Yellowstone tours bring you to the best of the American West

Go anywhere in the world, and you'll meet people under the spell of the great American West. The grandeur of the views, the unspoiled stretches of wilderness and the rugged friendliness of the people you'll meet seem to cast a spell that it seems no one is immune to - and there is no better place to be immersed in the West than Yellowstone National Park. For Americans, this national treasure is a particular point of pride, and one that has to be seen in-person. Yellowstone tours are perhaps the best way to see it all - giving you unique access and insights into the best the region has to offer.

Yellowstone tours provide the opportunity to experience the epic size of the park - 3,472 square miles - which hints at the wealth of treasures within its borders. But the greatest surprise is the variety of sights and experiences you can have on a well-planned Yellowstone tour. A tour company like Tauck, which boasts more than 86 years of travel experience, arranges every detail for you: accommodations and transportation to sightseeing and unique guided excursions. And without the stress of planning and coordinating on your own, you can simply enjoy your trip through Yellowstone and the best sights of the West.

Yellowstone tours have many points of interest which can't be missed; perhaps the most iconic is Old Faithful, the geyser that has sent a 184-foot plume of water into the air, roughly every 90 minutes, for as long as anyone can remember. However, a guided tour of the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins adds to the geothermal marvel - the upper basin features the largest concentration of geysers in the world and the lower is home to the famed Fountain Paint Pot.

The park offers dramatic scenery everywhere you look, but the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone is particularly unforgettable. The canyon's lower falls are among the most photographed sights in the park, and a bit of hiking will give you a range of perspectives, each more breathtaking than the last.

To get the full Yellowstone experience, a stay in one of the lodges located within the park is an absolute must; the rustic decor echoes the surroundings, adding perfectly to the overall experience. Staying within the park gives you the opportunity to wake up early and see the sights before anyone else is there or, to watch a spectacular sunset from the comfort of a wooden rocking chair on the verandah. Some tours, like those offered by Tauck, include accommodations within the park.

If you want to extend your visit to the American West outside the bounds of Yellowstone, there are plenty of wonderful options within a reasonable distance. Just to the southeast of Yellowstone lies Grand Teton National Park, which delivers endless views of jagged, snow-capped mountains as well as opportunities for rafting on the Snake River. To the east, Montana's Bighorn Mountains and South Dakota's Black Hills are the perfect place for getting back in touch with nature through a bit of exploration, either on foot or on horseback.

Taking a tour of the West makes it easy to understand why the country is nicknamed "America the beautiful." Yellowstone tours can be a journey of a life time when they have been well planned, and are accessible for travelers of all kinds.