Self-Launched Grand Teton & Yellowstone 2-Day Wildlife Adventure
2 days · Jackson, Wyoming & Yellowstone National Park, USA
BrushBuck Wildlife Tours charges £870
No-markup version: ~£255 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of BrushBuck Wildlife Tours' 2-day/1-night Grand Teton and Yellowstone wildlife loop, starting and ending in Jackson, Wyoming. Instead of a guided minibus, you self-drive (or join a shared day tour for the Tetons) through Grand Teton National Park via the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway into Yellowstone, overnighting in Cooke City, Montana. You cover the same highlights — dawn wildlife spotting in Grand Teton, the Upper and Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Upper Loop, Lamar Valley wolf and grizzly watching, Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful — at your own pace and budget. All costs are approximate per person and assume splitting a rental car and shared accommodation between two.
Day-by-day
Grand Teton dawn wildlife, Upper Falls & Lower Falls, Upper Loop to Cooke City
Jackson → Grand Teton NP → Yellowstone Upper Loop → Cooke City, MT
Collect a rental car in Jackson the evening before (or at 6am from Jackson Hole Airport) and be on the road by 06:00–06:30 — the same early start as the guided tour, when animals are most active. Enter Grand Teton National Park via Moose Junction and drive the Teton Park Road, stopping at Oxbow Bend and Willow Flats for moose, elk, bison and, if you're lucky, black bears. Park entry: buy the America the Beautiful annual pass (US$80 / ~£63) if doing more parks, otherwise Grand Teton (US$35/vehicle) plus Yellowstone (US$35/vehicle) = ~£55 total split between passengers. Picnic lunch at a pull-out — pack supplies the night before from Albertsons or Jackson Whole Grocer (~£10). Continue north on US-89 through the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway into Yellowstone, then head for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and walk the Brink of the Lower Falls trail plus the Upper Falls viewpoints (free, ~1hr of easy walking). Next, drive the Upper Loop clockwise: Hayden/Norris area, then up through Dunraven Pass toward Tower-Roosevelt, scanning for bison herds and bears along the way. Finish in the evening light in Lamar Valley, the best wolf-watching corridor in the lower 48 — bring binoculars and be at a pull-out near Slough Creek by ~19:00. Overnight in Cooke City, MT (the same base the operator uses, at The Alpine-style motels). Refuel in Cooke City or Gardiner — fuel is scarce on the Upper Loop. Note: park roads are seasonal; the Dunraven Pass/Tower road typically opens late May and closes in early November, so check nps.gov road status before departing.
🚌Rental car from Jackson (compact SUV ~£60-80/day, ~£35 pp shared) — self-drive ~340 km total
🛏Budget motel in Cooke City, MT (e.g. The Alpine or Soda Butte Lodge) — double room ~£75-95/night, ~£40 per person
- →Dawn wildlife drive on Teton Park Road and Oxbow Bend
- →Brink of the Lower Falls & Upper Falls viewpoints, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
- →Yellowstone Upper Loop scenic drive
- →Evening wolf and grizzly watching in Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley wolves at dawn, Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful, back to Jackson
Cooke City → Lamar Valley → Mammoth Hot Springs → Old Faithful → Jackson
Out of bed by 05:00 and back into Lamar Valley for first light — wolf packs (the Junction Butte and Lamar Canyon packs are the famous ones) and grizzlies are most visible in the first two hours. Set up at a pull-out with spotting scopes; wolf-watchers are friendly and usually happy to share a view. Breakfast is a motel-provided or petrol-station coffee and pastry (~£8). Drive west to Mammoth Hot Springs and walk the boardwalk terraces (Mammoth Terraces, free, ~45 min, mostly flat with some stairs). Continue south to Norris and then west to Old Faithful, timing your arrival for an eruption (the visitor centre posts predicted times; the geyser goes roughly every 90 minutes). Explore the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalk — Grand Prismatic's Midway Geyser Basin is a short detour and worth the 20 minutes. Lunch from the Old Faithful Snow Lodge takeaway or a packed sandwich (~£12). Then the long drive back south through West Thumb, over Craig Pass, and out via Flagg Ranch and Grand Teton to Jackson — roughly 4 hours. Consider a cheap-seat seat upgrade: swapping the day-2 return for a one-way drop-off in Jackson means keeping the same rental (no extra fee if booked as a round trip). Arrive Jackson by 16:00-18:00, matching the operator's drop-off window. Optional final stop: Jackson Town Square and a bison burger or a soak at Astoria Hot Springs (~£15).
🚌Self-drive rental car ~290 km; refuel at Tower-Roosevelt or Canyon Village (~£30 fuel)
🛏Own arrangements — hostel or budget motel in Jackson (e.g. The Hostel, ~£45 pp) or onward travel
- →Sunrise wolf-spotting in Lamar Valley with binoculars
- →Mammoth Hot Springs terrace boardwalks
- →Old Faithful eruption and Upper Geyser Basin walk
- →Midway Geyser Basin / Grand Prismatic overlook detour
Self-launched vs. BrushBuck Wildlife Tours
| This itinerary (self-launched) | BrushBuck Wildlife Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£255 | £870 |
| Duration | 2 days | 2 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £615 per person (71%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more BrushBuck Wildlife Tours-style trips? Check them out here.~£255
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Grand Teton & Yellowstone 2-Day Wildlife Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £255 per person for 2 days in Jackson, Wyoming & Yellowstone National Park, USA. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with BrushBuck Wildlife Tours?+
Yes — BrushBuck Wildlife Tours charges around £870 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £255 — a saving of roughly £615 (71%) per person.
How long is the Jackson, Wyoming & Yellowstone National Park, USA trip?+
This itinerary runs 2 days, covering 2 day-by-day stops through Jackson, Wyoming & Yellowstone National Park, USA.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, road-trip trip through Jackson, Wyoming & Yellowstone National Park, USA, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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