Choose Your Yellowstone GeoTour

GeoTours Offered

  • Fiery Giants and Volcanic Wonders

  • Geologist’s Eye: How to Unlock Earth’s Secrets

  • Frozen in Time: Discovering the Ice Age Landscape

  • Ancient Seas: Unveiling Montana’s Hidden Ocean History

  • Explore Deep Earth and Deep Time

All geology tours are either a three-hour half day or a full day tour, as follows:

FULL DAY TOURS

  • Paradise Valley (north side of Yellowstone National Park. Tour can start in Livingston, Emigrant, Pray, Gardiner): 6 or less people $600 for the group

  • West Yellowstone, Big Sky, or Red Lodge: 6 or less people $700 for the group

HALF DAY TOURS

  • Paradise Valley (north side of Yellowstone National Park): 1-3 people $500 for the group

  • 4+ people - please book a full-day tour

Details of geology tours are outlined below.

Fiery Giants and Volcanic Wonders

Learn how volcanoes and magma in Montana have shaped the Paradise Valley landscape by discovering traces of the northern Yellowstone region’s lava flows, buried hot springs, and seeps of deep Earth magma. The geology tour will take you to hilltop vistas, incised canyons, and a flank of an inactive volcano.

Tour Details:

Transportation: The guide will either ride in the participants’ vehicle or accompany in a separate vehicle, whichever is preferred.

Recommended Ages:  Adults, Families

Length:  Tailored to Half Day, or Full Day. See prices above.

Physical Needs: All tour stops are by the side of paved and unpaved roads and do not require hiking. Wearing sturdy shoes and stepping off the road will generate the best tour experience.

Extras: A locally catered box breakfast or box lunch can be arranged with prior notice and at an additional per person charge.

Geologist’s Eye: How to Unlock Earth’s Secrets

This geology tour is for the adventurers who want to dig deeper into how the Earth works and acquire more of a geologist’s eye. Learn how geologists in Montana use mineral chemistry, rock texture, and landscape features to decipher the sequence of geologic events in the northern Yellowstone region. The tour will take you to hilltop vistas, Yellowstone River gravel bars, incised canyons, and ancient lava flows.

Tour Details:

Transportation: The guide will either ride in the participants’ vehicle or accompany in a separate vehicle, whichever is preferred.

Recommended Ages:  Adults, Families with Teenagers, not recommended for kids <13

Length:  Tailored to Half Day or Full Day. See prices above.

Physical Needs: All tour stops are by the side of paved and unpaved roads and do not require hiking. Wearing sturdy shoes and stepping off the road will generate the best tour experience.

Extras: A locally catered box breakfast or box lunch can be arranged with prior notice and at an additional per person charge.

Frozen in Time: Discovering the Ice Age Landscape

Imagine the northern Yellowstone region buried in deep ice and snow. How can we see where giant glaciers ground the Earth into the shapes of the Montana landscape that we see today? This geology tour will take you to glacial moraines, U-shaped valleys, and sub-glacial hummocks in Paradise Valley.

Tour Details:

Transportation: The guide will either ride in the participants’ vehicle or accompany in a separate vehicle, whichever is preferred.

Recommended Ages:  Adults, Families, Teenagers

Length:  Tailored to Half Day or Full Day. See prices above.

Physical Needs: All tour stops are by the side of paved and unpaved roads and do not require hiking. Wearing sturdy shoes and stepping off the road will generate the best tour experience.

Extras: A locally catered box breakfast or box lunch can be arranged with prior notice and at an additional per person charge.

Ancient Seas: Unveiling Montana’s Hidden Ocean History

How is it possible that geologists find seashells in Montana? Learn about how the northern Yellowstone region bears traces of tropical seas, the Pacific coastline, and ancient ocean floors. This geology tour will take you to incised canyons, the foot of a thrusted ridge, and fossil-rich cliffs.

Tour Details:

Transportation: The guide will either ride in the participants’ vehicle or accompany in a separate vehicle, whichever is preferred.

Recommended Ages:  Adults, Families, Teenagers

Length:  Tailored to Half Day or Full Day. See prices above.

Physical Needs: All tour stops are by the side of paved and unpaved roads and do not require hiking. Wearing sturdy shoes and stepping off the road will generate the best tour experience.

Extras: A locally catered box breakfast or box lunch can be arranged with prior notice and at an additional per person charge.

Explore Deep Earth and Deep Time

Have you ever wanted to journey to the deep, exploring Earth’s core and deep time? Learn how geologists in Montana use mineral chemistry, the plasticity of rock, and the shape of mountains to unravel the history of mountain range creation and destruction. The tour will take you to hilltop vistas, rock faults, and incised canyons to discover traces of the volcanic magma and powerful forces that shape the northern Yellowstone region of Paradise Valley.

Tour Details:

Transportation: The guide will either ride in the participants’ vehicle or accompany in a separate vehicle, whichever is preferred.

Recommended Ages:  Adults, Families with Teenagers, not recommended for kids <13

Length:  Tailored to Half Day or Full Day. See prices above.

Physical Needs: All tour stops are by the side of paved and unpaved roads and do not require hiking. Wearing sturdy shoes and stepping off the road will generate the best tour experience.

Extras: A locally catered box breakfast or box lunch can be arranged with prior notice and at an additional per person charge.