My 12-year-old daughter stands on the boardwalk at Yellowstone's West Thumb Geyser Basin, aiming a borrowed digital laser thermometer at the hot pools and mud pots simmering nearby. She clicks the trigger and reads the display: 120 degrees … 155 degrees … even 170 degrees.
Close by, another girl snaps a photo of Fishing Cone, where early Yellowstone visitors used to cook their fish straight from Yellowstone Lake. Each of the five children in our group, ages 8 to 13, received a digital camera the first night to use during their stay. Our leader Jen Rudolph – a middle school teacher from Massachusetts - reminds us how Thomas Moran's artwork and William Henry Jackson's photographs helped sell Congress on the idea of Yellowstone as the world's first national park. She promises to develop the kids' favorite photos at the end of the trip, and adds this challenge: "I want you to think about which of your photos could someday help save Yellowstone."
For four days, we three families learn, hike, play and eat picnic lunches together, separating only for nights spent in comfortable digs at the Grant Village. We walk carefully past a buffalo wallowing along the trail to Storm Point, we see sandhill cranes dance at sunset in Hayden Valley, and we use watercolors to capture the summer glow at the Grand Canyon of
Bison grazing in Yellowstone National Park Pete Saloutos
the Yellowstone.
Most families visiting Yellowstone tend to blow through the park in a day or two, rarely traveling far from their vehicles and seldom getting a behind-the-scenes look at the
park's geology, wildlife or history. But after many summers of exploring Yellowstone, Jen knows the park like a second home. When we reach Old Faithful, she spontaneously hails us past the famous geyser to see an unexpected matinee performance by Beehive Geyser – a less-regular but spectacular feature in the same vicinity. We still catch Old Faithful, too, but from a backside vantage point far from the boardwalk crowds.
Yellowstone for Families, held several times each summer, is but one program of the Yellowstone Association Institute, which likes to call its famous campus "the wildest classroom on Earth." Its other Lodging & Learning programs – offered in conjunction with Xanterra Parks & Resorts, the official in-park concessionaire – include:
Spring Wolf & Bear Discovery (May - June) – For early risers, this program helps visitors learn about and look for the park's star "megafauna." Trails Through Yellowstone (May - September) – Naturalist-led daily hikes of up to 8 miles make this four-day program a good choice for active families with teens. Autumn in Yellowstone (September - October) – The elegant Lake Hotel is base camp for
Beehive Geyser Fred Pflughoft
three days of uncrowded walking, wildlife watching and geyser gazing. Family Winter Holiday (December - February) – Families with kids ages 8 to 12 track animals, ski, snowshoe and have fun at Mammoth Hot Springs.
In 2007-2008, most Lodging & Learning packages cost between $579 and $649 per person, double occupancy, with reduced rates for children. The Yellowstone Association is also known for its wide range of field seminars, which run from one to four days and cost about $80 to $400. The minimum age for most is 16. Many seminars are based at Association headquarters at Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the park's northeast corner; others are held in other park locations or gateway towns. Here's a sampling of those short courses:
In Celebration of Birds – Based at Old Faithful, with easy hikes, this two-day seminar helps participants learn how birds migrate and why they sing. Wilderness First Aid – Designed for backcountry enthusiasts, this course offers 16 hours of intensive instruction in how to handle outdoor emergencies. Poetry in Yellowstone – An experienced writer-naturalist helps participants transform their outdoor impressions into poetry.
Other Association programs include Yellowstone Ed-Ventures, designed for small groups who want a private introduction to Yellowstone (priced at $495 per day for one to five participants, $625 for six to 14 people or $1,250 for between 15 and 28 people) and small-group backpacking courses that last up to nine days. For more information and a full list of upcoming offerings, see the Association's Web site.
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