From my conversations with our travelers, I would guess those of you reading this have either never been to Yellowstone National Park or visited years ago as a kid. Although Yellowstone hosts more than three million visitors per year, in my trip there two weeks ago I noticed a good percentage of visitors are from outside the US. For some reason, Asians and Europeans seem set on viewing Yellowstone while Americans must have other priorities.

We’d like to change that – at least for our Zephyr participants.

We have been running a Family Adventure in Yellowstone for four years now and it has been wildly successful in terms of trip ratings and repeat customers. I was just there with 15 participants and my co-guide Kris and we all had a blast horseback riding, river rafting, going on short hikes, and viewing the wildlife in and around Yellowstone.

In fact, these Yellowstone trips have been so successful we have decided to expand and create a new division, Yellowstone Adventures, for 2009. This will include three separate trips:

• Our tried and true Active Yellowstone Adventure, designated for families but in 2009 open to everyone. This trip runs August 2-6.
• A Yellowstone Winter Adventure from January 10-14 that will include cross country skiing and snowshoeing plus a two-night stay at Old Faithful, accessible only by snow coach in the winter.
• A Yellowstone Trek in the amazing Bechler region of the park, with horseback support so we only carry our day packs. This trip will run September 5-9 next year but is also scheduled this year September 28 through October 2 and we still have space available.

While our website won’t be updated for a few days, for a sneak preview of these three tours see www.zephyradventures.com/types-yellowstone.htm.

What makes Yellowstone so fantastic? I find it funny that Kris in our office has loved Yellowstone since her college days when she worked there one summer and Reno, also in our office, is one of the biggest fans of the Park I know. I, on the other hand, went there as a kid but it was only recently I started becoming such a fan.

One of the great things about Yellowstone is that it is BIG and every time I go I seem to find a new waterfall, a new geyser, or a new hiking trail. I also love the varied seasons in the park. 66% of visitors come during the three summer months leaving only 34% during the remaining nine months. Yet the spring, winter, and fall offer more amazing colors and animal viewing experiences than the summer months.

I think my favorite thing about Yellowstone, though, is that it just makes me feel connected to nature. Even in the high-tourism season of August, half our group this past trip got up at 6:00 AM to do a quick drive through the Hayden Valley, searching for animals. At that time of the day mists rose from the Yellowstone River, the bison were snorting and chasing each other, and it felt like we had Yellowstone to ourselves. I can’t wait for the next trip.