodgings on the pickup list
- 1872 Inn
- Al's Westward Ho Motel
- Alpine Motel
- Arrowhead Lodge by Arrowhead Properties
- Best Western Desert Inn
- Best Western Weston Inn
- Big Western Pines Motel
- Brandin' Iron Inn
- City Center Motel
- ClubHouse Inn West Yellowstone
- Crosswinds Inn
- Dude/Round Up Motel
- Elkhorn Cabins and Inn
- Evergreen Motel
- Explorer Cabins At Yellowstone
- Golden West Motel
- Gray Wolf Inn and Suites
- Holiday Inn West Yellowstone By IHG
- Kelly Inn West Yellowstone
- Lazy Duck Inn
- Moose Creek Inn
- One Horse Motel
- Pine Shadows Motel
- Pioneer Motel
- Pony Express Motel
- Sleepy Hollow Lodge
- Stage Coach Inn
- Starlite Yellowstone, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
- The Historic Madison Hotel, Motel and Hostel
- Three Bear Lodge
- Traveler's Lodge
- Westwood Motel
- White Buffalo Hotel
- Yellowstone Inn
- Yellowstone Lodge
- Yellowstone Park Hotel
- Yellowstone Townhouses
- Yellowstone West Gate Hotel
The operator's pickup list also covers places to stay in Big Sky.
Pickup details
The tour picks up at 7 a.m. from every hotel, campground and RV park in West Yellowstone, and at 6 a.m. from a meeting point in Big Sky. Call the company about other places to meet.
If you are staying in Cody, at Lake Hotel or at Canyon Village, book the company’s “Full-Day Guided Yellowstone Day Tour” instead; it meets at the Fishing Bridge General Store at 9 a.m. Guests who stay in the park, at Old Faithful or Mammoth Hot Springs, meet at 8 a.m. at the Madison Day Use parking area. It is 16 miles north of Old Faithful. There is no pickup in Jackson or Gardiner; guests from there must come to a meeting point.
At the Madison Day Use parking area, the guide arrives at 8 a.m. for anyone driving in from elsewhere in the park, such as the Old Faithful Inn or the North Entrance. Wait near the restroom building. You can leave your car here for the day.
In West Yellowstone, meet between 7 and 7:20 a.m. in the parking lot of the West Yellowstone Visitor Center, 30 Yellowstone Avenue. There are restrooms, and you are allowed to park there for the day. The guide will probably arrive around 7:10 a.m.
In Big Sky, meet at The Wilson Hotel at 6 a.m. The van pulls right up to the main entrance under the roof. The listing says 7 a.m., but that time is for West Yellowstone; from Big Sky the tour leaves at 6 a.m.
About this tour
Learn a lot while a guide shows you and your group around the country’s first national park. The company says its guides are approved by the National Park Service, and that they know how to take you to the best stops and explain them well. They love Yellowstone and know how to pack a full day with fun.
You learn about the park’s history, wildlife and natural wonders, and about its many hot features.
This full day from the west side leaves every day from Big Sky at 6 a.m. or from West Yellowstone at 7 a.m. You always come back to the place you started.
The route
Below is the route as the operator sets it out. The minutes at each stop are theirs, and a wildlife jam or a busy road can change them.
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Firehole Canyon Drive
Drive the Firehole Canyon road to see the Firehole River and its waterfall on this pretty 2-mile route.
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Fountain Paint Pot
Many visitors like this stop best because it has all four kinds of hot features in one place: geysers, steam vents, hot springs and mud pots (the “paint pots”). It is an interesting, historic stop right beside the road.
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Grand Prismatic Spring
Drive past Grand Prismatic Spring, one of the largest hot springs in the world, in Midway Geyser Basin just north of Old Faithful. If traffic allows, the group stops to see the colorful, steaming spring up close. The guide often chooses this stop or Old Faithful, depending on what the group needs.
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Old Faithful
See Old Faithful, the park’s most famous and most regular geyser, which shoots up to about 150 feet. The company promises you will see it erupt. You can also walk through the historic Old Faithful Inn, look in the gift shops and cafeterias, and watch for the bison that live nearby.
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West Thumb Geyser Basin
This stop depends on the time. See more hot features, including mud pots, steam vents and hot springs, right on the shore of Yellowstone Lake. A boardwalk loop passes the Fishing Cone and other features.
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Yellowstone Lake
See the clear water of Yellowstone Lake, the largest mountain lake in North America, which sits in the middle of the Yellowstone caldera.
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Dragon's Mouth Springs
Stop at the Mud Volcano and Dragon’s Mouth Spring to see more of the park’s hot features, such as mud pots and steam vents.
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Yellowstone Geysers: Mud Volcano Area
See the “Mud Volcano” and the bubbling, steaming and smelly hot ground in the middle of the Yellowstone caldera.
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Hayden Valley
Drive through lovely Hayden Valley, where bears, wolves, elk and bison live. The guide slows down or stops for wildlife whenever it is safe.
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Artist Point
Artist Point gives one of the finest views you will ever see of the Lower Falls of the Yellowstone. Get ready to be amazed.
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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
From the Artist Point lookout you see the 308-foot Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, which runs for 20 miles between tall, colorful walls. If there is time, the guide takes you to another viewpoint too.
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Gibbon Falls
See Gibbon Falls on the Gibbon River, which flows into the Madison River.
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Madison River
Enjoy the drive in and out of the park on the West Entrance road, and learn why Yellowstone became the world’s first national park.
What is included
Included
- Lunch: a turkey, ham, roast beef, veggie or peanut butter and jelly sandwich for each guest, with chips and a homemade cookie
- Bottled water
- Binoculars, and spotting scopes on tripods
- A vehicle with air conditioning
Not included
- Park entry, which the company gives as $20 for each adult. Each national park pass held by an adult gets 4 adults in, so a group usually has enough passes for everyone.
- Tips, which are up to you
Cancellation and good to know
Change of plans? Cancel 24 hours or more before the tour and the whole price comes back. Any later and it does not.
If poor weather makes the operator cancel, you have the choice of another day or a full refund.
Should the operator cancel because not enough people signed up, you can choose another date or a full refund.
Good to know
- Strollers and prams are allowed, but babies ride on an adult’s lap in the vehicle.
- Service animals may join the group.
- You’ll find public transport close to the start.
- There is no fitness requirement for this full day from the west side.
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 from 118 reviews.
Questions about this tour
Where does CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour start?
CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour gets going in West Yellowstone. Specifically: pickup at 7 a.m. from West Yellowstone hotels, campgrounds and RV parks, or meet in the Visitor Center parking lot at 30 Yellowstone Ave.
Does CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour include the Yellowstone entrance fee?
No: the price of CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour does not cover entry to Yellowstone.
How long is CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour?
Expect CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour to last 8 to 10 hours, with a 7 a.m. start.
Can I cancel CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour for a refund?
Yes, with at least 24 hours' notice before CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour starts you are refunded in full. Later cancellations get no refund.
Can children go on CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour?
Yes, if they are 1 or older: CoveredGround Tours' guided Yellowstone tour has a minimum age of 1, and every booking needs an adult.