Yellowstone wolf & wildlife winter safari: USA

February 2025 – 7 days

Register now at tours@newscientist.com and we will contact you later this year with full tour details.

Enjoy a wonderful wildlife odyssey through Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, with extended wolf-watching time in Yellowstone’s Lamar valley. Accompanied throughout by New Scientist wildlife reporter Corryn Wetzel, you will take a deeper look at the science of Yellowstone's geology, wildlife and extreme thermophiles.

During this tour, you will spend time exploring Yellowstone National Park, the oldest national park in the US, during the winter months. Its far-reaching grasslands are dotted with bison and bighorn sheep, and its forests echo with wolf howls at night. This tour capitalises on the quiet season, when wildlife viewing is best because crowds are non-existent, animals stand out against winter’s snow and Yellowstone’s hidden pockets feel like yours alone. The landscape holds magic, too, with steaming geysers, bubbling mud pots and trees covered in glittering ice crystals beneath an immaculate blue sky. 

Throughout this tour, you will be accompanied by New Scientist reporter Corryn Wetzel, who will delve into the science of this beautiful wilderness region. She will explore Yellowstone's geology and discuss how wildlife thrives in the harsh winter, as well as unearth the heat-loving bacteria responsible for Yellowstone's splendour of colour. There will also be a focus on the positive conservation stories in the park, such as the reintroduction of wolves that were once hunted to extinction in this area. 

In addition to Corryn, you will be accompanied by a tour leader who will further reveal the natural history and geology of yellowstone through a series of talks, walking seminars and fireside chats covering the following topics:

• Geology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
• Geothermal features and their volcanic origins.
• The life and natural history of the grey wolf.
• Predator and prey interactions between wolves, bison and elk.
• The scientific process of wolf conservation and reintroduction into Yellowstone.
• Keystone species ecology and how wolves restored Yellowstone’s balance.
• History of national parks in the US and connections with local research.

DAY 1: JACKSON, WYOMING

Your Yellowstone wildlife adventure will begin in the Old West town of Jackson, Wyoming, which sits at the edge of Grand Teton National Park in the shadow of the Teton mountain range’s jagged spires.

You will be met on arrival at Jackson airport and travel to your hotel.

In the evening, you will meet with Corryn and your expedition leader along with your fellow adventurers for an informal welcome dinner and orientation.

DAY 2: JACKSON HOLE TO NATIONAL ELK REFUGE

On your second day, you will begin in the broad valley of Jackson Hole as you look for bald and golden eagles, bighorn sheep, coyote, bison, mule deer, moose and elk.

After lunch at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, you will travel by horse-drawn sleigh through the National Elk Refuge. Gliding over the snow that blankets the valley floor, witness the massive herd that winters here, with thousands of animals roaming the range.

In the evening, enjoy the first fireside talk from Corryn, looking at how wildlife thrives in Yellowstone's harsh winter. She will discuss the following questions:

• How does wildlife in the park prepare for cold temperatures, long nights and snow?
• How do plants survive?
• How does wildlife adapt? 
• How do animals in the park prepare for spring, and how is climate change impacting the temperature and seasons here?

DAY 3: GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK/YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – TOUR TO OLD FAITHFUL

On the third day, you will traverse through Buffalo valley and the northern sector of Grand Teton National Park, which offers a panorama of the iconic peaks rising above the Snake river. As you reach the boundary of Yellowstone, you will board a heated snowcoach that will transfer you into the pristine winter splendour of America's first national park.

You will stop at West Thumb geyser basin on the edge of Yellowstone lake, looking along the way for moose, river otters and trumpeter swans before arriving at Old Faithful Snow Lodge. Because winter access to the park's interior is limited to snow vehicles, an overnight stay here is a coveted experience. In silent seclusion, witness the park's most famous geothermal feature, Old Faithful geyser, erupt in a crystalline veil of spray. And on a clear night, you may even get to watch it shoot skyward by the light of the moon.

In the evening, enjoy a fireside talk from Corryn looking at Yellowstone's unique geology, in which she will review the forces that have shaped this unusual landscape and discuss: 

• What is so special about the geology here?
• What causes geysers and their eruptions?
• How do these compare with hot springs and steam vents? And why does everything smell like eggs?
• What creates limestone terraces?

DAY 4: MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, NORTHERN RANGE WOLF TRACKING AND GARDINER

Travel back aboard the snowcoach on the morning of the fourth day as you head north through Yellowstone’s famous geyser basins to reach the white limestone terraces of Mammoth hot springs, where you may see many elk. Here, thermal water spills over travertine terraces that have been described as a "cave turned inside out", with heat-loving organisms called thermophiles adding distinct colours to the mineral-laden formations. As dusk descends, an early-evening drive through the Northern Range on the park's north perimeter offers a good chance to see bison, their shaggy coats encrusted with ice, and your first chance to search for wolves.

Even though the wolves are almost always seen at a distance (and brought in closer via high-powered spotting scopes), Yellowstone's northern region is the best place in the world to find these charismatic predators, and the next two days will be dedicated to searching for them, among other more-abundant park wildlife. Although pack movements are unpredictable and the impact of past human interactions tends to make wolves shy in the presence of humans, your expedition leader is an experienced tracker, teaching you about wolf behaviour and how to look for them through the scopes that will be carried on board the vehicles. The Natural Habitat Adventures team are also in close contact with scientists who conduct research on wolves in the region, and they will help you locate them based on recent sightings.

At the end of an exhilarating day, you will head to Gardiner, which lies just outside the park's northern boundary, to spend the next two nights.

This evening, enjoy a talk from Corryn focusing on the return of wolves to this region. Hunting had driven them to extinction, however, decades later, locals and conservationists decided to reintroduce the species to the park.

• What are ecosystem engineers, and how do they cause cascading changes?
• Examine how the reintroduction of wolves to the park changed how and where deer feed, which has affected where grasses grow and influenced erosion, changing how the rivers in the park flow.
• Explore the tension over wolf reintroduction. Should they be on the Endangered Species Act? Who are the stakeholders? What are the solutions they agree on?

DAY 5: NORTHERN RANGE AND LAMAR VALLEY WOLF SAFARI, COOKE CITY AND GARDINER

The fifth day is dedicated to scouting for Yellowstone's legendary wolves and other wildlife. Reintroduced to the park in 1995 amid much controversy, the grey wolf was returned to this native ecosystem after a 70-year absence following a policy of government-sanctioned eradication. Since then, they have flourished, supported by bountiful prey, including a multitude of elk. Yet much hostility continues to surround their presence, and you will learn in detail from our guides about the current conditions in which wolves exist within the greater Yellowstone area. As the wolves have restored more balance to the natural ecosystem, elk numbers have dropped, and you may not be as likely to see as many wolves as visitors did several years ago. Even if the wolves remain elusive, the winter landscape is magical, and you are sure to see plenty of other wildlife native to the park.

After an exhilarating morning on safari, continue east to Cooke City for a visit to the Hartman Gallery, with a slide presentation by Dan Hartman. Dan is a local naturalist and renowned Yellowstone wildlife photographer whose wolf images are widely acclaimed. He will share insightful observations about wolf behaviour gleaned from countless hours in their presence, as well as tips for pursuing photos of wolves and other wildlife. In the waning light of mid-afternoon, you will head back across the Lamar valley for more wolf tracking, knowing that the chances to see them are best at dawn and dusk. Return to Gardiner this evening to spend a second night.

DAY 6: LAMAR VALLEY WOLF TRACKING, PARADISE VALLEY ON TO BOZEMAN

As dawn illuminates the snowy meadows of the Lamar valley and the peaks of the Northern Range, you will return once more in search of wolves.

Many of the Natural Habitat Adventures expedition leaders have worked for years with the field researchers who track these wolves daily, and together they provide us every opportunity to find these intriguing animals in their natural surroundings.

Return to Mammoth hot springs and exit the park once more. You will leave Yellowstone’s frozen silence and continue up the Paradise valley along the Yellowstone river, flanked by the Absaroka and Gallatin ranges on either side. Reaching Bozeman for a final night, you will gather for a farewell dinner in the evening.

DAY 7: BOZEMAN DEPARTURE

If your flight schedule permits, you may enjoy exploring Bozeman on your own on the final day. 

This historic town, with a rich mining and trapping heritage, boasts 40 individual properties on the US National Register of Historic Places. It is home to Montana State University, with a thriving contemporary economy built on growing tourism and tech sectors.

You will be transferred to Bozeman airport to meet your departing flight.