The Essential Yellowstone Lodging & Learning package is designed for those who want to enjoy the full spectrum of the Yellowstone experience in a truly immersive way. Participants will be led by a Yellowstone Forever field educator who handles all the logistics while ensuring everyone gets to see Yellowstone’s most popular features. Fascinating thermal features, colorful canyons, exciting wildlife, and beautiful lake scenery are but a few of the highlights of this all-inclusive package.

Each day the group will venture out with a Yellowstone Forever educator to learn about and explore a region of the park, while incorporating short, scenic hikes throughout the program. We’ll leave early to beat the crowds and increase the odds of seeing charismatic megafauna that are most active at dawn. We will then return to the shores of Yellowstone Lake early every evening, leaving you plenty of time to relax in the historic Lake hotel or elsewhere along the lake shore.

Most sightings of wildlife occur at a distance; the field educator will provide high-powered spotting scopes and binoculars for group use. However, participants are encouraged to bring additional scopes and binoculars if they have them.

Program Start Dates:

• June 19
• July 3
• July 17
• July 31
• August 14
• August 28

Why choose a Lodging & Learning Program?

These award-winning Lodging & Learning packages are developed through a partnership with Yellowstone National Park Lodges and Yellowstone Forever. These packages combine the best lodging locations with an exceptional immersive field education experience. Here’s why this package stands out:

• Yellowstone Forever is Yellowstone National Park’s official nonprofit education and fundraising partner. Yellowstone Forever’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Yellowstone National Park through education and philanthropy. To learn more about Yellowstone Forever, visit our website, yellowstone.org.
• Support Yellowstone National Park. Proceeds collected by Yellowstone Forever educational programs are used to preserve Yellowstone National Park and provide more opportunities for people to experience its magic.
• Yellowstone Forever Field Educators are world class. The Yellowstone Institute has been providing in-depth educational programs in Yellowstone for over 40 years. Yellowstone Forever field educators are among the best experts in Yellowstone. Educational staff are passionate professionals with significant training who are dedicating their careers to this vital work. They live in the Yellowstone ecosystem, they work and train alongside park researchers and educators, and thus can provide accurate and exciting behind the scenes perspectives on the park’s natural and cultural history. They know where to go and when, and they handle all the details to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.
• Small group size. Lodging & Learning programs have a max capacity of 13. The program capacity size allows participants to enjoy camaraderie with fellow participants and receive more attention in a small group setting. It allows the educator to take an inquiry-based approach to learning and tailoring the experience to the group’s specific interests.
• Essential equipment provided. Yellowstone Forever provides high-quality scoping equipment to bring distant wildlife into crisp, clear view. Educators are at a minimum Wilderness First Aid certified. They carry a first aid kit and handheld radio during all outings and provide bear spray to participants if hiking in bear country. Additionally, they incorporate teaching aids such as skulls, tracks, pelts, books, I-Pads with videos, and test equipment such as temperature guns for thermal features.
• Incredible in-park lodging. All lodging in this package is in the park, within short walking distance from popular features and spectacular scenery. This minimizes drive time during daily outings and allows more time to enjoy the park’s features at a relaxing pace. It also allows more time in the evenings, after daily outings, to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.