Yellowstone National Park is just three hours by air from San Francisco. And this winter there's a special treat in store for fans of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Travel with Ken Burns and his assosciate, filmmaker Dayton Duncan, in a series of nine-day Yellowstone tours that showcase the world’s first national park during its winter glory. For Burns fans, there's a one-time, eight-day special event that includes an opportunity for participants to meet Burns and Duncan. The new tours and event are part of the “Ken Burns American Journeys” series announced last year. Burns has inspired millions of Americans with his passion for our national treasures, both historic and natural wonders.
Called “Winter in Yellowstone,” this special event with Burns and Duncan as well as the regular nine-day tour will include a variety of Yellowstone adventures in the company of park naturalists and experts who will discuss the park’s wildlife, history, geothermal features and more.
“Winter in Yellowstone” participants in the eight-day “Winter in Yellowstone” event will enjoy small-group field experiences and then gather in the evenings with the entire group of up to 210 participants for dinner and special presentations, including a keynote address by Ken Burns on Jan. 11 at the Old Faithful Visitors Center. Burns and Duncan will also meet with attendees to talk about the making of their film, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” Other presenters and lecturers during the event include acclaimed videographer Bob Landis who contributed dramatic footage of wolves to the film; Paul Schullery, a noted naturalist, historian and author of more than 30 books; ecology and mammalogy expert Jim Halfpenny; and Gerard Baker, former superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and a featured National Park Service spokesperson in the film.
The itinerary includes accommodations in Xanterra’s two winter-season in-park lodges – Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel – as well as at the Chico Hot Springs Resort and Spring Creek Ranch located outside the park. Participants will explore the park’s interior in Xanterra-operated snowcoaches, and will also have an opportunity to experience optional activities such as ice skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
The event is priced from $4,190 per person based on double occupancy. The rate includes accommodations, airport transfers, most meals, all sightseeing, lectures and presentations and a farewell cocktail reception and dinner at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyo. This one-time event has two overlapping departures, beginning on either Jan. 6 or Jan. 8, with both departures joining together for the special Ken Burns evening on Jan. 11.
For travelers who want to visit later in the year, there are 17 fee-free days at Yellowstone and all National Parks, including Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, in 2012.
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