Greater Yellowstone Multisport & Beer Adventure

DAY 1

We will meet you in Bozeman right before lunch, either at the airport or at the Lark Hotel. We start this tour out with a bang by heading directly to our first activity – rafting on the Gallatin River!  It is a fun, but wet, ride through rapids ranging from Class II – IV, depending on how high the river is. Once we’ve dried off, we’ll drive down the road a bit to our accommodations for the night — cute log cabins situated along the Buffalo Horn River at the 320 Ranch. Tonight’s welcome dinner is special, as we will have a local brewmaster (or two!) join us for a beer-pairing dinner in the ranch’s elegant western restaurant.  How many stars do you think you see from the bonfire pit tonight?  (Hint: probably thousands more than you can see at home!)

DAY 2

We begin our day with a hearty breakfast before we set out for our first morning in Yellowstone National Park. We’ll hike to get to one of the best views of the breathtaking Grand Prismatic hot spring (the one with almost every color of the rainbow!). We’ll stop for a tasty picnic lunch and to explore the Mammoth Hot Springs where we’ll most likely catch a glimpse of the elk herd that likes to hang out in the area. Tonight, we’ll be checking into another set of hot springs, but this time, they’ll be ones we can soak in! Chico Hot Springs Resort provides two natural hot spring pools where we’ll have a chance to relax and take in the mountain views while the stiffness in our muscles just melts away.  We’ll also enjoy another wonderful beer-filled dinner in the private cellar of their world-class restaurant.

DAY 3

Rise and shine!  Directly after breakfast we hit the road to spend a whole day in Yellowstone National Park.  Our first stop is the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,” where we will hike from point to point along the Yellowstone River and two impressive sets of waterfalls.  From there, we’ll check out the mud volcanoes before having lunch at the beautiful and historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel. Next, we drive to Old Faithful, keeping our eyes open for the ubiquitous bison as well as elk, coyotes, wolves, and bear. We’ll check into the Snow Lodge and enjoy a beer tasting and dinner in the grand Old Faithful Inn, over a hundred years old and one of the most fantastic log structures ever created. After dinner, seeing Old Faithful erupt in the moonlight (perhaps with an Old Faithful Ale by Grand Teton Brewing in hand?) will be a memory you won’t soon forget.

DAY 4

This morning we slow down and relax by offering a little free time at Old Faithful.  There is so much to see and do here!  We encourage you to explore the brand new visitor’s center, the amazing geothermal features and boardwalk area before we depart after lunch.  Hopefully, we won’t encounter too many “bison jams” (Yellowstone’s version of a traffic jam) as we exit and say goodbye to the Park and hello to a wonderful place called Red Lodge, Montana. Red Lodge is not only a great small town, it also happens to be the world headquarters of Zephyr Adventures. To get there, we take the most scenic route, via the Beartooth All-American Highway, the highest elevation road in the Northern Rockies.  Many switchbacks later, we will arrive at Beartooth Plateau and almost 11,000 feet before heading back down the other side.  Along the way, we may spot skiers (yes, there is still a lot of snow up here even in July!) and mountain goats, and we’ll surely see beautiful alpine lakes, the “Bear’s Tooth” for which the mountain range is named, and plenty of wildflowers.  After checking into our hotel, we’ll head to dinner at one of Red Lodge’s newest restaurants (and quickly on its way to becoming the best restaurant in Montana), Ox Pasture. If you’re up for it, you’ll have the chance to visit a few of Red Lodge’s local watering holes after dinner.

DAY 5

We save the best for last!  On our last morning together, we’ll take a lovely horseback ride into the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains. (If you aren’t a cowboy or cowgirl, you can take a hike, or just explore this cute town on your own instead).  After checking out of our hotel, we will head to Red Lodge Ales for a tour. Owner Sam knows his beer and the industry which makes it easy to understand how this once-small taproom is now growing into one of the region’s larger breweries, brewing and serving beers in its new LEED-certified brewery.  Afterward, we shuttle to Billings for either the airport (if you have an early afternoon flight) or lunch at Überbrew (if you have a late flight).  Überbrew was the winningest brewery at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival out of all breweries attending!  In fact, if you want to stay an extra night in Billings, we recommend resting your head at the fabulous Northern Hotel after a walking brewery tour of Billings.