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Spring in Wyoming's iconic National Parks, with
'Old Faithful', colourful birds, mammals feeding
after winter, wild landscapes and first spring flowers
- easily one of our best trips
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| * | See Gray Wolf, Bison, Moose, plus Grizzly and Black Bear |
| * | A wonderful selection of colourful, singing spring birds |
| * | Great photo opportunities with wildlife and landscapes |
| * | Amazing geysers and bubbling mud geothermal stuff |
| * | Good hotels, good food, and real 'friendly' welcome |
| * | A four-centre tour, staying right in Yellowstone |
| * | Our years’ of experience really make the difference |
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The world’s first National Park and famous "Old Faithful". Four centre hotel-based holiday with minibus transport. Black and Grizzly Bears, Wolves and Coyotes, Bison, Beaver, eagles, owls and more in spectacular scenery. Walking generally easy, except in mountains.
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Dates
| 4-18 June 2011 |
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Prices
| £3595pp (£650 single supp) |
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Leaders
| Roy Atkins & Mark Denman |
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Flights
| United Airlines, Scheduled
Outbound: Afternoon, Heathrow -Jackson Hole (via Denver)
Inbound: Overnight, Jackson Hole-Heathrow (via Denver) |
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Day 1
| Fly to Jackson Hole, via Denver, arriving in the evening with short transfer to hotel - 4 nights |
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Days 2-4
| Wildlife & birdwatching exploration of Grand Teton National Park |
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Day 5
| Relaxed day transfer to Lake Yellowstone Hotel - 3 nights |
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Days 6-7
| Exploration of Yellowstone Lake area |
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Day 8
| Relaxed day transfer to Mammoth Hot Springs - 4 nights |
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Days 9-11
| Exploration of western area of Park |
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Day 12
| Relaxed transfer day to Old Faithful Inn - 1 night |
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Day 13
| Return to Jackson Hole - 1 night |
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Days 14-15
| A morning flight to Denver, then an evening flight to Heathrow, arriving on the morning of Day 15 |
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Weather
| It can be cool (even cold) but daytime temperatures rise to warm & sunny (0°-15°C), with a chance of showers, cold snaps & some snow |
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Walking
| There'll be some short easy walks on wide paths with optional short easy walks off tracks in the forest. Note that Yellowstone National Park is at high altitude. Most of the park is above 7,500 feet / 2,275 metres. |
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Meals
| All included from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 14 and are of good quality (Note many tour companies do not include meals in North America) |
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Insects
| Biting insects may occasionally be a nuisance |
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Accom
| Twin & single rooms, all ensuite |
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Group
| 12 |
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1
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Arriving in the early evening we have a short transfer to our hotel in the stylish western-style town of Jackson Hole.
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2-4
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From here we explore breath-taking Grand Teton National Park, where jagged, snowy peaks soar above a plain of blue-grey sagebrush, numerous jewel-like lakes, and the meandering Snake River. At this season the oxbows and willows are a great place to see Moose – looking skinny after the rigours of winter - as well as Osprey and, at dusk, Beavers, which can be busy lodge-building. Common birds include Yellow-rumped Warbler, Mountain Bluebird and Broad-tailed Hummingbird, whilst Flat Creek hosts Trumpeter Swan and Yellow-headed Blackbird, and at Jackson Lake we'll see Western Grebe and White Pelican. The sagebrush at Mormon Row hosts historic old barns, birds such as Prairie Falcon and Vesper Sparrow, and the National Elk Refuge has Sandhill Crane, Horned Lark and sometimes scarce Black Rosy-finch. Our first herds of Bison and Pronghorn will be beguiling sights that emphasise the wilderness all around us. Red-naped Sapsucker will be seen, and with luck a Great Gray Owl, and we'll stop at famous Oxbow Bend where Bald Eagle are framed by water and mountain peaks. There is a wealth of small mammals such as Least Chipmunk, Long-tailed Weasel, and the prospect too of maybe our first bear
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5-7
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Next we travel north to the first, and most famous, National Park in the world - Yellowstone. We stay at the Lake Hotel on the shores of the immense Yellowstone Lake at 7,700 feet. This is a place of untamed nature, where the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem protects a wilderness area the size of Scotland! For starters, the Park sustained a vast forest fire in 1988 - it burnt an area the size of south-west England - which has created a great new habitat for woodpeckers such as Hairy and Three-toed. The lake hosts Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Loon and Bufflehead, whilst both Grizzly and Black Bears inhabit this area - especially on the shores of Pelican Creek. The rolling grassland and forest of the Hayden Valley is nearby, where Harlequin Ducks – in their spring colours - may be on the Yellowstone River. Raptors here include Northern Harrier, Red-tailed and Swainson's Hawk and, at Dunraven Pass - the highest road in the Park - there'll be Clark's Nutcrackers and a chance of bears. The river cuts a deep gorge at the photographically stunning Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and sometimes Great Gray Owl nest nearby. Elsewhere, as well as soaking up the scenery, we'll marvel at the great herds of Bison, and watch out for Mule Deer, Beavers and American Otters. In addition, Coyote, or perhaps our first Gray Wolf, can be seen searching for newly-born calf Pronghorn and Elk.
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8-11
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We move to Mammoth Hot Springs in the north of Yellowstone, right by weird and wonderful geothermal travertine terraces, where Elk wander on the village green. There are Uinta Ground Squirrels, and even Bison may be grazing outside our hotel! Between taking photos we'll search out delightful Townsend's Solitaire and Western Tanager, with the likelihood of Steller's Jay and Great Horned Owl too. From here we'll search for magnificent Gray Wolves. A very successful recovery programme was begun over 10 years ago and now there are numerous packs with a particular concentration in this Elk-rich area of the Park. Using our local knowledge, we've watched wolves on every visit and had some amazing encounters, especially early morning (70% of Park wolf sightings occur before 9.00am!) - wildlife-watching is never more thrilling than this. The Lamar Valley gives us the best chances, and here too there are Coyote, Bison and Pronghorn, plus Osprey, Golden and Bald Eagle. There will be Bighorn Sheep on Blacktail Deer Plateau and here, and at Tower, we'll look for Williamson's Sapsucker, Western Meadowlark, Tree Swallow and Gray Jay. Boulders shelter cute(!) critters such as Pika, Yellow-bellied Marmot and Yellow Pine Chipmunk, plus Rock Wren, whilst American Dipper and Belted Kingfisher can be seen on nearby rivers. A spectacular road leads out of the Lamar Valley, from grassland up to spruce forest and stream on the edge of the Park, rimmed by numerous peaks over 12,000ft - some with year round glaciers - and snow is still likely on the mountain tops and high roadsides. Mountain Goats inhabit this vast wilderness, plus bears - both Black and Grizzly - and even Mountain Lion. Nesting birds may include Pine Grosbeak and Golden Eagle.
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12-13
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Our journey south to the centre of Yellowstone at Old Faithful will be filled with visits to some geothermal wonders - 70% of the world’s geysers are here! As its name suggests, the historic, timber Old Faithful Inn is by the planet's most well-known geyser and it’s perfect for marvelling at the expulsion of steam and water in the cold air. It lives up to the hype, and neighbouring geysers are even more spectacular, but nothing can prepare you for the sheer scale of the area dubbed "where hell bubbles up"! We'll explore Norris Geyser Basin, the multi-coloured bubbling mud-pools of Fountain Paintpots, Biscuit Basin and many others. Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Pipits, White-crowned Sparrows and noisy crickets can be seen enjoying the warmth, where boiling water breaks the Earth's crust, to say nothing of the Elk and Bison that gather there too. Finally, next day, we cross the Continental Divide and leave the Park for Jackson Hole, watching for birds and mammals as we go, calling in at Oxbow Lake, Willow Flats and Moose Ponds, to search for any wildlife we may have missed and to revel in the ever-looming flowers and that stunning mountain back-drop.
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14-15
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Leaving, we catch our flights home, arriving in the UK early morning on Day 15.
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Just some of what we hope to see...
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Grizzly Bear
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Mountain Goat
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Great Gray Owl
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Sandhill Crane
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Black Bear
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American Otter
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Great Horned Owl
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Belted Kingfisher
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Gray Wolf
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Mule Deer
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Three-toed Woodpecker
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Gray Jay
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Elk
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Yellow-bellied Marmot
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Williamson's Sapsucker
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Clark's Nutcracker
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Beaver
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Uinta Ground Squirrel
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Harlequin
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Mountain Bluebird
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Coyote
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Muskrat
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Common Loon
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Broad-tailed Hummingbird
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Moose
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Chipmunk
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Western Grebe
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MacGillivray's Warbler
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Pronghorn
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Bald Eagle
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Trumpeter Swan
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Western Tanager
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Bison
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Golden Eagle
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Prairie Falcon
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American Dipper
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Bighorn Sheep
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This is a very well-appointed, two-storey, large motel in the centre of stylish Jackson. It’s an easy walk into town, or at a push to the visitor centre of the National Elk Refuge. This town allows the only holiday shopping and is a 20 minute drive from airport.
Room facilities: Iron / Hairdryer / Coffee-maker (teabags and milk available at reception) / Heating / Alarm / TV / Phone / Fridge / Dry-cleaning service / Washing machine in hall / Same day laundry service / Shower & bath / Shower gel & shampoo & soap / Elevator (a flights of stairs to access first floor) / Fitness room / 35-person hot tub.
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Set by Lake Yellowstone, this ground level collection of ‘frontier’ cabins looks a bit like a poor relation next
to the very large, well-appointed hotel but appearances are deceptive. Built in the 1920's but completely remodelled in 2003/04, these simple, comfortable duplex units are clustered near the hotel. The cabins are very comfortable and it’s a delight to be out near woods and grassland (with local birdwatching and maybe hear Coyotes howling each night!). It’s a short walk across open ground on a paved track to the restaurant.
Room facilities: Coffee-maker / (teabags and milk available at reception) / Heating / Shower / Shower gel, shampoo & soap / Hotel has shop selling film & batteries etc
NO: Iron / Hairdryer / Phone / Fridge / Laundry / TV.
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In the early days, Yellowstone's visitors began their park exploration at Mammoth Hot Springs, named after the steaming limestone terraces just above the hotel area. Today, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel offers a warm welcome to summer and winter visitors. Elk and Bison routinely graze outside the hotel around the parade grounds of what was once Fort Yellowstone. This is a good standard, large three-storey hotel in the middle
of the village of Mammoth. There are easy local walks with good birds and mammals to be seen, and the Hot Springs terraces are nearby too.
Room facilities: Phone / Shower / Heating / Complimentary tea and coffee available at dining room reception / Hotel has shopping selling film & batteries etc
NO: Iron / Hairdryer / Fridge / Laundry / Coffee-maker / Alarm / TV.
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Completed in 1999, the Snow Lodge is the newest of the park's full service hotels, and has been recognized with the Cody Award for Western Design and Travel and Leisure's Inn of the Month. The heavy timber construction, exterior log columns and cedar shingle roof were part of the design that is destined to make the Snow Lodge a significant example of classic "parkitecture." The motel-style Western Cabins were built in 1989 and are situated in modules of four. Each is spacious and modernly furnished, typically with two double beds and full bathroom.
Room facilities: Coffee-maker / Shower & bath / Heating / Alarm / Fridge
NO: Phone / Iron / Hairdryer / Laundry / TV .
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