The East River Road is a pleasant road ride for cyclists who don’t mind a few potholes. Mountain bikers will want to turn off the main road and head up into the hills.
The upper stretches of the Yellowstone River, particularly through Yankee Jim Canyon [1], have some challenging white water. After the river leaves the canyon and enters the Paradise Valley [2], it calms down enough for novice floaters to navigate it without much difficulty.
Gardiner’s [3] Yellowstone Raft Company (406/848-7777 or 800/858-7781, www.yellowstoneraft.com [4]) runs raft trips on the Yellowstone. Half-day trips are $31 for adults, $21 for children; full-day trips are $72 for adults, $52 for children.
During the winter, sign on with Absaroka Dogsled Trek (406/222-4645, $125 for 2 hours) based at Chico Hot Springs [5]. Trips range from a two-hour introduction to a full-day trek ($340).
Horseback rides start from Chico Hot Springs’s horse barn (406/333-4933, $30 for 1 hour) throughout the day and are suited to riders of all abilities.
Another local outfitter, Rockin’ HK (406/333-4505, www.rockinhk.com [6], day-long ride $200) leads day-long trips into Yellowstone’s backcountry; they also combine horse packing trips with fishing.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/montana/the-missouri-headwaters-and-south-central-montana/livingston-and-the-paradise-valley/paradis/sights
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/montana/the-missouri-headwaters-and-south-central-montana/livingston-and-the-paradise-valley/paradise-valley
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/montana/the-missouri-headwaters-and-south-central-montana/livingston-and-the-paradise-valley/gardiner
[4] http://www.yellowstoneraft.com
[5] http://www.moon.com/destinations/montana/the-missouri-headwaters-and-south-central-montana/livingston-and-the-paradise-valley/paradis/chico-hot-spri
[6] http://www.rockinhk.com