Mike was very informative through the whole planning process. He worked with us on our points of…read moreinterest through both days. He knew great places to stop for wildlife viewing and Yellowstone sweet spots. He even brought a great lunch and we stopped both days for a rustic picnic. He provided videos and pictures that we took along the way. I would highly recommend him for any Yellowstone tour needs. We look forward to booking him again.

We went on a private tour today in Yellowstone with a guide by the name of Mike Lagodny,…read moreOwner/Operator of Montana Yellowstone Tours. Mike was spectacular. We started off with our first stop after less than 10 minutes in a very nice and immaculate Suburban, where Mike showed us a momma owl and her baby. His equipment is such that one can see as if the wildlife are five to ten feet away. I have poor eyesight, but I was able to see everything today with unbelievable clarity -- thanks to Mike's equipment. Within 15 minutes of being inside the park, we next saw an adult grizzly bear up close from the vehicle as we parked on the side of the road (up close, but actually 100 feet away). And it was not 5-10 minutes later that we saw 6-8 adult bison and 5-7 baby bison. We stayed and watched these for over 30 minutes as Mike felt like they would come closer to us. He was spot on as they got within 50 feet of our Suburban. Mike had hot chocolate, coffee, pastries, banana nut bread -- he was the host of all hosts. His uncanny ability to provide exactly what we wanted was second to none. Our most favorite stop was an area with a wolf den, and Mike quickly spotted the mother wolf along with a bear and a bald eagle nearby. After watching the mother wolf lay down for over 40 minutes, Mike suggested we stay patient as he thought there was a great chance the momma wolf might bring her new born pups out ... Sure enough, after being extra patient, and with a bear and elk walking near the mother wolf, she stood up and pulled her small babies out of the den. We saw at least two babies -- possibly three. We were over one mile away, but again, with Mikes high powered equipment it looked as if they were inside of 50 yards from us. We can't express enough just how good of a guide Mike is. He had sandwiches and drinks for us as well. He is a very safe driver and was very gentle with my wife Dana, who had been sick the past three days. Dana and I highly recommend Mike to all who want to explore Yellowstone and see wildlife and sights that must not be missed ... We plan on bringing our grandchildren next time to introduce them to the wonders of Yellowstone. Thanks for everything, Mike! Sincerely, Jim and Dana S.

This charming historical bus tour of Livingston, Montana is a hidden gem. We had seen the vintage…read moreYellowstone bus around town and wondered how we could get a ride on it. We found that you could take a short tour (about an hour) of LIvingston on this bus! The tour was so fun, and the driver and docent were fine representatives of open, friendly Livingstonians. The tour is casual and no reservations are needed. Just show up at the Livingston Depot Center at 6:30 pm on a Friday and Saturday night during the summer (this is the current schedule as of Summer 2018: the Main Street light pole signs have the old schedule posted). You get a wonderful sense of Livingston history, from the railroad's building of the town, it's close relationship to Yellowstone National Park, and the early leaders. Not to be missed!

The museum itself is cute and interesting with all the collectable. I guess it was a brothel at one…read moretime. The staff was nice but not very knowledgeable about any history of the museum itself. We were there for a walking tour. There was no encouragement to explore the museum. I think they have volunteers that create walking tours. Local historians that conduct research and create the tour. The tour host told us stuff that contradicted what the museum had on display in pictures & plaques, and even what the city had on plaques I had noticed walking around earlier. Part of it could be that we have taken walking history tours... Similar themes of the dark history of an area, in Savannah, Boston, London... So we have been on good tours. With great story telling that you didn't even care how true it was. This host was mostly quoting research and offering her judgement & opinions. Little confusing and contradictory at times. I stopped asking questions because I didn't want to steal away any one else experience. And once I lowered my expectation, I enjoyed the totality of the experience... Beautiful quaint town, great to walk around with some preservation starting in earnest. Not sure if the museum pays the tour host or if she was just a volunteer. The museum tend to elevate the women in their slim options the for a livelihood, the tour guide seems to cast judgement on the poor women of Bozeman, not the industrialists that made them sex slaves to the growing town, and the necessity to survive in a new city at the start of the industrial age. The cost of the tour was a good value, and was worth every opinion though because would know none of it otherwise. And of all the tours available, this was the best selection I wish that Bozeman historical created a plaque or other marker for what once stood on the ground there

This organization offers walking tours of the downtown area, as well as a nearby historic cemetery…read moreand other local historical highlights. I recently took one of their walking tours which covered the local park area and one of the historic residential districts. Beth was our guide and she did a wonderful job - it was a great way to spend 2 hours on a lovely late afternoon! I've also been on their architectural walking tour of downtown buildings/businesses and learned so much. Again, a tour well worth taking!!! Definitely add it to your "to do " list while visiting Bozeman!

Had an amazing experience using Yellowstone luxury tours. We visited Yellowstone on Tuesday & Jesse…read morewas great! He took us to many amazing spots throughout the day. He was accommodating for drop off/pick up time. The pricing was relative to other tours but I was excited It included lunch/snacks & a sprinter van. Would definitely use again.

My family of 9 went on a day long tour with Jordan and she was so knowledgeable, patient, and…read morelovely. She took us all over the park and was flexible to the detours we wanted to take. I would recommend anyone looking for a tour of the park to use Jordan!

I was not sure about coming all the way out here because my original itinerary had me taking the…read moreroad on the other side of the park. However, I fortunately was informed by rangers that Bunsen peak (close to mammoth springs) was a better choice than the original trails I was gonna check out (they were still covered in snow!), so I came here because it's just minutes away from the Bunsen peak trailhead. I'm so glad I did! The formations of the hot spring are SO interesting, one of the coolest areas in the park in my opinion. The colors are lovely, and the path is very accessible (it's a big wooden boardwalk, like how the thumb geyser basin area is). There are a number of steps but parts of the path are flat/wheelchair accessible. There is sporadic parking throughout, and a lot of turnover so I got a spot reasonably easy. There are maps posted all throughout the area so you can walk the whole thing and not get lost. Overall, I would highly rec a visit to this area for anyone visiting Yellowstone, it's really cool and I've not seen any other natural springs before that are quite like it. 10/10!!!

# WARNING: lotta snakes at this section of Yellowstone. And temperamental geothermal ground. Stay…read moreon the boardwalk. Keep your eyes peeled. + Thank goodness for sufficient well-maintained restrooms. ~ Initially when I saw over 5 ppl lined up at the single vault toilet at the Upper Terrace Lot (X77R+PP Mammoth, WY), my heart sank. Since I really needed to go, I drove 5min farther north to MHS' other bigger parking lot, and huzzah! Enough restrooms to go around for everyone! (X7FW+X7 Mammoth, WY). + And about the bullsnakes or gopher snakes fighting, I'm glad they were doing it on the thermal ground, not on the boardwalk. Don't bring your pets, and watch your kids. Pets have died wandering off the boardwalk, and humans have suffered 90%-body severe burns following suit. Lotta aptly named palette springs here. Nature is wondrous!

I toured Yellowstone National Park on three separate days (12/17-12/19/2018) in snowcoaches…read moreprovided by Alpen Guides. Since the cost of the tours was included in a vacation package provided by a travel company, I'm not sure about Alpen Guides' specific prices. This review is based on how much I appreciated the tour itself. I went on two tours to Old Faithful & one to the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Grand Canyon tour included a box lunch. The Old Faithful tour didn't include a meal but you could purchase something to eat at the Old Faithful visitor's center restaurant if you wanted to. I was so excited about riding the snowcoaches! In Yellowstone, snowcoaches are a normal mode of transportation during the winter but I'd never ridden one or even seen one in person before. In lieu of regular tires, the back portion of a snowcoach has tracks like a tank & the front part has something that resembles skis so it can plow through the snow. The reason why I was so anxious to ride one is because the kid in me remembered the old "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" animation special where the narrator rode one. For each tour, I was picked up just before 8:30 am near the front of the motel where I was staying. We normally returned back from the tour around 4:30 pm. The tour groups are usually small (the ones I went on ranged from 4 to 8 tourists with either one or a couple of driver/tour guides). On the three days I went, I rode with customers from Ohio, Alabama, Maryland, Canada, Utah, and the Phillipines (among other places). We were told not to throw gum or candy wrappers on the ground inside the park because they want to keep Yellowstone as natural as possible. During the winter season when there's lots of snow, they only allow snowcoaches & snowmobiles in Yellowstone. Snowcoaches have a speed limit of 25 mph while snowmobiles have a speed limit of 35 mph. Because snowmobiles are allowed to go faster, snowcoach drivers are supposed to pull over to the side and let them pass. Snowmobile drivers usually travel in groups & from my observation behaved like groups of people in a motorcycle club; like they owned the road even though most of them were riding snowmobiles for the first time. The crowds in Yellowstone are small & spread out in December so even with the snowmobilers we felt like we almost had the park to ourselves. The worst thing about the snowmobilers is when we're quietly taking pictures of wildlife & then they drive up en masse & unintentionally scare the animals off. Our drivers/tour guides were excellent at their job. They had eyes like hawks, pointing out such sights as bald eagles nesting in the trees that most of us would've missed. They knew everything about the various types of trees and wildlife. My favorite part was other than seeing the wildlife was listening to the guides tell stories about their experiences in Yellowstone. One tour guide told us about when he was by himself in the park & a grizzly began approaching him. He had to use bear spray to temporarily slow it down so he could get in his vehicle & drive away. Another guide told us about how bald eagles mate for life & how they sometimes test the worthiness of a mate during courtship by doing a death spiral. A death spiral is when they lock talons high in the air, tumble towards the earth & then let go just before hitting the ground. That's how they decide whether their mate is a ride or die. If you're trying to decide which tour to choose, I'd recommend that you go on both. The Old Faithful tour has the best opportunity for souvenirs due to the two gift shops near the geyser. Also, there's a restaurant beside one of the souvenir shops. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone tour is popular too because tourists love taking selfies with the canyon waterfall in the distant background. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone tour includes a boxed lunch that consists of a cold sandwich (roast beef, turkey, etc.), small bag of chips & Oreo cookies. We ate the boxed lunch inside the Canyon Visitor Education Center (where you can see animal skulls & pelts). You'll see wildlife on both tours but I saw more bison on the Old Faithful tour. Every time you venture into Yellowstone it's likely you'll notice something you didn't see the day before. I enjoyed riding the snowcoaches but my favorite was the maroon bombardier that has been running since the 1950s that's nicknamed Chip. It also had a roof that the driver sometimes opened when Chip was parked. You could stand up, stick your head out & take pictures. The other snowcoaches were nice too, although they looked more modern. All of them were toasty inside but during the winter you should wear warm clothing because you will get out of the ride & walk some. The weather fluctuated from single digits to the twenties later in the afternoon. Alpen Guides is as good as it gets when it comes to sightseeing tours. Five stars!

The good: Van was heated, lunch was good, everyone was safe…read more The bad: Don was like listening to Fox News. He talked over us (on a microphone blasting the van) while we were trying to have family time and a family conversation. He was the main attraction at the park that day! We asked him not to talk about politics because we weren't interested in his arm chair quarterbacking. He declined. He didn't ask much about our opinions about where to tour that day. We are locals from Wyoming. Last year a tour operator (at a different company) laid out options and she encouraged us to make our own decisions. If you like not making decisions or having input, listening to Yellowstone facts (sprinkled with politics) blasted into your ears while you drive through pristine Yellowstone, Don is for you!

Amazing experience for our whole family! Our guide Melissa was excellent, personable and competent…read more Made our experience that much more fun. Would definitely recommend.

Tall T was the man. great guide and fun to chill with. Couldnt recommend more if you are looking…read morefor a personable and easy guide to speak with during the fun time

We had an incredible day with Yellowstone Excursions, and I can't recommend them enough! My family…read morewas visiting me from Texas (my sister and her two boys) and California (my mom, daughter, and niece), and we rented a home in Big Sky for our trip. We booked the Yellowstone Lower Loop tour, and it was the perfect way to experience the park together. Our guide, Ben, was absolutely amazing! He arrived right on time at 7am with a spacious, super comfortable van fully stocked with everything we could possibly need for a great tour; including binoculars, drinks, and snacks. Ben was friendly, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable. He kept the kids interested and made sure the entire group was enjoying themselves throughout the day. He was very accommodating to our interests, always asking if we wanted to stop when wildlife was spotted or if we wanted to take more time at certain locations. His flexibility made the whole day feel relaxed and tailored to us. Lunch was at Old Faithful, and it was a delicious treat; sandwiches, chips, fruit, and the best homemade chocolate chip cookie. Everything was provided and thoughtfully prepared. This was such a memorable and well-organized experience. I will absolutely be booking with Yellowstone Excursions again, whether it's to explore another area or when more friends and family come to visit us in Bozeman.

Fabulous adventure in winter! I missed the opportunity twice in the past 2 years...so I ditched…read morethe skis this year and focused on YELLOWSTONE in WINTER. So many animals to see! I highly recommend this adventure.

This appears to be a new tour option in Gardiner and it is a welcome one. I had been on Segway…read moretours in Washington DC and occasionally had a bit of difficulty with hitting curbs. I was a bit apprehensive at trying out segways in the wild. Not to worry, the segways had tires specifically for off-roading. Our tour began, as is usual with Segways, with orientation on how to drive the segways. Then we were off to the hills of the adjacent Gallatin National Forest. We had to stop at one point because an elk took too much interest in us, so we hid in a nearby street until he sauntered off and up the hill. Rain began as we reached the top, so we had to pull off and put the machines under safe shelter, but we were at the top and the views were magnificent. When the rain stopped, we resumed. Most of our tour was on unpaved roads, but the huge tires handled it easily. My guide expertly led us and stopped at particularly scenic areas.

More like MAGA E-bike tours: Californians are not welcome! We all come to Yellowstone to commune…read morewith nature, take in the beautiful scenery, and get away from the hustle and bustle of regular life. The great thing about Yellowstone is there are so many wonderful options. You can white water raft, hike, zip line, e-bike tours, etc... We booked them all! Sadly, we chose Big Sky E-bike tours. The tour started off great. The owner, Jay was our guide. About halfway into the tour, the it starts. Jay brings up Trump and how attending "Trump's school" was the thing he's most proud of. It was like he needed us to know he was MAGA. Jay followed up at the next stop by telling my family how he and everyone hates Californians because they drive up the home prices. Why did Jay feel compelled to say these things? For the record, I am originally Texas, have lived in Californian for 20 years, don't own or plan on buying property in Montana, and was visiting as a tourist pumping my tourist dollars into the local community. It's a free country. Jay can run his business anyway he likes. So, if he doesn't want to serve people from California and feels compelled to profess his love for Trump, that's cool. I wish he had posted that information on his website and not waited until we were in the middle of a 4 hour tour. I would have respected his honesty and simply booked another company. I don't think this would be bad business for Jay. Marketing exclusively to the MAGA community would probably be great business. Anyway, enjoy your time in Montana. It's truly a magical place and most of the people are absolutely wonderful!

Not what we expected on the Bike and Soak Tour. This tour does not go into the park. You ride along…read morea fire service road with a washboard surface for a lot of the ride on a very heavy eBike with a back break that is very difficult to squeeze. Our guide was full of inaccurate information about the wildlife. If not for my husband, she'd have passed up the herd of elk. The tour ended at a hot springs with a lot of orange algae on the surface of the pool and black mold around the edges. Regardless of our massive disappointment, we made the best of it being in beautiful Montana. Lunch was a pleasant surprise, very tasty. Just not what we expected based on their website and definitely not worth $200.