July 28th to Aug 1st Yellowstone’s Wildlife and Wildflowers with Mammoth Hot Springs, Montana Ghost Towns and Gate of the Mountain Lewis and Clark Cruise

Includes:

• RT Air on Alaska from Seattle to Bozeman
• MT 4 Nights Hotel, Only Unpack Once!
• See the stunning “Paradise Room underground at the Lewis and Clark Caverns
• Visit Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District in Yellowstone National Park
• Search for wildflowers and wildlife in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley
• See the largest collection of T-Rex dinos at the Museum of the Rockies
• Visit the living Ghost Towns of Nevada and Virginia City with Alder Gulch Train Ride
• See one of the largest collections of Old West artifacts outside the Smithsonian
• Discover the Lewis and Clark connection on the Gates of the Mountain Cruise
• Try your luck at mining Montana’s blue sapphires
• 7 Meals Singles
• Singles Add $398

Day 1: Fly to Bozeman, MT, Get to Know Your Fellow Explorers Welcome Dinner

Our bus will pick up from select locations for transfers to Sea-Tac Airport and settle into your seats on Alaska Airlines for a non-stop flight to Bozeman, Mt, for a fabulous Hub and Spoke tour (offering a multi-night stay at one hotel and day trips each day starting from the same location. Upon arrival, get to know your fellow travelers at our hosted dinner, which will take place after you have checked into our hotel for a four-night stay. D

Day 2: Discover one of the most highly decorated limestone caverns in North America, Travel back to the past in Montana’s Living Ghost Towns… Virginia and Nevada City

This morning, visit the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Join a ranger guide for the 1.5-hour Paradise Tour. This tour is especially suited for our customers. Not only does this route avoid the vertical climb to access the cave and the 600 stairs of the Classic Tour, but it is also the only option that views the largest, most decorated area of the Cave, the Paradise Room. Continue to Virginia City and Nevada City lie along Alder Gulch about one mile apart, and are the site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains! The area represents the true and original Old West. The outdoor museum in Nevada City houses one of the largest collections of Old West artifacts outside the Smithsonian and features over one hundred buildings dating from 1863 to the early 1900s. You’ll ride the Alder Gulch Shortline Railroad between the two, and have the options to visit Boot Hill Cemetery, take a ride on the Virginia City Overland Stagecoach or even mine for gold in the city park. B,L

Day 3 In the Footsteps of Lewis and Clark, the Gates of the Mountain Cruise Helena State Capitol Tour and Original Governor’s Mansion

Our company-owned coach will be waiting at the hotel to take you north. First stop is Helena’s State Capitol for a guided tour of the original Governor’s mansion. The Queen Anne-Style mansion served as home to Montana’s First Families from 1913 to 1959. Stop for pictures at the stunning Cathedral of Saint Helena. Modeled by architect A.O. Von Herbulis after the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria, the construction began on the cathedral in 1908, and it features a fine collection of stained-glass windows. Take a break in the historic district for lunch on your own and shopping. Travel just 20 minutes out of town to the pristine Gates of the Mountains and board a comfortable open-air boat (covered in case of rain), for a two-hour narrated cruise. You’ll glide through the magnificent scenery that Meriwether Lewis would still recognize if he returned today. The tour’s main attraction is the inexhaustible scenery – wooded slopes, rugged rock formations, and the placid beauty of the timeless Missouri. Return to our Bozeman hotel for the night. B

Day 4: Mammoth Hot Springs and Mineral Terraces, Fort Yellowstone, Larmar Valley Wildflowers and Wildlife

Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park, adjacent to Fort Yellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. Created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Walk on boardwalks above the steaming hydrothermal features or take a drive around the vibrant travertine terraces. Talk to rangers at the Albright Visitor Center (originally quarters for single Army officers) and learn more about the history and wildlife of Yellowstone. Tour Historic Fort Yellowstone. Just a short drive further south is Undine Falls. Located in the northeastern corner of the park, the Lamar is an area of Yellowstone that is often called America’s Serengeti for its large and easy-to-see populations of large animals. Among its most famous inhabitants are the Junction Butte and Lamar Canyon wolf packs. In addition to wolves, other animals roaming the Lamar include large herds of bison, pronghorn, badgers, grizzly bears, bald eagles, osprey, deer, and coyotes. There are many pullouts along the road for viewing and photo ops. B,L

DAY 5 See the “Largest Collection of T-Rex Fossils” at the award-winning Museum of the Rockies and Return Flight to SeaTac

Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman is “one of the most significant collections of North American dinosaurs worldwide. Notably, the museum is home to the largest collections of Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops fossils.” The world’s largest T-rex skull was unearthed in eastern Montana and is now on display at the Museum of the Rockies. Then check in for our late afternoon flight back to SeaTac. B