GRAND LOOP TOUR:
This tour will take you to the best of Yellowstone's Upper and Lower Loops. First you will visit Old Faithful before traveling over to Yellowstone Lake for a picnic lunch. After lunch, the tour will visit the Lake Hotel, the Hayden Valley and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone including Upper and Lower falls. After the Canyon, the tour will continue to Mammoth for a short hike through the brightly colored hot spring terraces. The tour will also visit the Fountain Paint Pots or the Mud Volcano.
Common Wildlife:
Bear, Wolves, Elk, Moose, Pronghorn Antelope, Bighorn Sheep, Deer, Coyotes, Mountain Lions, and other animals have been documented in the park. Free-ranging herds of Bison and Elk also live in Yellowstone, fed by many of the unique species of plants that call the park home. Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles are also common sights in Yellowstone.
Virginia City, Montana Custom Tour
Tour Highlights:
North West Yellowstone Park , Upper Gallatin and Grayling Creek. Hebgen and Earthquake Lake. The Town of Ennis and historic Virginia City. (Bear-trap Canyon Optional).
Virginia City, Montana is located 20 miles west of Yellowstone National Park (90 miles by road). In 1864, Virginia City was a booming mining town and was once the largest town in the northwest. The population in 1864 was over 10,000, although the current population is only 132, it continues to be a town of interest for thousands of visitors. When the gold ran out, so did all the prospectors ,the town was left frozen in time, yet people still kept coming back to capture the essence of an authentic Old Western vacation.
A trip to Virginia City, MT wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Virginia City Opera House to see the Virginia City Players. Built at first to be the Old Stone Barn Theater, the Virginia City Players opera house was renovated from an old livery stable, remodeled into a 19th century-era theater. The theater company continues to perform authentic 19th century melodrama and vaudeville variety daily.
A visit to the Thompson-Hickman Museum will make you feel as though you are stepping back in time. The museum was built in the 1920’s and houses some of Virginia City's most unique and interesting artifacts. Included in the artifacts is a photo collection of Virginia City, MT in the 1860’s, rare guns, an Indian Treaty, oddities, geological rock samples and much more.
Virginia City, Montana was known as a booming gold mining town, so one of the things you must try while visiting is panning for gold with Gold Rush . Although you may not find the millions in gold that was discovered during the gold rush, you will still find gold and have an amazing time while doing it. Gold panning is a great activity for people of all ages and its the perfect way to teach kids about geology and nature.
Montana Carriage offers a variety of horseback riding options. They Offer 1/2 hour horseback rides or a 25 minute stagecoach ride up Alder Gulch. While on the tour you will see where the gold strike was originally discovered, hear stories about stagecoach robberies and road agents that were hung by vigilantes.
The Bale of Hay Saloon is a popular Virginia City, MT stop. The saloon claims to be the oldest “watering hole” in the state of Montana. Offering live music and festivals as well as ghost tours, the Bale of Hay is also the after-the-show hangout for cast members from the Opera House. If you are looking for stories of the ghostly history of Virginia City you can schedule a ghost tour through the Bale of Hay Saloon.