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Beyond Yellowstone National Park

Kayak Day Paddle on Yellowstone Lake

Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Yellowstone National Park, USA
  • 5 hours (approx.)
  • Group discounts
  • Mobile ticket

Overview

Explore the rocky shores and tranquil waters of Yellowstone Lake on a half-day kayak tour with a professional guide. Climb into either a single or double kayak and then set out to discover the beauty of Yellowstone Lake at a relaxed pace. Paddle beside the West Thumb Geyser Basin to see incredible geothermic features, and appease your appetite with a delicious picnic lunch. No previous kayaking experience is necessary.
  • Kayak around Yellowstone Lake with a professional guide
  • Receive an introduction to paddling techniques
  • Savor a provided picnic lunch on a secluded beach
  • Enjoy more personal attention with a small group

What's Included

  • Professional guides will provide an introduction to Yellowstone's history and geology of the Lake, along with the kayaking equipment and techniques.
  • Lunch
  • All necessary equipment and instruction.
  • Guide Gratuities are not included but greatly appreciated.
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Grant Marina Road
    Grant Marina Rd, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA

    Meet at the marina, in Grant Village inside Yellowstone National Park. There is no exact street address in a National Park, so we meet you in Grant Village, at the marina boat ramp, where the kayaks will be spread out on the beach. There are restrooms and parking for all sized vehicles.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

1

Yellowstone Lake

2

Yellowstone Geyser Kayak Tours

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • All children 12 and under must paddle in a tandem kayak with an adult. If booking with children, you must choose the tandem kayak option. This is the rate per kayak, for 2 people.
  • If you wish to have single kayaks (not available for children under 13), the rate is per person.
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Please advise any dietary requirements in the Special Requirements field at checkout. Vegetarian and gluten free lunches are available if you let us know.
  • Please come dressed for cold weather, as it is usually colder in Yellowstone than you are expecting. Keep in mind that while kayaking, you will get wet. The weather in Yellowstone can vary greatly, and change quickly. Typically the days are sunny with temps in the upper 60's to low 80's, however it does get cold at night and early morning. Afternoon showers and passing thunderstorms are always possible in the mountains. We plan to go in rain or sunshine. We will provide all the necessary kayaking equipment. You should arrive dressed according to the weather, keeping in mind that while you wont ever be submerged in the water, you will get wet. Therefore dressing in layers is always best, with shorts or wind pants made of synthetic quick drying material, and shoes that you dont mind getting wet. Having a rain or wind jacket, extra layers, and/or a change of warm dry clothes for after the trip ends, is also a good idea. Guide gratuities are always appreciated, but never expected. If you have any questions any time, please dont hesitate to ask.
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Laura_M
This was a great day! Brian our guide and his helper, Ben, were fantastic! They both had vast knowledge of the area and water. I felt completely confortable and safe. Our equipment was excellent. They helped provide us with waterproof jackets and dry bags! Lunch was tasty and it was a lot of food! We had gorgeous weather and the geysers were amazing to see from the water! Very different perpective. We saw 2 bald eagles on our journey along with other water fowl. The wind picked up on the way back which made it slightly more difficult to paddle back but Brian had our backs and we thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Reviews

4.8
based on 281 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Sort by: Most insightful

We had so much fun! Ben...

Morgan_K, Aug 2026
We had so much fun! Ben was our guide and he was so knowledgeable and easy to talk to. This was our first day in the park and I’m glad this was our first activity. Yellowstone Lake is so vast and gorgeous, highly recommend!

Amazing Day!

Laura_M, Sep 2025
This was a great day! Brian our guide and his helper, Ben, were fantastic! They both had vast knowledge of the area and water. I felt completely confortable and safe. Our equipment was excellent. They helped provide us with waterproof jackets and dry bags! Lunch was tasty and it was a lot of food! We had gorgeous weather and the geysers were amazing to see from the water! Very different perpective. We saw 2 bald eagles on our journey along with other water fowl. The wind picked up on the way back which made it slightly more difficult to paddle back but Brian had our backs and we thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Excellent Experience

Tony_J, Jun 2025
It was a fantastic experience ! Thai was so knowledgeable and patient ! We kayaked next to the geysers ! It was a memorable experience ! My cousin and I had a blast ! Highly recommended !

Great day on the water

Cynthia_H, Jun 2024
The guide was great and very knowledgeable about the area, the water was beautiful, and all in all it was a wonderful way to spend the day enjoying the beauty that God created. Thinking about a longer trip.

Highly recommended !

Chantal_D, Aug 2022
A beautiful day in Yellowstone Park natural features with two kind , very knowledgeable and helpful guides!

Great family adventure

Torre_B, Jul 2022
The tour guides were amazing with great I instructions and stories to go along with the park. Lunch was so fulfilling could not even finish it. If your looking for a family adventure you will never forget, got on this day adventure.

Great guides for a great trip

Amy_R, Aug 2021
Max and Tom were the best guides ever! So much information that made the trip a great memory. Wonderful experience and highly recommend these guys and this trip

Yellowstone Lake

Joe_H, Jul 2019
Great family day of paddling. Knowledgeable guides and good lunch. Equipment in great condition and rain gear was helpful.

Brian and Alex did a great job and a...

Jpdelay, Jun 2017
Brian and Alex did a great job and a great different war it experience part of Yellowstone

Awesome tour! Relaxing yet engaging...

William E, Jul 2016
Awesome tour! Relaxing yet engaging. Professional, personable, and knowledgeable guides.

We had so much fun on this trip...

Arthur B, Jun 2016
We had so much fun on this trip. Peter and Jason were terrific in leading the group and sharing information about the area. Would definitely recommend this to anyone coming to Yellowstone!

It's pretty expensive but provided a...

Mike L, Sep 2015
It's pretty expensive but provided a unique viewpoint of the park. We got to see a couple eagles, which was great but no wildlife otherwise. It was hard to hear the guide at times, even though there was only 7 in our group, it was hard to stay right near the guide. Our meeting time was 9 am. Three of us were there on time. two more showed up about 1/2 hour late, and we didn't leave until 10 after the last two showed up. Wasn't happy that the first hour of the tour was spent waiting in the parking lot. The trip description says 9 - 3, but we were back at 2, even with starting at 10. It was like we were in a race to get back - got very tiring to keep paddling with no break.

Our guide, Alex, was very...

Albert S, Aug 2015
Our guide, Alex, was very knowledgeable about geysers, geology, the lake, fish, history, etc. etc. as well as kayaking. He was friendly, had a sound sense of humor and answered all questions. This, plus the actual experience of kayaking on Yellowstone Lake, made for a most enjoyable day. We've never kayaked before but Alex made us feel at ease and kept a constant lookout to be sure we were OK. Highly recommended!

We enjoyed the tour and our guides...

Susan B, Aug 2015
We enjoyed the tour and our guides were great. It was fun getting to see a geyser erupt that no one on land could see and then feel how hot the water became. That being said, it was hard getting back because it was against the wind. My kids weren't too happy about that, but I had a great time!

Alex and Jason were great, low key...

Kathy L, Jun 2015
Alex and Jason were great, low key and knowledgeable guides. Trip started a bit late due to miscommunication in the reservation confirmation I received, but that was the only glitch. Once we got on the water we had an amazing time. Pretty strenuous, but well worth it to see the geysers up close from the water. We were lucky, had a beautiful day. Highly recommend.
Member Pricing
From

$178.12

per person
Was $187.50(-5%)

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 40 days in advance.

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