Common Yellowstone Tour Questions
FAQs & Expert Guidance for a great Yellowstone National Park Tour:
Q: Why visit Yellowstone with a tour guide?
Yellowstone National Park encloses 3,472 square miles, has several hundred miles of roadways, and has over 10,000 hydrothermal features such as geysers, hot springs, mud pots and steam vents. Additionally, the park is rich in wildlife and human history. At Big Sky GOAT Tours, we know Yellowstone! We make it easier for you to do the most important thing - soak in Yellowstone's iconic landscapes, while we take care of all the planning and logistics to help you de-stress, enjoy, and learn about Yellowstone's unique features with your loved ones. A trained guide with a lot of experience can also help make the park more accessible for all ages. With our local expertise and love for the park, you'll be sure to see and learn about the best of what Yellowstone has to offer in each season without breaking your piggy bank.
Q: Why choose a private tour?
At Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours all tours are private at comparable prices to open group tours. With a private tour, you do not have to fight for the best seat in the van, and you can easily change seats. We pick up and drop off your group at your accommodations without the hassle of going to several accommodations to drop off other guests. The snacks and binoculars that we provide for you can be more easily shared between your family members. With a private tour, we have the freedom to tailor a tour to your group's wishes and we don't give the same tour over and over (tour in a can). Our educational tours are suitable for children and adults of all ages. Please let us know ahead of time if there is a particular feature or types of features that you want to see. We strive to explore the park in places and times that are not as busy and we often go to less visited areas.​ GO with the GOAT!
Q: Why is Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours one of the best Yellowstone National Park tour companies?
At Big Sky GOAT Tours, we truly love what we do while offering private tours at affordable prices. In fact, our prices rival the big companies that charge a sum of money per individual on group tours. Our average price is less than $200 per guest. ​On our tours, we provide full-immersion in Yellowstone National Park's history, geology, wildlife and ecology by walking and exploring the park. All of our private tours offer a professional guide who makes learning about Yellowstone exciting and suitable for children and adults. We use diagrams, models, and demonstrations to make learning about the volcanic system and geothermal systems come to life. We manage each day tour by visiting iconic features inside the volcanic system and going off-the beaten-path to explore gorgeous canyons or extraordinary geothermal spots. Most of the tours are geologist-led by the company's owner. The lead GOAT is a Professional Geologist and former-science teacher who offers a unique way of exploring through short and longer hikes on easy terrain while exploring the dominating processes in Yellowstone's volcanic complex (marketing term: Supervolcano). Essentially, we love what we do!
Q: What type of vehicles are the best for touring Yellowstone?
At Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours, we offer the best vans to tour Yellowstone. Our comfortable Mercedes Sprinter and new Ford Transit 11-passenger high-top vans are comfortable and provide a great view. In fact, our vans are so high, we can almost see above the clouds or at least above other vehicles. All kidding aside, these are the best vehicles to tour the park for comfort, easy into and out of, and great viewing opportunities due to the big windows all around, while providing a safe ride. In fact, on tours that have less than 11 passengers, we remove seats to improve leg room and comfort. We don't just drive people around the park - we do more than that. We will go the extra mile to give you an informative adventure while making it fun!
Q: When is the best time of year to visit Yellowstone National Park?
At Big Sky GOAT Tours, we think May through September is the best time of year to tour Yellowstone since warmer weather conditions exist that enable you to get out and explore more features. The summer tours offer less driving and more walking time to see geysers and hot springs. There is much greater access into the park as all facilities and gates into Yellowstone National Park are open to automobile traffic. Whereas in the winter, only the North Entrance is open to automobile traffic while West Yellowstone is only open to on-snow vehicles like snowmobiles. If you enjoy easy wildlife viewing from the van and dramatic landscapes blanketed in snow, then winter may be for you. However, spring and early summer tours provide great viewing of young wildlife as it is calving season for elk, bison, pronghorn antelope, and many other critters. Either way you pick your season, you are bound to enjoy exploring with Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours.
Q: What types of tours does Big Sky GOAT Tours offer in Yellowstone?
Big Sky GOAT Tours offers a variety of guided tours both summer and winter. We offer more tours during the summer. The tours are geologist-led and/or led by certified park guides that know the park well, and therefore, make the most out of your time. Tours may include all of the following: wildlife watching, hiking, and geyser and hot spring exploring, and viewing waterfalls and North America's largest, highest alpine lake, Lake Yellowstone and touring the old hotels. Lunch stops can be provided at a viewpoint, a set of waterfalls, Lake Hotel, or Old Faithful Inn. Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours offers half-day, full-day, and all-day, and multi-day tours. The tours range from 5 to 11-hour day tours and provide a lot of exciting insight to the park. If you have small children, the Half Day Old Faithful may be just right the right length for your family. If you cannot get enough of Yellowstone National Park, then perhaps the two and three day tours are for you. With the multi-day tours, you can schedule a day off in between the tour days and recharge while relaxing or doing other activities.
Q: Why Choose a small, locally-owned tour company?
At Big Sky Mountain GOAT Tours, we are a local family-owned business that creates authentic, educational, high-quality Yellowstone experiences from our home base in Big Sky, Montana. We give the tours, not people who just moved here, and it is important to us to do an amazing job! We do this by creating a fun atmosphere while using props such as foam models, diagrams, torches, and pictures to explain the landscapes, the interconnected hydrothermal plumbing system, and the caldera complex explained by a Professional Geologist & park certified guides. Our big group Party Tours are our best tours, because as a husband-wife team, you'll get to choose between the "science heavy" van, or the "science light" van. We are not guides who just moved here because of the show, "Yellowstone" and to be near the "Dutton Ranch". We followed our dream a long time ago and have put a lot of time into what we do!
Q: What should you bring on your Yellowstone tour?
It's advisable to bring comfortable clothing, sturdy footwear like walking shoes (not crocs or sandals), reusable water bottle, and your favorite sandwich. During the summer, the mornings can be a bit chilly, therefore, bring a few layers. We also can have thunder showers all times of the day, so anything that is rain resistant will be great. Don't forget to bring your fully-charged camera to capture the stunning scenery and wildlife. By placing your phone in "Airplane Mode," will help preserve the camera battery, although we do have phone chargers in the vans.
Q: Do I need a reservation for a park tour?
If you would like a private, guided tour, please reserve at least a day or two in advance during the shoulder seasons. It's recommended to book one to three months in advance during peak season to ensure your spot because we often sell out. But please check by texting or emailing us during the peak season. We always respond to text and email. During the shoulder seasons mid-April through May and the month of October, we are usually not that busy. During the summer season, which is typically the the third Friday in April through October 31st, Yellowstone is open 24/7.