Private tour, run by Sky's the Limit Tours
Yellowstone Upper Loop Wildlife Safari: Lamar Valley, PRIVATE
From $449.99 per adult Dates and prices
Starts in West Yellowstone: Door-to-door pickup if you stay within 2 miles of the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center; guests farther out meet the guide in town.
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Price and dates
From $449.99 per adult
Checked 21 October 2026 for Friday 23 October
Daily until 31 October. Choose any day the tour is running.
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At a glance
- Length
- 8 hours, starts 6 a.m.
- Runs
- Daily until 31 October
- Later dates
- Some dates on sale between 1 May 2027 and 1 November 2027
- Group
- Private: only your group
- Guide
- In English
- Park entry
- Park entry not included
Before you book
Travellers who live abroad and are at least 16 pay $100 each on top of the usual entrance fee, even with a tour; an annual or America the Beautiful pass is the exception. Because tours drive in from West Yellowstone, they halt when that road closes to cars after 31 October 2026.
Where it starts
Door-to-door pickup if you stay within 2 miles of the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center; guests farther out meet the guide in town. There is a pickup option, and you can also meet at the start.
The 47 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
- Faithful Street Inn
- Golden Stone Inn
- Golden West Motel
- Gray Wolf Inn and Suites
- Hibernation Station
- Ho Hum Motel
- 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
- Tao's Inn
- The Historic Madison Hotel, Motel and Hostel
- Three Bear Lodge
- Traveler's Lodge
- Wagon Wheel Hotel
- Wagon Wheel RV Campground and Cabins
- Westwood Motel
- White Buffalo Hotel
- Yellowstone Country Inn
- Yellowstone Inn
- Yellowstone Lodge
- Yellowstone Park Hotel
- Yellowstone Townhouses
- Yellowstone West Gate Hotel
- Yellowstone Wildlife Cabins
Pickup details
Guests within 2 miles of the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center get door-to-door pickup. Anyone staying farther out, such as at Under Canvas or in Island Park, Big Sky or Bozeman, meets the guide in town, where there is safe, free all-day parking.
Staying inside Yellowstone, in Gardiner, in the Tetons or in Jackson? You can meet at a central point in the park; phone the company to set it up.
Expect a call or message from your guide by 7 p.m. the night before with the meeting details. Heard nothing by then? Call or text the company.
Wear layers, a hat and sunglasses. Bring breakfast or eat it beforehand: none is provided, though the guide carries drinks and healthy snacks to tide you over until lunch.
About this tour
Sky’s the Limit Tours takes you through the wild country and rich wildlife of Yellowstone’s Upper Loop. This private safari can be changed to suit you, and it is a good fit for nature lovers and photographers. The guides are known for their stories, which bring the park to life.
After a hotel pickup in West Yellowstone, your guide takes you to the park’s best-known places, including Lamar Valley, known for its wolves, bears and bison. Your guide brings high-end Vortex binoculars and scopes, so you see the animals up close. You may even meet well-known wolf researchers such as Rick McIntyre and hear what they are seeing that day.
Lunch is provided, with choices for every diet, along with healthy snacks and bottled water.
You ride in a comfortable Toyota Sienna minivan. On the way, you learn about the park’s nature, and about how the company works to protect it and travel responsibly.
The route
These stops follow the operator's list, in order. Treat the times as the operator's guide: animals and traffic change them.
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Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley, often called the Serengeti of North America, is in the northeast of the park. It is known for its open land, its plants and its many animals. The safari makes several stops here to look for wildlife, and your guide explains the valley’s history and how it was formed.
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Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The canyon measures 1,500 to 4,000 feet across, and it is 800 to 1,200 feet deep. Watch the Yellowstone River rush through it and drop over a 308-foot waterfall.
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Slough Creek
Slough Creek starts in the Absaroka Range and flows into the Lamar River. Many plants and animals live along it. The safari stops several times here to track and find wildlife, and your guide explains its history and how the land was formed.
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Tower Fall
This waterfall in the northeast of the Upper Loop, near Tower Junction, drops 132 feet. The strange rock columns north of the falls, called columnar basalt, formed when lava cracked as it cooled.
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Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs is a group of hot features at the park’s North Entrance, near Gardiner. It is known for its stone terraces, built up by minerals in the water. Tiny algae in the pools give them their brown and red colors.
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Gibbon Falls
Gibbon Falls is an 84-foot drop on the Gibbon River, along the edge of the Yellowstone caldera.
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Norris Geyser Basin
Take a walk through the most active hot area in Yellowstone. You can see the famous Steamboat Geyser and the hot springs of Porcelain Basin. Trails here run from 0.2 miles to 3 miles.
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Mount Washburn
The guide knows several pullouts around Mount Washburn where wildlife often shows up. There, the guide helps you find animals through binoculars and spotting scopes.
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Undine Falls
This easy-to-see waterfall comes down in three steps, and the company calls it a must-see. Its old name was the Cascade Falls of the East Gardiner. The geologist Arnold Hague renamed it after Undine, a wise water spirit from German stories who lived around waterfalls and could win a soul by marrying a human. If that sounds familiar, think of The Little Mermaid.
What is included
Included
- Bottled water
- Lunch and snacks
- A minivan with air conditioning
- Binoculars and a spotting scope to share
Not included
- Gratuity for your guide
- Park entrance fees
Cancellation and good to know
The terms allow a full refund for cancellations made at least 24 hours before the start. No refund is given after that.
Good to know
- Children too small to walk far can ride in a stroller or pram.
- Every fitness level is welcome on this Upper Loop safari.
- The tour’s listed length counts the time spent driving.
- Staying outside the pickup zone? Call the company with your questions.
Reviews
4.9 out of 5 from 114 reviews.
Questions about this tour
Where does Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari start?
Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari leaves from West Yellowstone, Montana. The plan is this: door-to-door pickup if you stay within 2 miles of the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center; guests farther out meet the guide in town.
Does Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari include the Yellowstone entrance fee?
No. Entry to the park is not in the price of Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari.
How long is Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari?
Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari starts at 6 a.m. and lasts 8 hours in all.
Can I cancel Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari for a refund?
Yes. Up until 24 hours before the start of Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari, cancelling returns the whole price. After that, it returns nothing.
Can children go on Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari?
Yes, children of all ages can join Sky's the Limit Tours' private Upper Loop safari.