Day two of our Montana Adventure had us roaming the wild! We spent most of the day in Yellowstone National Park before arriving at our “glamp-site” for the evening.
Adventures by Disney: Montana
Day 1: Bozeman
Day 2: Yellowstone National Park
Day 3: Yellowstone National Park
Day 4: Yellowstone to Big Sky
Day 5: Big Sky High
Day 6: Home on the Ranch
Montana Memories
Early Morning Breakfast
We fueled up on a breakfast-to-go from Treeline Cafe prior to boarding our coach bound for an adventure-filled day in Yellowstone National Park. I should note that whenever you move resorts, your guides give you a time to have your “checked” bags outside your door. Porters collect them and then they magically appear in your next room. No pack mule needed.
Motorcoach Merriment
With Adventures by Disney, even a motorcoach ride is merry! If you’ve been to Yellowstone, you will know that it takes a good deal of time to get in, out and around every day. Disney brings the local experts on early and they explain what you are about to see and experience, often using props and photos. Having this context is priceless! I might be the only dummy that didn’t know Yellowstone is a volcano (face palm) until this week. The guides also work together to narrate the sights and scenes along the way – always looking for animals too!
Roosevelt Arch
The Roosevelt Arch is the commemorative entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Located in Gardiner, Montana, its cornerstone was laid down by President Theodore Roosevelt himself and became the first entryway to the very first National Park in the world. One thing I adore about Adventures by Disney is they know ALLLL the good photo spots and make sure you get the whole family in the shot. At the end of the trip they will provide us with all of the images!
While in Gardiner, we saw an elk just cruising down the street.
Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
On our first stop in side the park, we checked out the dramatic limestone terraces on a privately-led tour with Connie, our local expert, retired science teacher, Montana resident and Yellowstone enthusiast. Our bus driver delivered us to the very top so we could take a one way walk down hill to explore (I saw so many people fighting the uphill battle with a stroller to boot!) With the look of caves turned inside out and striped with spectacular colors, Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces were formed when a combination of water, heat and limestone pushed through a rock fracture system. Current geothermal activity is the creative force behind their ever-changing looks.
Picnic Lunch
Our guides handed out boxed lunches, including local Montana baked goods that were divine, and we had free time to explore Mammoth Village. Back on the bus, we started up a friendly game of Bingo that is still ongoing!
Norris Geyser Basin
We hit the ground running again with a guided tour of the Norris Geyser Basin—the hottest and most dynamic geyser basin in all of Yellowstone National Park. As we walked along the Small Loop Trail, we saw natural features, including steam vents, geysers and hot springs.
En route to our lodgings for the next couple of nights, Connie continued to narrate and engage us. We made a pit stop at the Chocolate Pot, something she said most visitors miss. Our guides handed out chocolate to commemorate the occasion. :-)
When we stopped to drop Connie for the night, we made a quick bathroom break and our guides treated us to ice cream. I went for the huckleberry swirl soft serve!
Under Canvas Yellowstone
This was something we’ve all been highly anticipating…. glamping at Under Canvas Yellowstone. We started at the lobby tent for an orientation to our tents, with details about bears, wildlife, using the shower and heating the wood burning stove. The message that came across loud and clear was “call us any time 24 hours a day and we run to assist”. :-) The lobby tent has a coffee station, small market, lounge areas and games.
This luxury tent campsite also features an onsite restaurant serving unique meals representing the area, and offers a range of fun-filled, family activities.
We opted for two safari-style tents between the four of us. These glamping tents have all the creature comforts, including a private bathroom with shower.
Each tent is well-appointed, containing linens, towels, and furnishings that include beds, rugs, safari chairs, a wood stove and more. Three lanterns provided plenty of light, a mini fan was great to cool off quickly (although venting it did the trick in no time) and charging bricks for mobile devices were wonderful (there was wifi). Let’s go inside!
The bathroom shower had HOT water but you had to have the string pulled for it to flow. The sink was ice cold. There was a sliding barn door between the bedroom and bathroom. Everything was really quite comfortable, as long as you started a fire at night and then had a tribute get out of bed and restart it in the morning. We slept extremely well but the 40 degree dip in temps each night made for COLD mornings. Our guides gave us the pertinent tips like to shower at night when it was warm. That was invaluable.
Here’s a peek inside the other tent.
Private Dinner at Under Canvas Yellowstone
After settling into our tent, we met back up with the group for a (on our own) happy hour.
Our private dinner was under the stars with incredible views. We all chose our meal from the menu on the coach earlier today to help serving 29 go quickly. Our meals were delicious – unfortunately I only snapped the apps.
S’mores & Stories by the Campfire
We topped off the evening with s’mores and stories told by Adventure Guides.
Back at camp, Honey taught the boys some old tricks of the trade and we enjoyed some low key family r&r.
All About Adventures by Disney
Adventures by Disney are expertly planned and guided group tours visiting 35 destinations across 6 continents. You can visit the world’s most iconic locations with Disney as your guide and your storyteller, and enjoy experiences, activities, dining and adventures in a way that only Disney can do. This is not a theme park tour with Mickey Mouse and popcorn buckets. These are trips around the world where you experience the service and VIP treatment that Disney is known for.
There are so many ways to follow along on our trip and see why I am so passionate about Adventures by Disney!
- What Makes AbD SO Special – blog post here
- Private AbD Facebook Group – join me here
- Dixie Travels Business Page on Facebook – like it here
- Dixie Travels Instagram – follow here
- My Germany AbD Trip Report – read on here
If you’re ready to learn more, I’d LOVE to talk your ear off about YOUR adventure! :-) My job is to handle all of the details so you can enjoy the anticipation of your trip without the stress and time commitment of “figuring everything out”. On top of that, family vacations are expensive and my experience and attention to detail make it possible to get the most out of your vacation dollars. Best of all, booking Adventures by Disney through me does not cost one cent more than doing it on your own, and it is a wonderful way to support my small business.
[email protected] | Consultation Request
Everything Disney | Adventures by Disney | Germany Trip Report | Montana Trip Report
Tomorrow brings geysers! We are so excited!
Looks wonderful!! I heard about Under Canvas a few years ago and in fact donated a two night stay at Under Canvas Mount Rushmore for our school auction. So fun to hear your real life review!! Can’t wait to hear more about Yellowstone and Big Sky!