Intimate Wildlife Experience

Photo courtesy Teton Science Schools

Forget crowded beaches, spring break is the perfect time to visit a national park. Get up close and personal with incredible wildlife living in their natural habitat on a Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools’ Yellowstone excursion. The tour company offers private, family-friendly educational adventures where guests can escape from their hectic lives and interact with nature.

Photo courtesy Teton Science Schools

Yellowstone is known as “a quiet magical world” during the spring and winter months. Wildlife Excursions gives visitors the opportunity to visit the park during the off-season.  Fewer crowds as well as the chance to spot wildlife roaming more freely during this less-congested time is much of the appeal. Witness Old Faithful and other gushing geysers while touring the world’s first national park.

Photo courtesy Teton Science Schools

Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming was established in 1929 and encompasses 485 square miles of natural habitat for elk, moose, birds of prey and wolves. The majestic Teton Mountains provide the perfect backdrop for a daylong sightseeing tour with Wildlife Expeditions. Guests are treated to private excursions led by expert guides who know the prime viewing spots for a variety of animals, which in spring may include moose, bighorn sheep, trumpeter swans, eagles and more. “There can be sightings of bison, elk, deer, and snowshoe hare,” says Tanya Anderson, Director of Wildlife Expeditions of Teton Science Schools. “The year-round predators, wolves, foxes and coyotes are also out and about this time of year.”

Photo courtesy Teton Science Schools

Children can also take part in the fun, with many activities geared towards providing a hands-on, place-based educational experience. Professional educators teach local ecology, history, biology and botany during the half-day and full-day tours.

There’s no need to buy expensive equipment to spot the remarkable wildlife. Wildlife Expeditions provides binoculars, high-quality spotting scopes, and adult and kid guidebooks, as well as YakTrax traction devices and walking poles. “Each private tour enjoys their own personal naturalist guide and the comforts of a custom-designed Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. There is also complimentary hotel pick-up for guests staying in Jackson Hole,” says Anderson. “A seated lunch at a local restaurant for guests on Grand Teton full-day tours plus snacks and hot and cold beverages are also provided.”

Photo courtesy Teton Science Schools

Wildlife Expeditions offers 2022 private winter tours that run through March 31 and are available for up to 9 people, with full-day tours starting at $1,000 for up to four guests (half-day tours are also available). The Private Yellowstone Snowcoach Tour is a 12-hour day, available through March 13, and starts at $2,500 for up to four people. Year-round tours are also available.

For more information or to book a tour, visit tetonscience.org.