Explore the geology, ecology, and human history of Yellowstone with National Park Service rangers. This curriculum-based, residential school program teaches students about the natural and cultural history of Yellowstone while promoting stewardship and preservation in the park and in home communities. Students, teachers, and parent…

Only visiting the park for a day? Yellowstone Field Trips range from 30 minutes to full-day explorations of natural and cultural resource topics in Yellowstone. Your students will participate in age-appropriate activities conducted on the park’s northern range, and can include hikes, career talks, and…

Too far to visit the park in person? You can still bring America’s first national park to life for your students, virtually. Yellowstone National Park rangers will visit your classroom or school auditorium for an educational program via video conference. Distance learning programs are a…

Invite a ranger to visit your Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho school for engaging hands-on activities. Teachers may choose programs that meet educational goals. Designed for students in grades K-12. This program is offered by our friends at the National Park Service.

Introduce your students to the stewardship of public lands through the science, history, and politics of Yellowstone National Park. Examine resource issues such as wolf reintroduction, bison management, climate change, and recreation use to learn approaches to resource issues on public lands, how land managers…

Let Yellowstone be your high-school classroom in this curriculum-based experiential learning program. Your students will participate in multidisciplinary activities, including geology, wilderness ethics, and wildlife management, and meet with park natural resource professionals when possible. Hands-on citizen science projects will develop critical thinking skills, collect…

Bring your group to Yellowstone to experience an introduction to the natural and cultural history of the park. Students explore canyons, waterfalls, and geyser basins, while learning about the significance of parks and wild places. During the day, they’ll enjoy activities such as animal tracking,…

Apply to a work-based education program focused on training and inspiring the next generation of conservation leaders through work projects, outdoor recreation, and education. Corps members receive instruction in leadership skills, stewardship, sustainability, ecological relationships, and cultural heritage while completing projects such as trail rehabilitation,…

Perfect for all ages and ability levels, Private Tours provide a truly customized experience. Registering is easy: simply choose from the options below, and your Yellowstone Forever Institute instructor will provide an adventure designed around your needs and interests. If you’re bringing children along on…

This is your opportunity to delve into the world of Yellowstone’s wolves and bears. On sunrise trips you’ll search for these charismatic animals on the northern range, and learn about their behavior, ecology, and conservation on leisurely hikes. Throughout, you’ll be immersed in the beauty…

Perfect for all ages and ability levels, Private Tours provide a truly customized experience. Registering is easy—simply fill out the form below, and a Yellowstone Forever team member will contact you to help design your adventure in Yellowstone. We’ll also help anyone in your group…

Experience the magic of Yellowstone on this learning adventure for families with children ages 8–12 years old. Your family will explore canyons, waterfalls, and geyser basins, as well as enjoy activities together including animal tracking, wildlife watching, photography, painting, and hiking. During the program, your…

Experience the magic of Yellowstone on this learning adventure for families with children ages 8–12 years old. Your family will explore canyons, waterfalls, and geyser basins, as well as enjoy activities together including animal tracking, wildlife watching, photography, painting, and hiking. During the program, your…

With Yellowstone National Park as the venue, learn how to use both traditional and innovative methods to incorporate Art into STEM lessons (STEAM)! Explore new ideas and strategies while networking with other educators on best practices for cross-curricular design. Lodging and meals included. Credit offered….

With Yellowstone as your classroom, explore interdisciplinary activities from the Expedition Yellowstone curriculum and STEAM that will enliven learning. This active workshop incorporates field hikes and is especially designed for those teaching grades 4–8 who want to use Yellowstone to excite students, whether in the classroom or when…

Winter is the best time to view wolves in Yellowstone. Our four day Winter Wolf Discovery program will focus on viewing and learning about wolves and other exciting wildlife along Yellowstone’s famous northern range! Your naturalist guide will share up-to-date information about Yellowstone wolf biology,…

Explore the heart of Yellowstone’s winter wilderness with an expert naturalist guide! Through this six day Lodging & Learning program you will be able to enjoy the serenity and beauty of Yellowstone in winter without worrying about lodging and meals. The Old Faithful Winter Expedition…

Explore the full breadth of Yellowstone in winter with an expert naturalist guide in our all-inclusive Winter in Wonderland package! This six-day program includes exploration of Yellowstone’s northern range and park interior, with cross country ski outings integrated throughout. The serenity and beauty of Yellowstone…

Online registrations for this course have closed.  If you would like to register for this course last-minute, please reach out to our Contact Center at 406-848-2400. Crystalline blue skies, magical twilight colors, frosted trees, sandstone canyons. Photographing Yellowstone in winter is an experience you won’t…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

Coyotes and ravens are two of the most common animals in the Lamar Valley. They are so common that many people see them as they do the trees and sagebrush—background for the charismatic megafauna. But coyotes and ravens are two of the smartest species in…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

What is the raven’s word for eagle? How does a wolf know when to give up the chase? How do animals pass on information through time? Delve into these and other questions of animal intelligence by directly observing Yellowstone’s winter wildlife. You’ll learn to decipher…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

This course has been cancelled. Open your mind and test your mettle in Yellowstone’s fierce and beautiful winter. We’ll spend mornings in the field, observing wildlife and the landscape and practicing the art of taking field notes. We may take short hikes to get to…

Yellowstone’s diverse animal population offers a great opportunity to see an amazing array of behaviors written in the snow, the plants, and even the rocks. Learn to walk with “open eyes” that help you see the signs these animals leave behind—evidence of their food choices,…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

Immerse yourself in Yellowstone’s winter landscape, where hot springs, deep snow, and crisp air combine to create a winter wonderland. This is your opportunity to live in the heart of wolf, bison, and elk country and to either hone or learn new ski or snowshoe…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

Yoga and skiing in Yellowstone: What could be better? Come to your mat each morning with awareness, and allow asana and pranayama to deepen your connection to self and to Yellowstone. You will strengthen and stretch ski muscles while improving balance and concentration. Days continue…

A Yellowstone Day Adventure is the perfect way to spend a day in the park. Tours are offered every Wednesday and Friday throughout the winter. We’ll pick you up in our van at dawn in Gardiner, Montana, when the wildlife action is at its peak….

Immerse yourself in the wolf’s winter world. Each day after a hearty breakfast, grab a sack lunch and head out for early morning road trips to look and listen for wolves. Learn about their habitat, behavior, history, and management. After the morning wolf action winds…

Immerse yourself in the wolf’s winter world. Each day after a hearty breakfast, grab a sack lunch and head out for early morning road trips to look and listen for wolves. Learn about their habitat, behavior, history, and management. After the morning wolf action winds…

Immerse yourself in the wolf’s winter world. Each day after a hearty breakfast, grab a sack lunch and head out for early morning road trips to look and listen for wolves. Learn about their habitat, behavior, history, and management. After the morning wolf action winds…

Armchair birding the first evening will prepare us for our winter adventure—we’ll view images and discuss the finer points of bird identification, ecology, and natural history in the classroom. The next day we’ll drape binoculars around our necks and head outdoors to the late-winter world…

Writers have been captured by Yellowstone’s beauty and mystery even before the park was founded. Yet, this place is also a wild laboratory; the scientific discoveries and inquiries pouring out of Yellowstone can be deeply evocative. We’ll discover the ways your own personal field observations…

Spend a day in the bird-rich habitats of Yellowstone welcoming returning migratory birds. After an early start, explore the Northern Range and Hayden Valley. A celebration of bird migration will involve stopping at numerous sites and doing the “birders’ shuffle”—slowly walking to observe as many…

Relive the golden age of Yellowstone’s Grand Tours and travel in a similar style as visitors of a bygone era. Tour the park in a classic Yellowstone bus with a retractable top for wildlife viewing. By day, explore the park’s colorful history and dynamic geology…

Curious about owls and their fascinating adaptations to a nocturnal lifestyle? Trying to distinguish one diurnal raptor (hawk, falcon, and eagle) from another? Learn how to recognize each diurnal raptor species and how to tell one owl species from another by listening for their unique…

Whether it’s part of a wolf pack, elk herd, swan flock, or human family, every creature is continually learning throughout their lifetime. In this class we will explore the northern range of Yellowstone learning about the value of teachers and life experience in the animal…

If you have a passion for grizzly bears, this is the course for you. Through a combination of classroom sessions and field trips, you’ll learn about grizzly bear biology, their ecological role and interrelations with other species (including humans), and the long and evolving history…

It’s spring! And time to look for spring babies in the wilds of Yellowstone. You’ll look for bear cubs, wolf pups, bison calves, elk calves, bighorn lambs, and lots of young birds. Find them with spotting scopes and binoculars, and by taking short walks to…

What is the raven’s word for eagle? How does a wolf know when to give up on a chase? How do animals pass on information through time? Delve into these and other questions of animal intelligence by directly observing Yellowstone’s wildlife. You’ll learn to decipher…

Pack your boots and backpack for four days of hiking, wildlife watching, and discovery in Yellowstone. Hike with naturalist guides to explore the park’s diverse landscapes—including geyser basins, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and valleys rich with wildlife. Search for elk, bison, grizzly bears,…

Social and intelligent, ravens and wolves are individually interesting, and even more fascinating when their worlds overlap. Through lectures, discussion, and field trips, you’ll become immersed in the world of ravens, observing their territorial behaviors as mated pairs defend their domains, and their social behavior…

Ursophiles (Greek for “bear lovers”) unite! Discover a uniquely broad view of bears from their evolutionary origins to interpretation of their sign to compelling renditions of classic bear tales. In lectures and in the field, you’ll learn about bear evolution, ecology, and management from carnivore…

Do you love watching wildlife and want to learn how to photograph them? Not quite sure how your camera works and want to learn more? Immerse yourself with fellow enthusiasts in the heart of Yellowstone’s northern range. With the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch as your…

Come see first-hand Yellowstone’s geologic past, as seen in the rock layers of Mount Everts. You will hike off-trail to the summit of Mount Everts and stop along the way to identify the characteristics of the landscape that put the geologic history into context. The…

Is your camera one of your best friends? Do you want to learn more about wildlife and how to tell their stories? Then come immerse yourself with fellow enthusiasts in the heart of Yellowstone’s northern range. With the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch as your home…

Chilly mornings give way to sunny afternoons. Cobalt skies press against the white of old snow in the high country. Golden sunlight plays upon newly green grasses. Bison enliven the landscape with their young, and birds flock as they prepare to make Yellowstone home for…

Yellowstone’s Northern Range is alive with the abundance of wildlife. Animals have become active in the spring, wildflower begin to bloom, and creeks are filling with snowmelt. Baby animals—from bison and elk calves to bear cubs and baby birds—are starting to leave behind the the…

Here in Yellowstone National Park, we have numerous pika sites that are accessible from nearby roadways. Due to their sensitivity to warming temperatures, monitoring the persistence of pika at sites around the park will help us better understand the effects of climate change on this…

Join us for an exploration of the quintessential secrets and sights of the park. Enjoy wildlife watching, walking the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, a private chartered boat tour on Yellowstone Lake, and learning about the park’s geology while you tour the…

Lamar Valley was at the heart of Yellowstone wolf restoration 25 years ago, and today the valley and surrounding areas are the best place in the world to watch and study wild wolves. Join world-renowned wolf experts Dr. L. David Mech and Dr. Doug Smith,…

With a focus on management of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and other areas in North America, this course will highlight how humans and grizzly bears can cohabit the landscape. Learn about the conservation history of bears and discuss in detail the interactions…

Yellowstone’s northern range is known worldwide for its “charismatic megafauna,” such as grizzly bears, bison, wolves, and elk. You’ll spend three full days looking for these and other wild animals and learning how they fit into the park’s ecosystem. Enjoy early morning and evening searches…

Barbara Kingsolver has written: “People need wild places… We need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it.” Hiking off-trail in the northern range is to taste Yellowstone’s grace. You’ll explore this area of grassy meadows and sagebrush while…

How did Thomas Moran begin his memorable paintings in Yellowstone? The same way you will learn in this class—by using time-tested drawing and observation skills to capture the forms and details of the land. You’ll learn these techniques during indoor sessions, and then spend the…

Learn how to make the most of your precious time on the water in this focused workshop for advanced-beginner and intermediate fly-fishing anglers. After a review of casting basics, you’ll spend your day on the waters learning and practicing casting techniques with roving one-on-one instruction…

Take the “long view” on this in-depth, backcountry exploration of Yellowstone’s northern range. Enjoy sweeping views of the wildlife-rich and scenic northern part of the park as you wander its high ridges and remote areas. On daily hikes of 8 to 12 miles, both on…

Combine Yellowstone’s legendary scenes with the peak of summer wildflowers as you practice the art of landscape and close-up photography. Focusing on creative expression and composition, you’ll explore Yellowstone to capture images of wildflowers, waterfalls, grand vistas, and intimate portraits of the land. Traveling by…

Learn to identify early spring wildflowers in Yellowstone! While hearing stories, of both prehistory and current history, of Yellowstone National Park you will visit sites where the events occurred. A brief classroom introduction will be followed by stories, songs, and discussions while hiking to sites…

Enjoy spending time in Yellowstone’s spectacular backcountry hiking and fishing. You will spend the first evening at the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch with an evening program focused on backcountry safety and preparation. Spend the rest of the class immersed in the heart of the Yellowstone…

Wily trout await you in the legendary fly-fishing waters of Yellowstone National Park. Learn how to catch them with classic fly-fishing techniques that you learn on dry land, and further refine on the park’s streams and rivers. You’ll find out how to select and set…

This is your opportunity to celebrate the 4th of July like never before by joining us for a penumbral lunar eclipse! You’ll spend daylight hours learning about the sun, the moon, and stars from our Milky Way, turning our attention in the evenings to view…

Franco Littlelight will take course participants on a journey through the history of the Crow Indians, which will include mythological stories of the Crow, oral history handed down through generations, songs which sounded throughout Crow history, music inspired by the landscapes, poetry highlighting the Crow…

This course will explore trophic cascades, important direct and indirect interactions between species that can effect an ecosystem in significant, and possibly unexpected, ways. Investigating how wolf reintroduction, population fluctuations of elk and bison, and increasing populations of beavers interact will show how much Yellowstone…

Apollo missions brought back 849 pounds of rock and soil samples from their visits to the moon 50 years ago. These samples are housed in Houston and lent out for occasional public viewing. Some of these samples will be in Yellowstone and this program will…

Go beyond simple flower identification in this fun and engaging course. Delve into plant ecology, learning the structure of plants and their flowers from the ground up; and study the edible, medicinal, Native American, and wildlife uses for the plants you encounter. Meandering at a…

Up your fly-fishing game by taking your skills to the next level. The Yellowstone and Lamar rivers will be your classroom as you learn to think like a trout. During full days on the river, you’ll dig in to trout ecology and stream entomology, deepening…

People often overlook the non-living parts of an ecosystem. And yet, the underlying geology and climatic conditions are what form the foundation for every square inch of Earth’s living space. In Yellowstone, that foundation is fertile and deadly, brutally cold and fatally hot, sweeping and…

Learn how to capture Yellowstone’s inspiring night sky with photography. Start in the classroom with the basics, such as how to work with your camera at night and techniques for composing interesting photos. You’ll then put what you’ve learned into practice on nighttime field trips…

Fishing beneath the surface with nymphs can be one of the most consistent ways to catch fish. In this course, you will learn a variety of techniques for choosing, rigging and presenting flies to fish where they feed most—subsurface. Euro-nymphing, strike indicators, and high-sticking are…

Mammoth is a unique hydrothermal basin in Yellowstone National Park. You won’t observe geysers in Mammoth nor travertine at Old Faithful…why not? This seminar will answer those questions, and many more. The terraces at Mammoth need 320-million-year-old limestones and fault systems that are active today…

Many find lake fishing with a fly to be mysterious and intimidating. In this one-day course, we will help you unlock their secrets and expand your fly-fishing horizons. Starting with the ecosystem we will talk about trout’s food sources in Yellowstone’s lakes. Then we will…

Unplug, settle in, and roll with the rhythms of early summer in Yellowstone. Each morning you’ll head out in search for wildlife. As you scan and observe, you’ll learn about the animals’ behavior and where they fit in the Yellowstone scene. Each afternoon, explore more…

Learn about the cultural significance between Native Americans and Yellowstone. Stories, songs, and place-based knowledge will help you learn about Native American cultural traditions as you travel to some of the park’s most beautiful settings. During the day, search for animals, and hike to culturally…

An illustrated field journal is a nimble instrument where you can combine drawings, maps, commentary, and questions, enfolding the smallest of events into the largest of landscapes. As a beginner or a veteran journal keeper, you will learn a world of ways to bring your…

The geology of Yellowstone includes both young and old volcanic features, billion-year-old metamorphic rocks, sediments from ancient seabeds, and a landscape scoured by recent glacial activities. You will be guided to look for fossils, examine rock compositions, correlate rock types with erosional features, identify ancient…

Hike to the remains of a petrified forest, comprised of trees very different from those found in Yellowstone National Park today. Fossilized, or petrified, trees tell us something about the ancient climate of Yellowstone, as well as the geologic forces active at that time that…

Yellowstone is a beautiful mix of at least four major events in geologic history, creating a landscape of rocks that are still forming along with those over a billion years in age. Significant to the landscape is a period of volcanic eruptions whose volcanic roots…

Do you love watching wildlife and want to learn how to photograph them? Not quite sure how your camera works and want to learn more? Immerse yourself with fellow enthusiasts in the heart of Yellowstone’s northern range. With the historic Lamar Buffalo Ranch as your…

Yellowstone is a spectacular place to observe the beauty of water in all its natural forms. This adventure beckons hikers new to backpacking or those more experienced to experience some of Yellowstone’s backcountry thermal areas. Visit dynamic hydrothermal features, all while learning how to backpack…

Viewing the dark skies over Yellowstone is an excellent way to introduce you to the heavens above: the arc of the Milky Way, the bright lights of the planets, and the wonderment of the distant objects such as galaxies. What is out there beyond what…