Want to WOW your loved ones with a heartfelt gift from your favorite landscape? Remind them of the strong connection they’ve created with Yellowstone? Or introduce them to this wild place? This year especially, many of us are not prone to wandering aimlessly in big box stores hoping something catches our eye. You want a meaningful gift, something related to your and their passions, and something that will endure beyond the next season.
How about a Yellowstone-themed gift? Consider a private guided tour in Yellowstone, fly fishing lessons, high quality art, a newly released book, or perhaps functional art to show your loved ones you care not just for them, but for our public lands and wild spaces. Prices in our selection start at just $3, so there's an option for every budget.
Check out our top 7 Yellowstone gift picks from Walking Shadow Ecology Tours of Yellowstone, and from several of our artist and author friends here in Yellowstone!
We wish you a peaceful and happy holiday!
The Gift: Learn to Fly Fish
A dynamic experience on Yellowstone's waters
Why: Whether your gift recipient is looking to pick up a fly rod for the very first time, or move from a novice to an intermediate fly angler, our instructional fly fishing workshops are tailored to personal interests and abilities.
In addition to learning the fundamentals required to succeed on the water, this workshop includes rod/reel, flies, personalized instruction from a longtime local instructor guide and an appreciation for aquatic ecology and its critical role in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They’ll learn how to approach the sport of fly fishing in an ethical, environmentally sound, and self-sufficient fashion. This is an awesome gift for the whole family!
Where: https://www.yellowstone.education/ or call 406-223-5967
The Gift: The Grand Lady of Yellowstone & Other Yellowstone Wolf Stories by Brad Bulin (book)
Why: Brad is not only a dear friend (and a new dad!) but a wildlife biologist, filmmaker, and consummate Yellowstone guide. He now offers a rich and moving insider’s view on Yellowstone’s wolves. “Take an introspective look at Yellowstone’s wolves by joining wildlife filmmaker and guide Brad Bulin on a personal journey deep into the world of wild wolves. Through riveting—and sometimes humorous—personal experiences and natural history tales, Brad illuminates the multi-faceted lives of wolves and shares what life is like when closely intertwined with wild creatures. Full of detailed accounts of real-life wolf stories, this book is one of the best glimpses into what it is like to be a wolf in Yellowstone.”
Where: Order your copy online here, or check in with your favorite local bookseller!
The Gift: Culpepper Photography
Canvas and metal prints, Yellowstone-themed face masks, greeting cards, and bookmarks
Why: Lisa has traveled the world to bring us unique and deeply meaningful images that make us fall in love with Planet Earth all over again. She has invested the past 20 years into learning about, sharing and photographing Yellowstone’s landscape as a photography guide and an artist. Bonus: she donates a portion of profits back to important conservation efforts! Lisa says, “I feel it is so very important to gain as much knowledge as we can about a particular subject or landscape in order to fully appreciate its beauty and place in this world. I feel it is also important to be a good example for nature photographers and respect the land and animals that you are photographing."
Bring a piece of Yellowstone into your or a loved one’s home for Christmas!
Our Favorite: Yellowstone-themed face masks. We have to wear ‘em, so why not make a statement in honor of our favorite place?
Where: https://www.culpepperphotography.com/. And for 20% off: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CulpepperPhotography?coupon=MASKUPUSA
The Gift: A Private Yellowstone Guided Tour
with Walking Shadow Ecology Tours of Yellowstone, year-round
Why: Who needs more broken electronics? Give an experience instead! Gift the creation of a more meaningful connection to Yellowstone and the natural world. Allow us to design an experience for your recipient that deepens their understanding and appreciation of what an astonishingly beautiful and interesting planet we live on. No matter where your giftee's interest lay (wildlife? Ski or Snowshoeing? Geysers? Hiking?) we’ll spend our time immersing in this multi-dimensional landscape, exploring history and the current state of this critically important land. Give the gift of a day or more with an experienced, fun, local Naturalist Guide, and they'll come away with a deeper connection to all that matters most.
We will work with your recipient on scheduling. Even in these more cautious times, we are safely touring in our private tour vehicle, decked out with Covid-mitigation strategies to safely enjoy Yellowstone. Ask about a 10% Holiday discount!
Where: https://www.yellowstone.education/ or call 406-223-5967
The Gift: Mimi Matsuda Art
Wildlife, whimsical and landscape art on canvas, note cards, stickers, plates, hats and more
Why: Mimi paints to inspire people to preserve and protect wildlands and animals. She has spent many years observing the wildlife and landscapes she captures, including working as a ranger in Yellowstone Park--and she has a great sense of humor! Her bright personality and passions radiate through her art. All of Mimi's images, whether on magnets or large canvas (including originals!) will become a centerpiece in their new home. With so many options, including wearable art, you’re sure to find a gift for everyone on your list! We’re particularly in love with her trout and grizzlies (and a T-rex bicycling furiously, “Look, Ma! No Hands!”)
Our Favorite: Ten inch melamine plates adorned with a favorite Yellowstone animal, like this grizzly sow and cub enjoying a snuggly read at Old Faithful. Made in the USA, BPA-free, food-safe, and dishwasher-safe.
Where: https://www.mimimatsudaart.com/ (Use coupon code: THANKFUL till 12/31 for 10% off)
The Gift: Yellowstone Wolves: Science and Discovery in the World’s First National Park
Edited by Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Stahler, and Daniel R. MacNulty
(Book available digitally or in print)
Why: The editors and many authors are not only friends, they’re the world’s experts on wolves in Yellowstone! Hear the most comprehensive story of the past 25 years since the re-establishment of wolves in Yellowstone from those that were there. From the publisher: Here, for the first time in a single book, is the incredible story of the wolves’ return to Yellowstone National Park as told by the very people responsible for their reintroduction, study, and management. Anchored in what we have learned from Yellowstone, highlighting the unique blend of research techniques that have given us this knowledge, and addressing the major issues that wolves still face today, this book is as wide-ranging and awe-inspiring as the Yellowstone restoration effort itself.
Where: Check in with your local bookstore, online bookseller, or find it here:
The Gift: A triple set of award-winning books by Author and Wildlife Advocate Rick Lamplugh
personally signed with custom inscription
Why: If anyone can share the complexity and beauty of Yellowstone in precise and poignant prose, look no further than our friend Rick Lamplugh’s collection of works on Yellowstone. Settle your loved one’s winter reading list with a life-affirming personalized collection of stories covering everything from complex controversies in our world’s first national park, wild adventures, and the deep introspection that immersing in Yellowstone brings. Deep into Yellowstone takes us along as Rick and his wife Mary cross-country ski, hike, bicycle, and backpack through four seasons of Yellowstone's grandeur. In the Temple of Wolves a literary blend of facts and feelings celebrates nature’s stark beauty, while revealing inner battles with Rick’s own human nature. The Wilds of Aging is the prequel to his other bestsellers and takes us on an illuminating journey into the wilds of aging, a passage we face if we’re lucky. Reviewers say, “Beautiful and inspiring...compelling and honest...a poignant and tangible contemplation of aging.”
May your gift-giving be easy this season! Remember to enjoy a moment of refection for yourself, even in hard times. The water still flows, the wolves still howl, the bears slumber on. Yellowstone is here.
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May your holidays be merry and bright, and we wish you all peace and health for the new year!
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