Bear Tours

Overview

Our first male grizzlies wake up in the Hayden Valley in early March. Bruno makes his first appearance in late March to early April.

Young bears recently on their own are getting themselves sorted by mid-April. Grizzly 399 was reliably a tax day bear when she had yearlings, sub adults or no cubs. When the west entrance to Yellowstone opens on the 3rd Friday of April one can move relatively easily between Yellowstone and Grand Teton until many roads close on November 1.

From then through about the solstice the bear viewing builds before plateauing or dipping in some years until about the equinox. From the equinox through Halloween the bear viewing in both parks is excellent.

We've known most of our resident celebrity bears since they were youngsters. We have studied and documented their behavior and movements for over a decade. We know many of them as one knows their community.

We can put together a custom itinerary for you, your family and/or your friends. All of our tours are private so it will just be you and your group.

We can go out from 2 - 30 days. If you want to go up to Yellowstone from Jackson, for example, you will have a much better experience if we spend the night.

If you want to see a specific bear we can work to make that happen as well. Reach out to us on our booking form and let us know what you would like to do so that we can prepare a custom quote for you.

Details

Bears are powerful creatures. We always show them the proper respect and keep an appropriate distance.

We will not go in to the woods after a bear for any reason. We will not do anything to alter a bear's behavior.

We will bring our Swarovski spotting scope, use it to take iPhone video and send it to you for free.

We will give you as much photographic instruction as you like, teaching the notion of a wildscape or having your subject in context with their surroundings as opposed to full face shot.

Sample Itineraries

3 Day and 2 Night Private Bear Safari in Grand Teton and Yellowstone

Day One
All day in the Tetons. Lodging in the Jackson area. Lodging at Elk Country Inn or similar.

Day Two
Work our way through the Tetons in to Yellowstone. Lodging in Gardiner or Silver Gate. Silver Gate Cabins or similar. We move over to Gardiner after lodging in Silver Gate closes for the year.

Day Three
Travel back through Yellowstone arriving in the Tetons by mid-afternoon. Enjoy the afternoon and evening in the Tetons before dropping off at your lodging.

Three full days of guiding, all meals from breakfast on day one to lunch on day three, two nights of lodging and an annual parks pass. Available from mid-May through Halloween. This itinerary starts at $3295 per person sharing.

5 Day and 4 Night Private Bear Safari in Grand Teton and Yellowstone

Day One
All day in the Tetons. Lodging in the Jackson area. Lodging at Elk Country Inn or similar.

Day Two
We travel through the Tetons in the morning on our way to Yellowstone. Arriving before lunch we either head to the Hayden Valley or east of Fishing Bridge depending on the latest bear activity. We spend the rest of the day in Yellowstone before heading over Sylvan Pass to Pahaska Tepee. We check the immediate area in the evening as there are bears on the property. Lodging at Pahaska Tepee.

Day Three
We start out early along the Shoshone River before heading back in to Yellowstone. We spend the morning between the east entrance and Canyon depending on where the bears are. We head over Dunraven Pass by late afternoon, spending the evening in the Lamar Valley. We end up at Silver Gate for the night. Lodging at Grizzly Lodge or Silver Gate Cabins.

Day Four
We start out up the Beartooth before heading back in to Yellowstone and across the Northern Range. We end up in Gardiner by the afternoon before spending the evening looking at bears. Lodging at Yellowstone Gateway Inn.

Day Five
We start out early in the Gardiner area watching bears before making our way south toward the Tetons. We arrive back in the Tetons by early evening where we drop you off at the lodging of your choice.

Five full days of guiding, all meals from breakfast on day one to lunch on day five, four nights of lodging and an annual parks pass. Available from mid-May through Halloween. This itinerary starts at $4995 per person sharing.

If you are interested in going out longer please see our scheduled early spring and fall bears tours and then drop us a booking form with any questions.