Are you uncertain of when to go or where to stay?
Wondering what to do or where to eat once you arrive?
Worried about the weather or wildlife?
Overwhelmed by all the information on the internet?
I’m Natalie, Your Yellowstone Guide, and I’m here to help.
I’ve been helping Yellowstone travelers plan their visits for over 30 years–first as a park employee and volunteer, then in my everyday life in the Midwest.
After living and working in the park, moving away, and returning year after year, I’ve learned how to navigate the challenges and complexities of mapping out a satisfying Yellowstone experience. I’d love to help you do the same.
If you’d like a guide to answer questions or help you polish your plans for your Yellowstone vacation, consider working with me. Check out the grid below for available options.
Work with Natalie
5 Questions
via email- 5 questions answered via 1 to 2 email exchanges
10 Questions
via email- 10 questions answered via 1 to 3 email exchanges
20 Questions
via email- 20 questions answered via 1 to 4 email exchanges
60 Minute
phone or video call- Phone/Video Guiding Currently UNAVAILABLE
Are you ready to get started? I have availability for four email consultations during the month of June. Send me a message to receive a booking link. I look forward to working with you!
Are you planning a Yellowstone adventure?
Get the itinerary from Natalie’s 2022 Yellowstone adventure along with tips and information for planning your own.
The Yellowstone Guides
Notable & Noteworthy: Spring
March is a quiet month in Yellowstone, not because there's nothing happening but because all but one road is closed and there is little human hubbub. April ... that's a different story. Still, these are two months during which I have not seen the park. What I know ...
Writing Tools I Use
Writing involves more than writing. The writing life involves a lot of reading and observing. Most of my writing is done at my desk, and I occasionally get to spend a few happy hours writing outside in Yellowstone. These are a few of the go-to items I use for...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Bobby Socks Trees
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
My 5 Favorite Yellowstone Stops
After a summer of working in Yellowstone and four decades of annual visits to the park, a trip to Yellowstone feels like going home. This is at once a blessing and a curse. With so many places to revisit, check in on, and catch up with, it’s hard to branch out to new...
Hiking Gear We Use
I know of a few winter hikers. For most of us, though, hiking is an activity left to the more temperate seasons. With spring upon us, I wanted to share some things we're gathering for the coming hiking season. Hiking/Trekking Poles: In terms of stability and speed,...
Postcard from Yellowstone | Clear Lake
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone—at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I spent part of each day restoring the great wall of postcards. These days, the postcard wall is smaller, which makes me sad. Postcards are more than souvenirs. They’re a way of looking...
Notable & Noteworhty: Winter
I've visited Yellowstone in January and February, and found it to be both a delightful wonderland and a frigid, forbidding, unforgiving landscape. We snowmobiled when my parents, brother, and I visited in my teens. Even bundled in the best snowmobile attire the 1980s...
Camping Gear We Actually Use 2026
We had a rare but not unheard-of March blizzard last weekend. My husband used the time to prepare our camping gear for the coming season. Here’s a collection of stuff we actually use when we head out west. Eating & Drinking At the campsite, we use an...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Mallard Lake
Postcards. They're more than a souvenir. More than a way to say Thinking of you! or Wish you were here! They're a way of seeing and sharing. Small by design, a postcard from Yellowstone can capture a moment. In that spirit, for you: A postcard from Yellowstone Hi...
Postcard from Yellowstone: Great Fountain
Once upon a time, I worked in Yellowstone National Park. It was 1987--just shy of forty years ago. Numbers are not my first language, so this is always something of a shock. I digress. Specifically, I worked at the Old Faithful Inn Gift Shop, where I invested a good...
2025 Gift Guide
It's that time of year. We're searching for ideas for that special something for that special someone. Last year, one of my author-friends asked me to pair my book with a gift idea for her readers. This year, I asked some of my nature-writing friends to do the same....
Lesson from Yellowstone: From Old Faithful to Everyday Life
I have a love-hate relationship with paper. I’ve never met a notebook, or a post-it note, or a planner I didn’t like. At the same time, I have no idea how to manage the mountains of paper that find their way into my home. Because my husband is efficient,...
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”
~ John Muir
