2024 Travelers' Choice
About Backcountry Journeys
Why Choose Backcountry Journeys
If you're considering a photography tour, hear why Backcountry Journeys delivers the best experience in the industry.Frequently Asked Questions
If you're new to photography tours, or new to BCJ, you can find our common travel questions here.Fitness Levels
Our trips vary on physical intensity, and by reviewing our fitness levels, you can find out which trips may be more challenging, or aligned more closely with your comfort level.Meet The Crew
We've built an amazing team of experienced guides, and dedicated office staff that elevate your travel experience. Get to know their backgrounds, and hear their stories.Gift Certificates
Give the gift of photo adventure! We offer gift certificates that can be applied to any of our upcoming tours.Loyalty Program
We reward our frequent photo adventurers with exclusive discounts on amazing photography tours.Contact Us
If you need to get in touch with our office staff, or have additional business inquiries, you can find our information here.Stay Up To Date On All Things
Backcountry Journeys
Backcountry Journeys
Our Photography Community
Our Webinars
Our regularly hosted webinars provide photography instruction from our own guides on a wide range of topics.Our Education Portal
Explore our library of articles that cover everything from common questions, to in-depth guides on how to achieve that perfect shot.Community Testimonials
We're proud to foster an amazing group of photo travelers, and here you can find their stories from their past adventures.Resources For Photographers
About Our Company
Resources For Photographers
About Our Company
Trip Report: Yellowstone Wildlife Safari – May 2022
Published July 13, 2022
This land is legendary.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Ulysses S. Grant signed a law making Yellowstone the world’s first national park. “For the Benefit & Enjoyment of the People” is what the words say, inscribed on the top of the arch on the immense Roosevelt Gate leading into the park’s north entrance. The gate is an inspiring structure, but I’ve always felt like the monument’s inscription is a bit of an understatement for what the park really represents.
One hundred and fifty years ago, Ulysses S. Grant signed a law making Yellowstone the world’s first national park. “For the Benefit & Enjoyment of the People” is what the words say, inscribed on the top of the arch on the immense Roosevelt Gate leading into the park’s north entrance. The gate is an inspiring structure, but I’ve always felt like the monument’s inscription is a bit of an understatement for what the park really represents.
Yellowstone and the entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem embody the country’s wilderness. The scant roads that incise the park’s interior merely give us a glimpse of the wildness that hides beyond all we can see. On the worst days, a beautiful landscape unfurls as far as the eye can see. Low hills peppered with evergreens and the occasional aspen grove give way to higher mountains that still have snow even as late as the end of May. Below the hills, water cuts draw draws turn into creeks, and creeks turn into rivers as the water that falls on the park and pulled by gravity, cuts and cleaves its way across the landscape, ever-shaping the land.
Over time, the creeks and rivers create large valleys whose deep soils grow the grass and forbs that sustain ungulate biomass that rivals any you’ll see in the lower 48 states, much less the rest of the world. While the migration is relatively short, a migration exists here nonetheless. As the spring thaw commences and the snow wanes from the valleys, temporarily displaced herds of bison, elk, and pronghorns come to greener pastures to graze and give birth to a new crop of offspring that will ultimately populate these hills and valleys.
Over time, the creeks and rivers create large valleys whose deep soils grow the grass and forbs that sustain ungulate biomass that rivals any you’ll see in the lower 48 states, much less the rest of the world. While the migration is relatively short, a migration exists here nonetheless. As the spring thaw commences and the snow wanes from the valleys, temporarily displaced herds of bison, elk, and pronghorns come to greener pastures to graze and give birth to a new crop of offspring that will ultimately populate these hills and valleys.
Yellowstone is a veritable menagerie. The pristine habitat of Yellowstone National Park is peppered with species like marmots, ground squirrels, pika, badgers, and a host of bird species. Each species occupies its own ecological niche – a link in a complex yet complete food chain if you will. These species collectively provide a bounty for the numerous prey species that exist here.
The Yellowstone ecosystem is unrivaled in the number and density of predators who prey on the more bountiful animals. Wolves, of course, are omnipresent year around. As the vernal season opens, bears emerge from a winter’s slumber, ever-present coyotes slink through the sage, and bald and golden eagles soar overhead. Those are the common predators. Present but less commonly seen are mountain lions, bobcats, wolverines, pine martens, weasels, lynx, and a handful of other predators.
Backcountry Journeys’ Yellowstone Wildlife Safari tours are formulaic: each day is spent looking in the most logical places for wildlife. While wolves are the ultimate prize, we search in earnest for just about any species of wildlife we can find. Bison and elk are typically easy to find. In fact, on the first morning, we photograph a couple of mature bull elk picking their way through a sage flat – their antlers adorned with velveteen covering in which growing antlers sport. The tiny hairs on the antlers pick up the backlit sun and make the spongy appendages shine. While the antlers are only half-grown, a few more months and they’ll harden just in time for the fall rut and the enviable combat that ensues between rival males.
The Yellowstone ecosystem is unrivaled in the number and density of predators who prey on the more bountiful animals. Wolves, of course, are omnipresent year around. As the vernal season opens, bears emerge from a winter’s slumber, ever-present coyotes slink through the sage, and bald and golden eagles soar overhead. Those are the common predators. Present but less commonly seen are mountain lions, bobcats, wolverines, pine martens, weasels, lynx, and a handful of other predators.
Backcountry Journeys’ Yellowstone Wildlife Safari tours are formulaic: each day is spent looking in the most logical places for wildlife. While wolves are the ultimate prize, we search in earnest for just about any species of wildlife we can find. Bison and elk are typically easy to find. In fact, on the first morning, we photograph a couple of mature bull elk picking their way through a sage flat – their antlers adorned with velveteen covering in which growing antlers sport. The tiny hairs on the antlers pick up the backlit sun and make the spongy appendages shine. While the antlers are only half-grown, a few more months and they’ll harden just in time for the fall rut and the enviable combat that ensues between rival males.
Shortly after the elk, we find a herd of bison bulls feeding alongside the Gibbon River. Like the elk, the bull bison congregate in bachelor groups this time of year. It’s not until the calves are born (and the bison cows are back in season) that the bulls pay attention to the females who roam the park.
At some point on the first day of the trip, we stumble upon a grizzly sow and her two cubs. The find wasn’t accidental, however. Information gathered from various sources indicated when and where she may be, and like clockwork, the trio is a scant 100 yards away.
It’s fun to watch. While the mother digs in the dirt and turns over rocks in search of food, the cubs mimic her antics. They may not realize it, but she’s teaching them how to survive in an inhospitable world.
It’s fun to watch. While the mother digs in the dirt and turns over rocks in search of food, the cubs mimic her antics. They may not realize it, but she’s teaching them how to survive in an inhospitable world.
The natural world is constantly churning in Yellowstone. As a mother bear engrains survival lessons in her cubs, a moose browses on sedge in a damp bog across the park. Meanwhile, pika skit in and out of the rocks in such a way that it looks like a rudimentary game of whack-a-mole. Across the valley, a Unita ground squirrel feeds while keeping one eye out for trouble. Just across the sage, that ‘trouble’ is in search of food and goes by the name of red fox.
Most precociously, two tiny black bear cubs slumber peacefully in a pine tree while their mother feeds beneath.
Acre by acre and species by species, an ongoing natural drama plays out for those willing to travel afield and bear witness. On the Yellowstone Wildlife Safari, entire days are spent searching for wildlife and their ensuing struggles to survive the wilderness. Because of the pristine habitat, however, most of the wildlife thrives.
Acre by acre and species by species, an ongoing natural drama plays out for those willing to travel afield and bear witness. On the Yellowstone Wildlife Safari, entire days are spent searching for wildlife and their ensuing struggles to survive the wilderness. Because of the pristine habitat, however, most of the wildlife thrives.
On any given foray, we may see marmot, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, and a plethora of others. Patience and perseverance paid off each day of the trip as we took thousands of wildlife images in Yellowstone. Northwestern Wyoming is truly a photographer’s paradise.
Like all trips, this one eventually comes to an end. But not before a new group of friends came together to photograph the wildlife in one of the most outstanding locations you’ll find. While images are important, joyous connections people make with one another are just as meaningful. We got plenty of that, too.
Ultimately, picking one outstanding moment on a trip like this is hard. That isn’t a negative statement; on the contrary. It was all good. From the moment we left our meeting hotel in Bozeman until we returned at the trip’s end, it was all filled with good friendships, lively conversation, and one incredible wildlife encounter after another.
Like all trips, this one eventually comes to an end. But not before a new group of friends came together to photograph the wildlife in one of the most outstanding locations you’ll find. While images are important, joyous connections people make with one another are just as meaningful. We got plenty of that, too.
Ultimately, picking one outstanding moment on a trip like this is hard. That isn’t a negative statement; on the contrary. It was all good. From the moment we left our meeting hotel in Bozeman until we returned at the trip’s end, it was all filled with good friendships, lively conversation, and one incredible wildlife encounter after another.
We offer world-class travel photography
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
experiences around the world.
Each tour is bundled with lodging, meals, and transportation between workshops included, allowing you to focus on photography instead of the stress of traveling.
Get Our Trip Catalog
Receive a trip catalog that highlights all of our upcoming photo tours and workshops.Schedule a Trip Consultation
Meet with a photo experience coordinator, and experience a personal touch to your booking experience.Trip Calendar
View our trip calendar and filter upcoming departures by interest or seasonality.Webinars
Our regularly hosted webinars provide photography instruction from our own guides on a wide range of topics.Education Portal
Explore our library of articles that cover everything from common questions, to in-depth guides on how to achieve that perfect shot.BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
- Russ Nordstrand, Backcountry Journeys Founder & Director
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLCs - Copyright 2025
BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2025
TRIP CATALOG
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.