Is a Guided Tour of Yellowstone Worth It?
If you’re wondering, is a guided tour of Yellowstone worth it? You’ve come to the right place!
This article will tell you whether or not it’s worth spending your money on a guided tour of Yellowstone.
We have been to Yellowstone National Park numerous times & will tell you, it is totally worth it to take a tour. Of course, everyone is different & might be looking for a different type of experience.
That’s why we’ll tell you all the pros and cons of taking a tour in Yellowstone and you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth it.
Our Top Yellowstone Tour Pick:
Yellowstone Day Trip from Teton Village or Jackson Hole
Things To Consider About Taking A Guided Yellowstone Tour
So, do you need a guide for Yellowstone or not? There are many things to consider. Here are the pros and cons:
Pros of doing a Guided Tour in Yellowstone:
– You won’t need to rent a car. If you are coming from out of town & won’t be driving to Yellowstone, then you’ll need to rent a car. Renting a car can be a big hassle and depending on the length of your stay, it can be a similar price to taking a guided tour!
– You won’t have someone missing out because they are driving. Every time we’ve visited Yellowstone we saw the most amazing things in transit. We saw wolves running alongside the road, gorgeous sunsets, moose, elk, and bears all while driving. When we saw the bears & wolves, the driver wasn’t able to pull over fast enough for them to see the wildlife too.
– You don’t have to deal with parking and/or crowds. Let’s face it, Yellowstone is an extremely popular park. If you go in the high season, you will, unfortunately, have to deal with crowds. A pro of going on a tour is the tour guide can drop you off while they go deal with parking. They also will know the best times to visit each individual spot for fewer crowds.
– You can learn a lot about what you’re seeing. A tour guide is going to know everything about the park & be able to tell you what you want to know. Oftentimes tour guides will customize their knowledge sharing to what you’re interested in so you don’t have to hear about things you don’t care about.
– You get to visit secret spots & the most popular places at the right time. A tour guide is going to know all the best secret spots to take you to that no one knows about. They are also going to know when to take you to the most popular spots when there are the least crowds.
– You don’t have to worry about planning. Yellowstone is a huge park. You 100% have to plan your trip ahead of time. There is so much to see and do in this park; it’s so big that if you don’t plan ahead you’ll just end up spending every day overwhelmed and won’t maximize your time.
– Many people drive from Jackson. It’s very popular to explore all the amazing things to do in Grand Teton National Park while also seeing Yellowstone, so many people base themselves in Jackson which is a 1-hour & 15-minute drive. On top of driving around in the park, it’s a long day behind the wheel.
Cons of doing a Guided Tour in Yellowstone:
– Less independence. One of the reasons why people don’t like going on tours is because they don’t want to be herded around with a huge group of people. That’s why we recommend this tour as one of our favorites, it’s a small group and can be customizable to your interests.
– Not great for budget travelers. Another big reason why people don’t want to take tours is that it doesn’t fit into their budget. If you still want some sort of guidance but can’t afford to spend a bunch, we recommend this audio-driving tour. Suggested itineraries are included & it works offline so you don’t need cell service!
Best Guided Tours Of Yellowstone National Park
Now that we’ve gone over the pros and cons to the question- should you do a guided tour of Yellowstone, let’s get into some of the best tour options for seeing this amazing park.
1. Yellowstone Day Trip From Teton Village Or Jackson Hole
This 1-day tour is a great option for people looking to see all the most amazing sights in Yellowstone National Park. It is the highest-rated tour and very popular with people wanting to tour the best of Yellowstone!
On this tour, you’ll visit Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic Spring, Lake Yellowstone, and much more. You will also get to Lower Yellowstone River Falls, one of our favorites from our trip. And the best part is you’ll hang out in Hayden Valley looking for wildlife where it’s common to see elk, bears, wolves, and more.
The best part is you’re transported in an SUV, not a huge tour bus, so this tour is intimate and only has a maximum of 8 people!
Picks up from: Teton Village or Jackson Hole at your hotel
This tour is for: First-time (or second, or third) visitors to Yellowstone who are looking to see all the most popular sites in one day.
👉 Check Price & Make Reservations 👈
2. VIP Private Boutique Tour Of Yellowstone’s Lower Loop
You’ll be surprised at how affordable this VIP private tour of Yellowstone actually is! On this luxury tour, you’ll be escorted by your guide on a customizable tour of Yellowstone. You get to decide which spots you want to visit, which ones you want to skip, and how long you want to stay.
This tour picks up from any lodge or hotel inside the park or you can meet your guide in West Yellowstone MT, Island Park ID, or Rexburg ID. You will be in a comfy Jeep and drinks and snacks are included.
Many people mentioned they appreciated that they were able to be dropped off at the front of a viewpoint so they didn’t have to walk as much. This is definitely one of the best small-group tours of Yellowstone National Park!
Picks up from: From your hotel inside the park
This tour is for: People looking to have a customized tour & not waste time dealing with crowds. It is also wheelchair accessible.
👉 Check Price & Make Reservations 👈
3. Private Yellowstone Upper Loop Tour
Even though most people go on a lower loop tour when visiting Yellowstone, don’t forget about the Upper Loop. On this incredible tour of the upper loop, you’ll see things like Mammoth Hot Springs, Roosevelt Arch, Norris Geyser Basin, and Dunraven Pass.
This tour is also fully customizable to what you’re looking for. If you feel you’ve seen enough of the sites and really just want to go look for wildlife, the expert guides will take you to all the off-the-beaten-path secret spots for the best wildlife viewing.
The best part, this tour includes binoculars, so if you don’t have any or forget yours, you’re covered!
Picks up from: 15 miles of Gardiner or Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins.
This tour is for: People who have already seen the lower Yellowstone loop and want to see more of the off-the-beaten-path areas of Yellowstone.
👉 Check Price & Make Reservations 👈
4. Yellowstone Custom Wildlife And Nature Tour
Are you most excited about all the wildlife viewing in Yellowstone? Look no further than this fully-customizable tour that’s all about the animals. Your tour guide is a seasoned naturalist and knows everything there is to know about the wildlife in Yellowstone.
You’ll see waterfalls, geysers, and hot springs all while looking for grizzly and black bears, gray wolves, moose, and bighorn sheep! Your guide is also a photographer pro, so they can give you all the best tips for photographing wildlife.
Picks up from: Cody, Wyoming
This tour is for: People who are most excited about seeing the incredible wildlife Yellowstone has to offer
👉 Check Price & Make Reservations 👈
5. 2-Day Yellowstone National Park Upper And Lower Loop Exploration
This ultimate 2 day tour is the absolute best way to see Yellowstone! Starting from Jackson you will head north the Yellowstone National Park where you’ll get to see all the best sites. The best part about this tour? It’s spread out over two days you won’t be rushed. You’ll get to go on some hikes, see Old Faithful erupt, and look for wildlife.
This tour is all-inclusive and your overnight accommodation is covered at Chico Hot Springs Resort, one of the best hotels in the park. This tour is jam-packed with exploring and adventure and you will leave feeling like you truly got to experience everything Yellowstone has to offer.
Picks up from: Jackson, Wyoming
This tour is for: People who are looking for a more relaxed tour but also want to see every part of Yellowstone.
👉 Check Price & Make Reservations 👈
More Information About Visiting Yellowstone
Now that we’ve covered the best tours and answered the question: Is a guided tour of Yellowstone worth it, let’s learn a bit more about Yellowstone to make your trip absolutely worth it.
You can visit all the most popular spots in Yellowstone in one day. 2-3 days is ideal for really getting to explore the park.
A lot of these tours in the article are only 1-day tours and they will take you to all the best spots in one section of the park. Although, you will only get to see some of what the park offers. If you really want to see all of the park, we would recommend 3 days or more.
If you want to add in some hikes and time for wildlife spotting, you could spend up to 5 days exploring the park.
If you want to stay at lodging inside the park, it’s recommended to book a year in advance. If you are planning to drive into the park and stay outside of the park, you can book around 6 months in advance.
Other than securing your accommodation, entering the park doesn’t require any advance planning. Although make sure that you plan out which areas of the park you want to visit in advance – Yellowstone National Park is huge and you don’t want to book your accommodation on the wrong side of the park from what you want to see.
Driving in Yellowstone isn’t difficult. There aren’t a lot of roads and it’s pretty difficult to get lost. If you’re concerned about driving, there are lots of great tour options so you don’t have to worry about driving and you can sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery!
Driving in Yellowstone isn’t scary. There are some hills, but there aren’t any huge mountain passes or scary drop-offs. If you’re concerned about driving, there are so many awesome tour options!
You can definitely enjoy Yellowstone without hiking! There are many roadside viewpoints, scenery, and wildlife viewing that you don’t ever have to go far from your car. Yellowstone is one of the most car-friendly national parks in the country.
Wrap-up: Is A Guided Tour Of Yellowstone Worth It?
Ultimately, if you’re looking for the answer to the question, “Do you need a tour guide for Yellowstone” the answer is, no, you absolutely can tour the park on your own. Although, we do think there are a lot of great reasons for taking a guided tour.
With how popular a park Yellowstone is, it can be beneficial to take a tour just so you’re not fighting crowds all day and circling parking lots looking for parking.
On the other hand, if you are independent and want to make your own itinerary, touring the park on your own could be worth it.
Either way, we hope this article helped you decide which option is best for you, and we hope you have an amazing trip!
Read More: 20 Adventurous Things to Do at Grand Teton National Park
