Eco Immersion

As a wildlife guide in the Tetons, how do you keep a van full of new guests entertained for hours on end? Answer: you know absolutely everything about where you are and what you’re looking at. You’ve built a repository of stories from a lifetime of studying wildlife. You’re not just doing your job—you’re sharing your life.

Jackson Hole Eco Tour Adventures provides guided tours that offer fully immersive experiences with the incredible Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and its abundant wildlife.

What sets Jackson Hole Eco Tour Adventures apart is its guides, according to Josh Metten, who’s been a guide for five years now. Every guide at Eco Tours has a background in wildlife biology, management, or environmental science, plus years of experience living in the Jackson Hole area.

“We’re trying to connect people with this ecosystem and present them with the best information,” Metten says. “You can’t get that accurate interpretive experience on your own.”

Eco Tour clients agree: “It would have taken us two weeks to capture half of what we saw,” said participant Gretchen Ward after a particularly eventful tour. “You can tell Josh has a biology degree. He knows everything.”

Technically, Metten has a degree in Natural Resource Management, but he started off as a biology major in college. Metten has dedicated his entire adult life to understanding wildlife—first as a field technician and an educator, and now as a guide. He is ready to answer just about any question thrown his way. Have a question about cougars? Metten has two stories to share about his cougar close encounters. What’s that bird out the window? Metten can identify it with hardly more than a glance (he loves birds).

One cold May morning, Metten’s tour chances upon a Great Gray Owl. It is the last stop of an already thrilling day—the same group has seen a baby moose who couldn’t have been more than a few days old, a mama bear with her two older cubs, and countless elk, pronghorn, and bison. But Great Gray Owls are particularly elusive and hard to spot. The only thing that gave this owl away was its piercing yellow eyes, and Metten found it right away.

This is Eco Tour’s biggest asset. The guides don’t just know wildlife—they adore it. Their connection with each animal they encounter is so strong and so profound that it’s impossible for the guests not to feel it too. Which is exactly the goal, according to Metten.

“We’re trying to ensure a future for this ecosystem.” Conservation is a core principal of Eco Tour Adventures. They want guests to fall in love with Jackson Hole and its wildlife so that they feel inspired to protect it. “The coolest thing that happens is when I get guests who ask me at the end of a trip, ‘how can I donate to help this place?’”

It’s an especially powerful learning opportunity to see a whole family of grizzlies and to be informed that they are a threatened species. Perhaps it’s strategic, then, that Metten waits until that grizzly spotting to tell his guests, “the future of grizzlies depends on our tolerance for them and this ecosystem depends upon people to advocate for it.”

“Everything you see—97% of it—is public land,” Metten told guests as their tour came to an end. Although protection of this area is far from perfect, “This is a conservation success story.”

Photo: Jackson Hole Eco Tours / Josh Metten

What can I expect on an Eco Tour Adventure?

“Be as prepared as possible to get unexpected and rare wildlife sightings,” says Metten.

With Jackson Hole Eco Tour Adventures, no two days are the same. All adventures are dependent on the weather and the season but there are certain luxuries on which guests can depend: Eco Tour Adventures uses comfortable 10-passenger vans with full-length windows for most of their tours. With groups of seven people, everyone gets a window seat. The vans are equipped with “safari hatches” on the roof so that, if necessary, guests can observe wildlife from the safety of the van. Small private groups and tours of up to five people travel in an equally luxurious SUV.

Eco Tours provides all of the spotting equipment to get a closer look at wildlife from a safe distance, including pairs of binoculars and spotting scopes. Additionally, guides have phone adaptors that allow them to take photos through the spotting scope so guests can enjoy the wildlife and not have to worry about getting the perfect shot themselves.

In addition to equipment all trips include meals, snacks, and beverages.

Photo: Jackson Hole Eco Tours / Josh Metten

What is the best season to see wildlife?

Every season! “There’s always stuff to see,” says Metten. Each season in Jackson Hole is dramatically different and offers a completely unique wildlife viewing opportunity. In his five years as a guide, Metten has never not seen wildlife on a tour. You just have to know where to look. Here’s what you might be able to see each season:

Summer: June is a great time to see baby animals. Most baby animals in the valley are born between mid-May and early June. Late July is the beginning of mating season for bison, which is “really cool to watch.” August is affectionately known as “angry August” because it’s probably the least forgiving month of the year. It’s hot and dry. Wildlife tours have to start extra early—like, before sunrise early— or be out until dark, because animals get too hot to be out in the daylight hours.

Fall: this is the mating season for most large mammals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, making it a popular time to view wildlife. It’s also the season of hyperphagia, which is a scientific term for overeating. Both black bears and grizzly bears start consuming upwards of 20,000 calories a day to prepare for winter hibernation. Generally, you can see black bears until the end of October and grizzlies until the end of November. Elk begin gathering in the National Elk Refuge in late November, which is also when bighorn sheep begin rutting (fighting for mates).

Winter: the deep snowfall in Jackson Hole means fewer species are out and about but a higher density of animals in low-lying areas. Certain animals, like bears, are hibernating (hunkering down) for the winter. But the critters that are active are visible in abundance: golden eagles, bald eagles, and thousands of trumpeter swans make winter homes here. Elk and bighorn sheep gather in the National Elk Refuge, and the moose are highly concentrated in the valley looking for food. It’s also the best time of year to see wolves. February and March are the wolves’ mating season, and they become especially active. Winter also offers a totally unique Wyoming experience: tracking. Put on cross-country skis or snowshoes and go on an expedition to find animal tracks. You’ll feel like an original pioneer.

Spring: means more babies! Animals are migrating out of the valley and back up into the mountains, but not before taking advantage of the newlyexposed vegetation on the valley floor. Bison begin calving in April. Then elk, deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and moose follow suit in late May/early June. You also see fox kits, bear cubs, wolf cubs, baby eagles, baby owls… everything is in miniature. It’s also a great time for Metten’s favorite: birds! Close to 300 species migrate to or through the valley, and more than 150 of them nest right here.

What should I wear and bring on an Eco Tour?

Photo: Jackson Hole Eco Tours / Josh Metten

Unless you’re on a winter ski or snowshoe tour, most wildlife viewing happens within a comfortable distance of the van. Still, guests should be prepared for short hikes and all sorts of weather. Wear clothes you can comfortably sit and move it. Summer days generally start off cool, but warm up dramatically. Metten recommends bringing a pair of shorts to change into if it gets too hot in the afternoon. Afternoon thunderstorms are pretty common in Jackson Hole, so a raincoat is always a good idea. Fall and spring tours are generally cooler, so bring extra layers, warm socks, a warm hat that covers your ears, and gloves. But the most important thing you can bring, according to Metten? “Questions. Lots of questions.”

- Shannon Sollitt