A hop, skip, and a jump away from Rexburg lies Yellowstone, the country’s first national park, founded in 1872. It’s home to teeming wildlife, beautiful landscapes, sizzling geysers and hot springs. BYU-Idaho wants to give students a taste of this amazing national park and is providing tours this semester for any who wants to take advantage of this incredible opportunity.
“People come from all over the world to see what we have in our own backyard, and … we feel like students should see Yellowstone before they leave here,” said Morris Christensen, an outdoor activities advisor for Campus Recreation. “There’s too many students that leave here and never ever go there.”
Christensen says the whole goal of trips like these is to enhance the experience of the students while they’re at BYU-Idaho.
In addition to the geysers, hot springs, canyons, waterfalls and possible wildlife sightings on the tour, lunch and transportation is also provided in the purchase of a ticket.
Christensen says one of the keys to a memorable experience in Yellowstone is to take advantage of the time and freedom to wander. The tour will stop at Old Faithful for about two hours, during which time students are free to roam around the various sights, trails and boardwalks across the many geyser basins.
“We want students to be able to explore all that and experience it and just have a great time while they’re there,” Christensen said.
Christensen says students often come to him and ask what there is to do around Rexburg. He tells them there’s a lifetime of exploration within three hours of Rexburg.
You can RSVP for the Yellowstone National Park activity by purchasing a ticket at ibelong.byui.edu.
Christensen encourages students to take the opportunity to go on a trip like this.
“Take advantage of it. Too many of our trips go out with seats that aren’t full … we have so much to offer … there’s so many opportunities here that they’ll never ever have again … and to experience something new,” he said.