BLOG POSTS
Montana Department of Tourism, Yellowstone Backstories
I am excited that the Montana Department of Tourism chose to highlight our company Yellowstone Insight in a video as their very first small business entity in the SouthWest part of our great state of Montana (Yellowstone Country). This video was filmed on June 18, 2019 on a private two-day tour in Yellowstone’s Northern Range. I am very thankful to the guests on tour who were open to letting the cinematographer Alex Wardwell from Windfall Studio in Missoula, Montana join our day. It was an amazing early summer tour with great sightings. What was most special highlight for me was the two families of moose! Not only did we encounter one mother with newborn twins, but we drove a few more miles down the road and found a second family! The second sighting was so wonderful as we had them all to ourselves… We tried not to disturb them as we stayed inside the vehicle with the engine off. Using telephoto lenses for video and still images, we experienced a very memorable moment with a mother moose with two newborn twins. I we would like to thank the Montana Department of Tourism and Windfall Studios for their assistance in helping to capture what we do best ~ educating people and helping to preserve our Public Lands through personal experience.
If this video does not entice you to book a private tour with us, maybe consider sharing this with your friends and family that might be interested in such an experience. Either way, we are thankful that you chose to tune in…
Cougar Count… 28 in the wild!
When the white flakes start to accumulate and the big bruins (grizzlies) have gone to their slumbering state, that is when I love to walk the mountains in quiet solitude. Over these many miles and countless excursions I have been fortunate to have watched 28 cougars in the wild.
The Vegetarian Tourist in Yellowstone
Another wonderful article by a Chicago-based writer, The Vegetarian Tourist, in Yellowstone. Sapna Dalal, was part of a press tour, which was sponsored by the Montana Department of Tourism here in Yellowstone Country. I was fortunate to be the groups' sole private...
Yellowstone National Park video
I knew I was in for a real treat when Dan Nemirovsky sent me the link to his final edited Yellowstone National Park video... All was shot over the course of a five-day tour with Yellowstone Insight in mid-October of 2017. Dan (the real life Viking), thank you for...
‘Extraordinary’ Article about Yellowstone Insight
Back in October 2017, Yellowstone Country, Montana hosted a few Chicago-based travel writers to experience all the extraordinary things that this southwest section of Montana had to offer. MacNeil Lyons with Yellowstone Insight was able to spend a day with three...
One-On-One Interview with Yellowstone Insight
During a recent media trip, organized by Yellowstone Country Montana, a Chicago-based travel writer, Pam McKuen sat down with MacNeil Lyons, the founder of the private guiding company, Yellowstone Insight for a quick round of speed questions.... Please click this link...
Podcast Interview – Everybody’s National Parks
Yellowstone Insight's owner/lead guide, MacNeil Lyons was recently interviewed by Bryan and Danielle for their Everybody's National Parks PODCAST - ENP 4.5.2 GYE:Yellowstone: Planning Your Trip (Part 2). Everybody’s National Parks is a podcast dedicated to family...
A Triple D kind of Day (Daddy Daughter Day)
With a waking temperature of negative 27 degrees F in Gardiner, we chose to start the day slowly… Our dog Sadie needed her time outside in the morning so Daddy took the reins and donned a lot of layers. I tried fitting the rubber-soled booties on her, but alas, it...
2016 Summer Season, a Visual Review
November 16, 2016 It is amazing how time really does seem to pass us by... This morning as I look out to the foothills of Gardiner to the first real snow of autumn blanketing the ground, I am reminded of the countless experiences that I had on tour over the past six...
Field Notes – April 24, 2016
Yellowstone Insight, Field Notes April 24, 2016 Headed into the park around 6:30AM this morning, we quickly found bison, elk, pronghorn and varying waterfowl to start our count of wildlife on the greening landscape. As we continued out towards Tower Junction we passed...
Walkabouts in search of a Mountain Lion
Day 1, March 1, 2016 (Happy 144th Birthday Yellowstone National Park) Through tunnels of time we walked. Passing ancient forests now turned to stone in search of an elusive predator. With senses focused, we checked for sign at every step of our off-the-beaten-path...
MacNeil’s Rule of 4 P’s
I thought this out a few years back… Many a former client of mine thought it was just perfect and there was a moment when I thought, that maybe, I should “trademark” the idea! Well, that’s not really what I cared to do… What I really wanted was to share my knowledge...
National Geographic Creative Photo Workshop February 4-6, 2016
An overview of a three-day photo workshop with two phenomenal National Geographic Creative Photographers. On tour with Yellowstone Insight, February 4-6, 2016.
Watching a Red Fox Cache
Yellowstone Insight Field Notes: Lamar Valley, February 11, 2016 – This morning, we watched as a red fox returned to his food cache and consumed a healthy morning meal, while the serene winter scene of Lamar Valley surrounded us.
Daddy Daughter Day – February 1, 2016
Yellowstone Insight Field Notes: Northern Range, February 1, 2016
Witness to a Wolf Hunt
Written in 2012, this recounting of a moment I had guiding a private tour here in Yellowstone National Park was unforgettable. It was truly a “National Geographic Moment” for me and for the clients that I had with me on that day… I trust that you will enjoy the read.
A Rare Observation into the Wild – Cougar & Wolf
This post shares the moment that I saw my first mountain lion in the wild. A rare sighting that it was, we were blessed with a total of 5 cougars that day… In the years since, I have been fortunate to have seen 19 cougars in the wilds of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (count as of January 2016). Please enjoy the read…
A Christmas Recollection
December 26, 2015 Gardiner, Montana 11:49 a.m. This is an excerpt from a hand-written letter to my parents as I reflected back to a Christmas spent with them on the Eastern Shore of Maryland many years ago. They presented me with a gift that year that little did I...
New Website
Welcome to Yellowstone Insight's new website! We hope you enjoy it. More to come soon!