Lower Loop Van Tour from West Yellowstone: Grand Prismatic and Old Faithful
4.8
211 Ratings
Yellowstone National Park
Discover Yellowstone's wonders: wildlife, Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful, and more on this immersive van tour from West Yellowstone.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Madison River - Watch wildlife in the early morning along the Madison River.
  • Grand Prismatic Spring - We hike to a viewpoint of the Grand Prismatic Hot Springs.
  • Old Faithful - We watch Old Faithful erupt and explore the Upper Geyser Basin as desired. The historic Old Faithful Inn is also of interest to travelers.
  • West Thumb Geyser Basin - A beautiful geyser basin along the shores of Yellowstone Lake.
  • Hayden Valley - Wildlife viewing in one of Yellowstone’s most iconic valleys.
  • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - Stunning views of the wonderous colors and thundering falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
What's Included
  • Binoculars
  • Spotting Scope
  • Snacks
  • Lunch
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Park Entrance Fee
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

This Active Van Tour is a great way to see Yellowstone National Park beginning in the fun gateway town of West Yellowstone. The early morning part of the tour explores wildlife haunts in the famous Shadow Canyon of the Madison River. This area is home to bear and elk. Later we hike to an overlook of the famous Grand Prismatic Hot Springs. If you don’t feel like walking we find a safe, scenic spot for you to wait for the group near the van. Next we explore the Old Faithful area, including some time at the famous Old Faithful Inn. We continue over the continental divide at Isa Lake and down to the West Thumb Geyser Basin on Yellowstone Lake for a view of some spectacular lakeside thermal pools. Continuing our drive along Yellowstone Lake we arrive in the Hayden Valley where big herds of bison roam. Finally, we arrive at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone to view the canyon and the amazing falls (one is almost 200 feet tall!). The day concludes back at West Yellowstone.

Location
Madison Amphitheater
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(211 Ratings)
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Emilyge6031ne
Jun 23, 2024
Give Josh a gold star! - Josh was amazing! Very knowledgeable and personable. Definitely appreciated his energy. Excellent tour guide and will definitely book with this agency again! Worth every penny.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal36027109854
Jun 23, 2024
Informative and enjoyable - Started off the morning at 7 a.m. with Chris our guide.Full day of touring including an early stop to Grand Prismatic, highly recommend taking the short uphill hike to the observation deck, which is what Christ recommended. The views from up there were amazing. On the main trail we encountered two bison right off the trail and Chris was very cautious and advised us as to where to walk, etc. He definitely did not take the situation lightly. Saw Old Faithful erupt, went to West Thumb Geyser Basin (amazing). Went to Dragon’s mouth fumerole area, very cool (really very hot!), visited the upper and lower falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, did the one way drive through Firehole Canyon Drive viewing the Firehole Falls, beautiful. Chris was very accommodating about how much time everyone wanted to spend at each spot. He never rushed us, and still maintained a schedule. He was always available to take our photo, and stopped to view bison and a big grizzly, getting out his scope for even better viewing. Chris was attentive to bathroom breaks, and had some great sandwiches and snacks ready for us while we ate lakeside at Yellowstone Lake, lovely. Highly recommend this tour early on if you’re a first time visitor. It’s a great way to see the major highlights without dealing with parking, and makes for a good overview as he will tell you some of the other sights you may want to consider while in the park. Chris was knowledgeable, personable, nice all around. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and the company of the other travelers in our group.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Florence_z
Jun 23, 2024
West Yellowstone priceless - Joshua was very informative and helpful. Great stops planned ,terrific snack pack and lunch break was actually too much food. Haha. Pointed out endless interesting spots and old faithful DID NOT disappoint. Thanks thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.👏👏👏
Review provided by Viator
Sightseer11228443486
Jun 22, 2024
Family vacation in Yellowstone!! Great time had by all! - We had Josh! He was so wonderful! It was like having a family member with us! He was so knowledgeable about everything! And a great conversations with my husband. My son proposed to his girlfriend while we were in front of old Faithful!! Can't get better than that. Bison and elk seen everywhere.. loved lower falls . Our Multnomah falls in Oregon would give it a run for it's money. .. yours is wider. Ha! Ours is prettier. Thanks for the awesome day Josh!! . Sad about the van getting hit!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A4317gqjessicaa
Jun 21, 2024
Book with them!! You won't regret it! - My only complaint is that I wish I had booked more tours with this company. My family and I had such a great trip exploring the lower loop of Yellowstone with our guides, Annmarie and Nakul. They were so attentive and anticipated anything we could need, including hot beverages and the best snacks for the drive. Both guides were patient enough to allow us time to take in the breathtaking views, but also still kept us on schedule! Only one tiny delay as we got to watch a coyote hunt in the fields. They made sure we got all the family photos at the popular spots and even managed to summon some snow while watching Old Faithful. Magical! While this is Annmarie's first season, I wouldn't have known had she not said it. She was so knowledgeable about the wildlife and local flora (#flowernerd). Nakul landed the best dad jokes and made us all laugh a ton. He also brought a wealth of knowledge about the landscape (#rocknerd) and history of Yellowstone. The two of them were the greatest combo. Things we were lucky enough to see on this trip: Elk, Coyote, Bison, Osprey, and all the major landmark stops. 10/10 would do this again and will recommend it to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_l
Jun 21, 2024
Best tour ever! - Chris was our tour guide and he couldn’t have been any better. He was attentive, very knowledgeable about all parts of the park, customized the tour to the desires of our group. His humor and science based details were icing on the cake. We highly recommend Yellowstone, hiking guide tours!!
Review provided by Viator
F4341ardawnk
Jun 20, 2024
Lower Loop Van Tour - Yellowstone is a magnificent place. There is so much to see and not enough time to see it all. Our guides, Chris and Nakul, were so knowledgeable about the park, sites and wildlife. Chris' experience and his love of the park was evident in all of the Lower Loop sites we visited as well as those he pointed out as we were driving. His explanations were thorough and he was always open to questions. Nakul was able to share so much about the origins of the park and why certain sites formed the way they did. When they dropped us back at our hotel we were all exhausted from a very full day sight seeing. The Lower Loop Van Tour is the absolute best way to see and learn about the sites of the Yellowstone Lower Loop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debil331
Jun 19, 2024
Great memories, photos and experiences! - Everything about this tour exceeded our expectations. Our guide, Chris, was attentive, knowledgeable, humorous and customized our tour based on the interests of our group. His enthusiasm for Yellowstone was contagious and we just wished we were staying long enough to tour with him again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pamela_w
Jun 16, 2024
Great, comfortable and informative tour! - Our family of three had this tour all to ourselves! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and pleasant. My husband talked his ear off, but he never seemed bored with my husband. We had a wonderful tour and time in Yellowstone and with this particular booking. Highly recommend them.
Review provided by Viator
Sherpa02606010563
Jun 13, 2024
We did the lower loop. - Our guide was very knowledgeable and very polite. Josh took us to places that only a few would know about. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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