Yellowstone’s guided trips track wolves
You’re in for a wild time in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this winter.
Natural Habitat Adventures, a Boulder, Colo.-based company, has been getting animals and people together for nearly 20 years. In that time, all kinds of creatures great and small – sea turtles, whales, polar bears, elephants, butterflies, penguins, crocodiles and more – have gotten a good gander at herds of 14 people at a time, and vice versa.
Starting on Christmas Day, Natural Habitat Adventures is offering 10 “Wolves & Wildlife of Yellowstone” trips. The expedition shepherds you to the snowy valleys and streams where elk, moose, coyotes, wolves and assorted other park denizens like to hang out.
“You’re going to be led by a guide who is well-versed in everything about the park,” says Nicole Soho, adventure travel specialist for the company. “We have presentations in the evenings giving more information and history of the wolves in the park. You wouldn’t get that on your own.”
The seven-day tour starts in either Bozeman or in Jackson Hole, Wyo. If you choose Jackson Hole as your jumping-off point, you’ll meet up with your expedition leader for dinner and orientation at a local restaurant. The city sits on the edge of Grand Teton National Park, affording you your first glimpse of the landscapes to come.
On Day 2, you’ll track bighorn sheep, bald and golden eagles, coyotes, mule deer, bison and moose. And that’s just before noon.
Following what I hope is a very hearty lunch, you’ll tour the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which comes complete with central heat. Then climb aboard a horse-drawn sleigh for a visit to the National Elk Refuge, where some 7,000 elk migrate for the winter.
You’ll end up at the Hatchet Resort in Buffalo Valley, 38 miles north of Jackson.
I’m tired already.
But Natural Habitat Adventures is just warming up.
Make your way through Buffalo Valley to Flagg Ranch the next morning. An enclosed “snowcoach” (some sort of van/snowmobile crossbreed) will carry you on to Old Faithful Snow Lodge, stopping along the way if wildlife shows an interest in your party. And you’ll get an eyeful of the celebrated geyser itself before dinner.
On Day 4, hop out of bed and strap on your snowshoes to explore the Upper Geyser Basin and Old Faithful. Later, a snowcoach will haul your frosty self to Mammoth Hot Springs and on through the Lamar Valley to Cooke City, Mont.
And now it’s time for Los Lobos.
Gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in the 1990s, some 70 years after their eradication. Today, wolves thrive in the Lamar Valley, due in large part to an abundance of prey, particularly elk. You’ll spend Day 5 listening and looking for the pack.
“For a lot of people, it’s very humbling,” says expedition leader Jared Baecker. “It’s a complete awe of what they’re seeing. The wolves are an incredible success story, and some people are truly inspired by it.”
There’s more wolf tracking on Day 6 as you head back to Mammoth Hot Springs and further on to Bozeman for your farewell dinner. Poke around town the next day and get on home. Or start a second trip, this time in reverse.
The whole kit and caboodle – accommodations, meals, transportation, permits, park fees, guide services, warm parkas and boots – comes to $3,295 per person based on double occupancy.
The last of the 10 tours departs on Feb. 26. Each is limited to 14 people, and according to Soho, they always sell out.
Zoo – boo!
Should you prefer your wildlife closer to the snack bar, check out the “Howloween” activities at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.
On Oct. 30 and 31, the zoo will host a scavenger hunt directing trick-or-treaters to activity stations, where they’ll collect candy, prizes, and a little education.
Each stop dispels an animal myth, such as “blind as a bat.”
The weekend also includes a sixth birthday celebration for Mikhail and Nicole, brother-and-sister Amur tigers. They’ll be decked out in Halloween orange and black, and on Sunday morning you can see them get a special birthday treat.
Other exhibits include bats and birds of the African rainforest; toucans, monkeys, turtles and caimans in the Amazon Flooded Forest; an open-air aviary for lorikeets; Africa Savanna, home to giraffes, zebras, hippos and rhinos; and musk oxen, wolves, grizzlies and owls on the Alaska Tundra.
The zoo’s open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Regional events
“ Fall Color Cruise, Oct. 24, Heyburn State Park, Idaho. Enjoy abundant wildlife and the fall colors of cottonwood, aspen and maple during this two-hour interpretive trip up the St. Joe River. Brunch is included for $19.95 per adult and $14.95 each for children between 6 and 15. (208-686-4030)
“ Ocean Shores Dixieland Jazz Festival, Nov. 5-7, Ocean Shores, Wash. Eight Dixieland bands will play four venues at the 22nd annual festival. Tickets for all three days cost $55; individual day tickets are also available. (360-289-4094 or 800-76-BEACH)
“ Tales of the Trails, Nov. 16-19, Yakima. Nancy Stewart and MaryLee Sunseri bring songs and stories of the Old West to the 10th Annual Rotary Storyfest at the Yakima Valley Museum. The program is aimed at children preschool through fifth grade. (509-248-0747)