The mountain forest environment includes exhibits on wolves and forest fires, among others.

Greater Yellowstone Natural History Exhibits

The Greater Yellowstone Adventure

Explore our three interconnected galleries: Expedition Trailhead, Alpine-to-Plains Trail, and Seasons of Discovery. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and even smells of the Yellowstone area. Around every corner is a new discovery.

Expedition Trailhead

Pick up your Greater Yellowstone Adventure passport

 

Museum visitors get the first stamp on their Greater Yellowstone Adventure passports at the Expedition Trailhead. Photo by Jennifer McDonald.

Pick up your expedition passport at the Trailhead bulletin board, and stamp it at six stations on your Greater Yellowstone Adventure. At the trailhead, explore two rustic cabins housing a naturalist's study and a field station classroom.

The Naturalist's Study is home to our resident naturalist, B.A. Ware. In it, discover how and why different people explore nature and learn some of the "tools of the trade."

In the Field Station Classroom, learn about the dramatic geological processes that continue to shape the Greater Yellowstone region. A mural-sized map, computer stations and pull-out drawers let you explore the process and products of landscapre formation.

Alpine-to-Plains Trail

Forest Environment

 

Visitors examine wolf skulls. Photo by Jennifer McDonald.

From the Expedition Trailhead, begin your journey along the Alpine-to-Plains Trail. Winding through a grand rotunda, this first encounter is an alpine environment which gradually descends a spiraling path through mountain forest, mountain meadow, and arid sagebrush environments.

From the top of the grand rotunda, you overlook a colorful tile mosaic map of the Greater Yellowstone region. Measuring thirty feet in diameter, the mosiac provides a rare perspective of one of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. Once you descend to the bottom, you can walk over the map and trace the route of your travels, or have your family or friends photograph you from the top as a unique record of your travels.

Seasons of Discovery

Archeology up close

Archeologist and resident scholar Dr. Larry Todd shows museum visitors stone tools used by people who lived in the area approximately 10,000 years ago.

Near the end of the Alpine-to-Plains Trail, encounter a passageway into Seasons of Discovery. The visitor experience is a bit different here than in the Expedition Trailhead or Alpine-to-Plains Trail. Organized around the theme of the four seasons in Yellowstone country, Seasons of Discovery is filled with highly interactive experiences. Peer through microscopes and spotting scopes, try on a bison robe, or peek into a black bear's den.

This gallery includes an exploration station where staff, teachers, docents, or naturalists-in-residence lead hands-on paths of discovery. Enjoy the Campfire Circle in Seasons of Discovery and a chance encounter with a storyteller; or get comfortable in cushioned seating areas and peruse the books, videos, and other resource materials available.

Discovery Laboratory: natural science research center and classroom

Preparation of bird skins

 

Draper Museum volunteers Anne Hay and Richard Gruber prepare bird specimens in the Discovery Lab. Photo by Jennifer McDonald.

Peek behind the scenes to find out what Draper Museum staff and volunteers are working on for future presentation and research.

The lab is open seasonally.

John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery

Yellowstone grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) and cubs, photo by Florian Schultz, on view in Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam in the John Bunker Sands Photography Gallery.

This venue features changing contemporary and historical exhibitions of photography and related materials. Our 2011 summer exhibition, Yellowstone to Yukon: Freedom to Roam, proved popular and returns in November. The exhibition was organized by the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington.

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