Yellowstone and the Tetons

Expectations: This is a moderately active program incorporating walks and hikes from 1 up to 4 miles round-trip with options (at times) for shorter walks and hikes, most on well-marked trails. However trails in the national park can be rocky, uneven and dusty. Elevation gains during these walks and hikes can be strenuous and participants may be affected with shortness of breath. The Yellowstone Plateau sits at an average elevation of 8,000 feet and the area around Jackson and Grand Teton National Park is at roughly 6,000 to 7,000 feet above sea level. We recommend if you are susceptible to shortness of breath at higher elevations to check with your physician prior to registering for this trip.

The time on the trails will be taken at an easy to moderate pace suitable for study. Appropriate footwear and gear is very important as you will experience the park rain or shine. We highly recommend dressing in layers and wearing trail shoes with a sturdy tread or well-worn hiking boots as well as having rainwear, a hat, sunglasses, sunblock, and sunscreen on hand. A full list of suggested items to pack will be included with your pre-tour documents.

Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit, expect a somewhat vigorous pace, are comfortable participating in up to five hours of physical activity per day, and enjoy some physical exertion.

Travel on one of our 2026 U.S. land journeys and receive this commemorative 250th Smithsonian book.* – “The Promise of a Nation”.

The Promise of a Nation

Commemorating 250 Years of Patriotism, Resilience, and Aspirations from the National Collection
Featuring 700 Objects from the National Collection - Smithsonian Institution

Available to ship – March 2026

SMITHSONIAN BOOKS Retail price - $40.00

Celebrate 250 years of American history—and witness the nation’s decade-by-decade evolution—in this illustrated volume featuring 750 Smithsonian objects.

The 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence marks a major milestone, representing two-and-a-half centuries of upholding democracy, building communities, defining freedom, and working to become a more perfect union. In “The Promise of Our Nation”, Smithsonian curators share aspirational stories that have shaped the nation in chapters representing each decade from the 1770’s to the 2020’s. Smithsonian objects help bring each decade to life, from George Washington's sword (1770’s) to an African American volunteer fire company badge (1860’s) to Marian Anderson's attire worn at her Lincoln Memorial concert (1930’s) to the Space Shuttle Discovery (1990’s). Each chapter begins with a timeline of major events and census data, followed by an essay that considers American history through a meaningful and often unexpected lens. Full spreads feature spotlight objects that tell decade-specific stories and offer important insight into each decade and the American story.

*One book fulfilled per reservation.

*As an Amazon Associate, Smithsonian Journeys earns from qualifying purchases.

Learn more about the lost history of Yellowstone in Smithsonian Magazine.

Highly Recommended

A Place Called Yellowstone: The Epic History of the World’s First National Park

By: Wilson, Randall K.

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Geysers of Yellowstone: Sixth Edition

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Yellowstone Wildlife: Ecology and Natural History of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

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Yellowstone Wildlife is a natural history of the wildlife species that call Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem their home. Illustrated with stunning images by renowned wildlife photographer Thomas Mangelsen, Yellowstone Wildlife describes the lives of species in the park, exploring their habitats from the Grand Tetons to Jackson Hole.  From charismatic megafauna like elk, bison, wolves, bighorn sheep, and grizzly bears, to smaller mammals like bats, pikas, beavers, and otters, to some of the 279 species of birds, Johnsgard describes the behavior of animals throughout the seasons, with sections on what summer and autumn mean to the wildlife of the park, especially with the intrusion of millions of tourists each year. Enhanced by Mangelsen’s wildlife photography, Yellowstone Wildlife reveals the beauty and complexity of these species’ intertwined lives and that of Yellowstone’s greater ecosystem.

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Travels in the Greater Yellowstone

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Award-winning nature writer Jack Turner directs his attention to one of America's greatest natural treasures: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In a series of essays, Turner explores this wonderland, venturing on twelve separate trips in all seasons using various modes of travel. He treks down the Teton Range, picks up the Oregon Trail in the Red Desert, and floats the South Fork of the Snake River. Along the way he encounters a variety of wildlife: moose, elk, trout, and wolves. From the treacherous mountains in the dead of winter to lush river valleys in the height of fishing season, his words and steps trace one of the most American of experiences―exploring the West.Turner―who has lived in Grand Teton for three decades―designates the Greater Yellowstone as ground zero for the country's conflict between preservation and development, and his accounts of the area's conflicts with alien species, logging, real estate, oil, and gas development are alarming.A mixture of adventure, nostalgia, and Americana, Turner's rare experiences and evocative writing transform the sights and sounds of Greater Yellowstone into an intimate narrative of travel through America's most beloved lands.

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Yellowstone Migrations

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Winner of 2017 Gold Nautilus Book Award in Animals and Nature and 2018 Silver Independent Publisher Book Award in Environment, Ecology, and NatureLarge animal migrations are among the primordial rhythms of life on Earth, and, as scientists have recently discovered, the American West is home to some of the planet’s most magnificent migrations. Yellowstone Migration takes readers into the heart of the vast, wild landscapes found in America’s West, and shows us that it is possible to preserve the natural heritage of this iconic region and protect these last intact natural wildlife corridors―so that these animals can carry out the migrations that are essential to their survival.The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which is a dozen times the size of Yellowstone National Park, harbors the last great populations of migrating elk, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer. Thousands of these grand animals move with the changing seasons to feed and give birth. During their four-month long journey, mule deer navigate not only the natural challenges of rivers, lakes, and sand dunes, but also manmade obstacles such as three major highways and more than 100 fences, many with barbed wire. In Yellowstone Migrations, wildlife photojournalist Joe Riis follows three primary migrations: • The “Path of the Pronghorn” from Grand Teton National Park to southwest Wyoming;• The mule deer migration from Red Desert to Hoback, Wyoming; and• The Cody elk migration on the Absaroka front.People who care about the American West face a choice: we can manage our public and private lands in ways that allow and encourage these migrations, or we can encumber these animals with unchecked development, changing climate, pollution, and barriers. Riis’s stunning imagery and on-the-ground experiences shed light on these amazing animals and how, for them, migration is a matter of life or death.

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Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone

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"George Black rediscovers the history and lore of one of the planet's most magnificent landscapes. Read Empire of Shadows, and you'll never think of our first―in many ways our greatest―nationalpark in the same way again."―Hampton Sides, author of Blood and ThunderEmpire of Shadows is the epic story of the conquest of Yellowstone, Wyoming, a landscape uninhabited, inaccessible and shrouded in myth in the aftermath of the Civil War. In a radical reinterpretation of the nineteenth century West, George Black casts Yellowstone's creation as the culmination of three interwoven strands of history - the passion for exploration, the violence of the Indian Wars and the "civilizing" of the frontier - and charts its course through the lives of those who sought to lay bare its mysteries: Lt. Gustavus Cheyney Doane, a gifted but tormented cavalryman known as "the man who invented Wonderland"; the ambitious former vigilante leader Nathaniel Langford; scientist Ferdinand Hayden, who brought photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran to Yellowstone; and Gen. Phil Sheridan, Civil War hero and architect of the Indian Wars, who finally succeeded in having the new National Park placed under the protection of the US Cavalry. George Black¹s Empire of Shadows is a groundbreaking historical account of the origins of America¹s majestic national landmark.

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Letters from Yellowstone: A Novel

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For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.

In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.

To learn more about the Travel Protection Plan, you may visit https://www.generalipartner.com/smithsonianjourneys or call the administrator, Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand at (866) 501-3252.