Viewing
wild grizzlies in Yellowstone Park requires a short cross country
hike averaging 1.5 miles into an area with no trails, no visitors,
no traffic, and only the sounds of nature.
Grizzlies
are viewed with spotting scopes (I provide three
scopes with tripods--$4300. worth!) from pre- established viewing
areas in the backcountry that I developed in the late 1980's. While
spotting and viewing bears the group will learn through open discussion
everything they ever wanted to know about bears, wolves, Yellowstone
Park or anything else they are interested in.
Elk,
bison, bald eagles, harrier hawks, coyotes, and once in awhile wolves
are also viewed along with grizzlies during this tour.
Note: This is a wild backcountry
tour, not a road tour like most other guides offer.
100% success in 1996, and 2000!
Ninety seven percent success in
2001.
Only 70% success in 2002 due to
a large forest fire which forced the bears out of the area.
98% success from 1992-99, and
2003.
96% success in 2004. Partially
due to the Nez Perce wolf pack moving into the area, and one
visitor blowing an air horn over the course of 3 weeks, while
hiking.
99% success in 2005. The best bear
viewing summer in nearly 8 years with 8-9 grizzly bears a day,
but also the most dangerous, and I had to cancel or change several
weeks of tours due to a high level of danger hiking into the
area.
98% success for 2006. A really
great summer for bear viewing. We did have to leave the viewing
area several days due to bears being too close to the viewing
area.
100% success for 2007. I did have
to cancel several weeks of bear viewing though due to a high
danger level. Guests were given the option to change their tour
or recieve a full refund.
The bear viewing tours
are my most popular spring and summer tour. Very small sized groups
of 1-5 are taken out each day to designated viewing areas. Once
we arrive at the viewing location we are stationary until it is
time to hike back out to the road at dusk.
Minimum
age limit for the bear tour: 12 The
age limit is only for the bear tour. On all other tours that I offer,
there is NO age limit, and younger kids are encouraged and welcome
to join in.
Afternoon
tours are offered for bears, except in May when I offer only early
AM tours.
Digital
video camera's work best for photographing the bears from a distance,
unless you can afford a Nikon 800mm lens. If full framed, full faced
photographs of grizzly bears is your main goal, then I would have
to recommend your local zoo. A few guests with Canon XL-2 digital
video camera's have been able to "reach out there" and
capture these shots. Otherwise, the bear tour is more of "an
experience, and unique adventure". The second and third week
of May are the only two weeks of the year when you have the chance
of capturing full face, full frame shots of bears close up. Email
me for details.
Viewing
and safety guidelines originally established at McNeil River Falls
in Alaska are followed for your safety and to minimize the impact
on the grizzly bears.
Get
away from the road and the crowds and see grizzly bears in their
natural environment!
Note:
I reserve the
right to cancel or change this tour at the last minute if the area
becomes too dangerous to visit, or if the tours impact the grizzlies
and other wildlife in a negative way.
This
is a custom private charter guide service, with a one - on - one
personalized vacation tour program designed to make this a vacation
of a lifetime!
Rate:
$500. flat rate, total price for 1-5 guests.
Private charter tour, approx, 6 hours
depending on month.
Afternoon tours only. Entrance
fee, and food are not included in rate.
30% deposit is required at time of reservation.
I meet guests
for the bear viewing tours at Canyon Visitor Center. The closest
lodging is at Canyon, but Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Lake Lodge
are not too far away. Mammoth is about a 35 minute drive and West
Yellowstone is an hours drive.
Transportation, guide,
and spotting scopes are provided.
I encourage
everyone to check what other guides are charging for the same tour
and discover just how competitive my rates are.
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Guide For Bears. Kevin Sanders, the Bearman in Yellowstone
Park.