{"id":998,"date":"2016-08-23T08:30:50","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T12:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=998"},"modified":"2024-02-22T11:03:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:03:30","slug":"experience-yellowstone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/experience-yellowstone\/","title":{"rendered":"Experience Yellowstone without the Crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kasey Austin, Vice President of Operations, Austin Adventures<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Behind every great tour experience is a phenomenal product manager \u2013 these \u201cModern Day Explorers\u201d scout undiscovered experiences in new, emerging destinations, rediscover what\u2019s new in beloved places, and get to know the community with the single goal to design enriching itineraries for you to book.<\/i><\/p>\n

How do these explorers find the most memorable, culturally rich experiences you ask? Well, in 2016, USTOA is taking you behind-the-scenes with a handful of these Modern Day Explorers to find out. Today Kasey Austin of Austin Adventures reveals her experience in Yellowstone National Park. So, in her words\u2026\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One hundred years\u2026 On August 25, 2016 the National Park Service is celebrating its Centennial, its kick-off to a second century of stewardship, its 100th<\/sup> birthday\u2026whatever you call it, it\u2019s a BIG DEAL! At Austin Adventures<\/a>, we\u2019re fortunate to host adventure vacations in the United States\u2019 most precious gems, the national parks. This year is the most special year in the national parks\u2019 history to date as we celebrate the big 1-0-0-TH birthday of the National Park Service. As our beautiful, precious parks grow their reputations as memorable vacation destinations, my job as an itinerary developer is to figure out ways to provide our guests with extraordinary experiences in these parks that rapidly grow in popularity each year. My week spent as a United States Tour Operators Association Modern Day Explorer<\/a> gave me the chance to explore new places, meet old and new faces and show off a side of Yellowstone National Park that most visitors never see. Here are a few national park vacation planning tips I thought of along the way!<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Access to National Park Lodging<\/b><\/p>\n

First things first, like any great itinerary creationist, I\u2019m going to first review local lodging and make sure I can secure it before I move on to any other steps of the itinerary building process. When traveling to Yellowstone, you\u2019ll notice that Xanterra Parks & Resorts<\/a> is the official in-park provider of all lodging, whether you\u2019re looking to stay at the historic Lake Hotel or the famous Old Faithful Inn. In the peak summer season, it can be more challenging to find last minute accommodations, especially as the popularity of our national parks continues to grow. But, as a tour operator, we\u2019ve been planning for two years prior to your vacation date, so even if you\u2019re not able to secure room space for your get-away, all it takes is a simple call to see what lodging and itineraries we have available in the national park you want to visit. We\u2019ve already done the planning for you (what a piece of cake!)<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding New, Unique Ways to \u201cDiscover\u201d Old Favorites<\/b><\/p>\n

So you\u2019re planning a trip to Yellowstone and you want to visit the iconic spots \u2013 Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic, Mammoth Hot Springs, Lake Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River\u2026 the list continues. Go on your own during the busy summer months and risk visiting these beautiful places with hundreds of your closest friends if you choose to walk in from the parking lot and stick to the boardwalks. With a tried and true adventure itinerary and knowledgeable guide, you\u2019ll discover these old favorites by hiking into the Grand Canyon \u201cthe back way\u201d through flowery meadows, lodgepole pine forests and secret backcountry geyser basins. You\u2019ll \u201chappen\u201d upon Old Faithful after having taken a fascinating walk past bubbling hot springs and goopy mud pots where you won\u2019t see another tourist just a mile from the main boardwalk. Our jobs as adventure professionals require us to find those hidden attractions, just outside the public eye, and combine these experiences with the \u201cgotta see \u2018em\u201d icons to create a one-of-a-kind adventure vacation.<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s More to Yellowstone than Yellowstone Itself<\/b><\/p>\n

Alright, so that heading is a bit confusing\u2026! What I\u2019m trying to say is that even though Yellowstone is the number one attraction on your Wyoming\/Montana vacation, sometimes you\u2019ve got to head just outside the park\u2019s borders to truly add rich experiences and appreciate the region\u2019s majesty. We combine our Yellowstone Vacations<\/a> with zip lining outside the park\u2019s west entrance in the Gallatin Canyon; horseback riding outside the park\u2019s north entrance in Paradise Valley; and rafting outside the park\u2019s south entrance in Jackson Hole. No trip to Yellowstone is complete without some exhilarating adventure activities \u2013 as a tour operator, we\u2019ve scoped out all the options and picked the best of the best for your vacation out west! Plus, you won\u2019t be dealing with the same magnitude of crowds if you wish Yellowstone au revoir for a few days (don\u2019t worry, it\u2019ll still be there when you return!)<\/p>\n

\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

We are a tour operator who is proud to operate in our national parks. Heading into century number two of a dedicated National Park Service, places like Yellowstone will be dealing with the challenges and growing pains of an ever-increasing tourist population. However, with a USTOA member, your vacation to a national park can be one you\u2019ll remember, without the crowds, hassle or planning that goes into creating the ultimate adventure vacation. We do all the work for you and love what we do!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about Kasey\u2019s journey to Yellowstone National Park? Go behind-the-scenes with Kasey with our video series, A Modern Day Explorer\u2019s Quest to Yellowstone, launching later this week.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ready to visit? Visit\u00a0<\/i>http:\/\/www.austinadventures.com\/destinations\/yellowstone\/<\/i><\/a> <\/i>for details on traveling to Yellowstone with Austin Adventures.<\/i><\/p>\n

Kasey works with ground operators around the world as well as domestic guides on the home front when it comes to the details of planning a vacation. She grew up in the business learning about adventure travel from a kid\u2019s perspective and now puts what she\u2019s learned since she was six years old to use both in the office and out in the field. Kasey has guided trips across the western United States and gets out to travel abroad whenever she gets the chance.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Kasey Austin, Vice President of Operations, Austin Adventures \u00a0 Behind every great tour experience is a phenomenal product manager \u2013 these \u201cModern Day Explorers\u201d scout undiscovered experiences in new, emerging destinations, rediscover what\u2019s new in beloved places, and get to know the community with the single goal to design enriching itineraries for you to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[116],"class_list":["post-998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-national-parks"],"yoast_head":"\nExperience Yellowstone Without the Crowds - USTOA Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Go behind-the-scenes with \u201cModern Day Explorer\u201d Kasey Austin of Austin Adventures as she reveals her experience in Yellowstone National Park.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/experience-yellowstone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Experience Yellowstone Without the Crowds - 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