Flying Pig Adventure Co.

This was the adventure of a lifetime. There were 18 of us with ages ranging from 10 to 80. My dad uses a cane and has a harder time walking. In order to get on the rafts, there is a steep, switchback walkway. We were not sure my dad could do it. The guides offered to carry him down, but he did it on his own with some help from his sons.
At the same time there was one raft going down all the rapids and crazy for the kids. The other raft only had a few Rapids and mainly sight seeing and relaxing.
Flying Pig made it work and the memories will last my 10 yr old a life time.

We made a 6 hour white water raft trip part of our Yellowstone vacation and were sure glad we did. Zack was our guide, he was both entertaining and knowledgeable. The white water was enough to be exciting, without being fearful. Would absolutely use Flying Pig again if we are in the area.

Before coming out to Yellowstone, we wanted to do a wildlife tour but were disappointed by the high cost (one was almost $ 900!!). I saw an add for the Flying Pig on the browser and am so glad I clicked on it.
We did the Paddle & Saddle package and it was a wonderful day — great value. Flying Pig did an amazing job working with local businesses to set up the horse back riding and down the street for a great lunch. Everyone was extremely friendly and laid back — an absolute blast.
The rafting was the cherry on top of a great day. Tony, our river guide, was the best. He was extremely engaging with the entire boat and had us in stitches as we went down the river.
Would highly recommend any combination of the adventure packages here. We’ll be back next time we’re in Yellowstone.

We enjoyed a full day tour in Yellowstone with Josiah driving our van. He is terrific — amazing knowledge of history, folklore and the natural science around us. We were 5 people ages 13 – 86 and we all felt at ease. The bison who wandered across the stream and through our picnic area was an unexpected event.
Agree with those who say that Flying Pig needs to improve its reservation process. I was asked the same questions on every call and each person seemed to have no record of the specific plans we had already made.
Still — highly recommended

We had a great full-​day walk and wade fly fishing trip with Buddy. My daughter always wants to go fishing and we oblige but I haven’t been a fan. Buddy was very enthusiastic when he called to confirm our plans the night beforehand. After we got set at the shop we started at a lake learning to cast with the rod. It was a very necessary step for our group! Our guide was very supportive and patient with me, my husband and especially our 12 year-​old. We caught so many fish! After lunch, we headed to a river and worked on some new skills. Again, we had success and fun with our guide’s assistance. I could definitely see more fly fishing in our future.

Did white water rafting with this company at Gardiner, MT. I was very happy with their service. Tony was our guide on the 8 mile trip. He was fantastic and made our first rafting experience a thrilling and enjoyable one. After comparing prices and reviews, I found that Flying Pig beat them all. They were at least 25% cheaper than the ones offered at Jackson Hole.

Review for 8 mile rafting: We were staying down the street from here and liked the name, so gave it a try. We came back from a day in Yellowstone about 4pm and stopped in to see about the 8-​mile raft trip for our family of 4 (2 adults, 7 y.o., 9 y.o.), and they said they could take us out right away.
It was just us and our guide, Josiah. He was GREAT with our kids. He didn’t mind that they peppered him with questions, he let them «steer» the raft, let them sit way up on the front of the raft and even get out and swim at a couple of points. They had a blast!
As far as white water rafting goes it’s pretty tame. The scenery is beautiful, but the ride itself was not all that exciting. There were a few spots with some little rapids. Good for young kids or if you just want scenery and don’t care about the rafting experience so much.
My one complaint is that we were provided with a wet suit top (and life jacket) and it stank horribly of B.O. It was so bad my shirt still smelled after I took the wet suit off.
All in all a good experience and a super guide, but they need to disinfect wet suits between uses.

We went on the 8 mile rafting trip down the Yellowstone River and it was one of the highlights of our Yellowstone vacation. Half of us went on the scenic tour and the others went on the regular rafting trip. Both take around 2 hours total ending with a bus ride that take you back to the Flying Pig store.
The scenic raft trip starts a bit south of the Flying Pig river launch platform to avoid some of the choppier waters. Rafters are equipped with life vests but are not required to row. The guide who sits in the rear does the rowing and steers the raft down the calmest path. It’s a good opportunity to watch scenery and take photos. The guide will point out wildlife or interesting spots along the way.
The regular rafting trip takes you through the more exciting class 2 & 3 rapids. You are assigned a life vest and an oar and given a quick safety talk before embarking. If you sit in front, expect to get very wet. Those in back generally do more hard rowing but only for a few minutes at a time. It’s a very fun ride but we always felt safe.
My only complaint was with the reservation process. Their web site reservation system wasn’t working properly so I had to call their 866 number. On my first call, I was told that they had to check with the scheduler to see if they could accommodate us and they’d call us back that day. That didn’t happen so I called back the next day and had them add us to the schedule. Also, I had to provide payment information over the phone rather than the day of the trip. I’m not sure what their cancellation policy is, but it could have been a potential problem if the weather hadn’t cooperated. Fortunately the weather was sunny and warm and we felt it was worth the money.

They did a great job with my family on our 8 mile tour. We were in a small group, just the 5 of us which isn’t necessarily common but the other boats around us only have maybe 8 or ten people at the most, so not overcrowded. Our guide knew a lot about the area and was interesting and fun to talk to. It was very safe.

We did the 8 mile trip had a 3 yr old and 5 yr old. The guide was very helpful and alot of fun during the tour. Would definitely use this place again if in the area. They offer military discounts.

Terrible and rude service. Messed up our reservations twice. Very difficult to work with. Save your money and go somewhere else.

We booked with Flying Pig for fly fishing in Yellowstone based off some great Unilocal reviews.
Unfortunately, we were really disappointed with the administrative end of the booking. The owner was great when we talked to him, but the rest of his team was sorely lacking. They said they would confirm with us two weeks before our trip with all the details that we would need. After not hearing from them, we called and left a message, with no response. We called a second time and no one picked up. After a third time, we finally got someone who wasn’t very friendly nor fully informative. It was important to us to get all the details since it was our first time and we weren’t sure what the cell phone reception would be like once we were in the park.
Once we were in the park, our guide Tyler left a voice message and changed the meeting location. Luckily we got the message since reception in the park is really spotty. They had previously told us that they can issue the fishing permits for you or you can get it on your own at any visitor center. However on the day of, they said they preferred if we got it from the visitor center. We were already at the visitor center the day before, so we could have simply purchased the permits when we were there if we were informed. Expecting that we would get a ride to the location, we were then told we’d have to follow in our own car due to insurance reasons. Not a big deal and I wouldn’t mind having to get the permit or drive, but it would have been helpful to know beforehand so we knew what to expect. All told, if they had simply been more communicative, this review (and our overall experience) would be greater.
The half day of fly fishing itself was great. Tyler was patient, knowledgeable and personable. He grew up fishing as a kid and loves his job — it shows. He was not condescending and worked well with all of us — many very new to fishing, let alone fly fishing. He did an overview of what to do and worked with us one-​on-​one. He was encouraging and tried to give tips where he could. I should also note that the nature of fly fishing is a bit solitary, so our group did get split up, which was fine. We had plenty of sunblock, water, mosquito repellent just in case, long pants since we had to walk in the brush and off trail, sunglasses and hats. Tyler brought the first aid kit and everything else we needed for fly fishing (even assembled the rods, etc.). Toward the end of the year, the fishing isn’t as great, so none of us caught anything, but we all had a good time.

Horseback riding trip review: My group of four did the half day horseback riding trip in August 2013. We met at the downtown Gardiner location to get the directions up to Hells a Roarin Ranch. The trip was about 25 minutes uphill on a gravel road, something to keep in mind with a rental car. There was another party of 4 so 8 total guests on the trip plus 2 guides. Our guide in the front was Andy and he was extremely personable. Please note you do not get off your horse for almost 4 hours which is a lot to take on the knees and legs. The views were absolutely gorgeous, we traversed across a lot of different terrains. We stayed after the horse ride for the cowboy cookout which was mediocre. I was expecting entertainment and more interaction but they just put out some food and we sat at picnic tables. Luckily, our guides joined us and started a fire afterward so we could roast marshmellows. Overall, the horseback ride was a blast and definitely worth the trip but the cowboy cookout I would pass on.

Review for Fly Fishing trip: Tyler and Eric took our party of 7 people to Cascade Lake in Yellowstone for a half day of fly fishing. Only one of us had ever fly fished before and it had been 10 years. So we were all beginners. We wondered how it would go.
It was a great experience for all of us. We all drove to a trail parking lot and hiked in 2.5 miles to Cascade Lake. It was a beautiful walk through green meadows and across small streams. Our guides were friendly, talkative and we learned many things about wildlife and nature in the Park as we walked. When we arrived at the lake, Tyler and Eric taught each of us how to cast our lines. We practiced that for 10 or 15 minutes and then proceeded to the banks of the lake where they tied the flies on and prepped us for fishing.
They patiently helped us untangle our lines, assisted us in netting the fish and gave us continuous tips and encouragement along the way. At the end of our 2 ½ hours at the lake, each of us had caught at least one fish. They did not waste our time teaching us the complexities. They gave us the experience of casting and catching fish. This is exactly what we wanted as beginners with a limited time to fish in this area.
Tyler and Eric were great teachers and never talked down to us. Instead they had a «you can do it» attitude and the day ended with all 7 of us catching at least one fish (catch and release) and feeling like we’d all had a great fly fishing experience.
Be sure to take mosquito repellant with you!
Everyone we dealt with at Flying Pig, by phone, computer or in person, was very pleasant and courteous.
My only suggestion would be if they could update their office/​computer system of record keeping. They seemed to have some confusion accessing information. I would suggest confirming your fly fishing trip before you arrive to make sure they have all the details correctly. According to National Park rules, they have to have one guide for every 5 people, so they need accurate numbers as to how many are going so they have the right number of guides.
Thanks again, Tyler and Eric. You rock!!!

We stayed at the Grizzly Den during our trip to Yellowstone in September 2011. These were the things we didn’t like:
–no air conditioning (it was really hot in there)
–parking was limited (cars fit tightly back there)
–strange odor in place especially upstairs; loft smelled like wet dog and cigarettes, was super hot and stuffy-​carpet from wall to wall
–kitchen was really dark – couldn’t tell if things were clean
–flimsy construction
–light bulbs were out; some of the outlets didn’t work; tv didn’t work
–wood-​stove fire place was showed in photo but wasn’t permitted to use
–gnats from river in the back balcony/​terrace
–no cleaning agents-​so you would have to buy all cleaning products for everything in kitchen including paper towels; they expect you to keep things clean & tidy
Things we did like:
–balcony/​terrace
–grill
–view
For $ 250-​$ 275, the lodging should have been better.

Our family of four (girls ages 17 and 21 years old) planned to do the Cowboy Cookout with One Hour Horseback Riding on Sunday night ⁶⁄₁₀. When I checked the weather 2 days before the trip, I realized it is going to snow on us on Sunday night. I called the store and they rescheduled it for us. Instead of Cowboy Cookout & Horseback riding on Sunday night, they suggested a 2 hours horseback riding on Monday morning when the weather is supposed to be better. We really appreciated that the people there were so flexible and changed our plans. As it turned out it was beautiful on Monday morning when we did horseback riding. We enjoyed it very much. The views were wonderful, the horses were great, and the guide Shawn was nice and informative.
All in all, we had great time and recommend it to everyone!

The best river rafting tour group I’ve ever experienced! The guys were awesome and super knowledgeable! Ask for MAtt
we all had a great time on our 18 mile river raft

My husband and I booked the «1 Day Yellowstone Activity Package» a couple seasons ago.
Our rafting guide was awesome. His name eludes me but he was outgoing, friendly, funny, and really laid back. I was really scared about rafting but he really made me feel better about the whole experience. We went late in the season so we really didn’t get a lot of «white water rafting» experience as when you go in the early season when the snow is melting so therefore the water level is much higher. But even then it was a great experience.
After rafting we were looking forward to getting lunch and going horse back riding. The ranch is a couple miles or so away from the store front and you’re going up the mountain. Luckily we had our FJ Cruiser and it was an ok drive but we thought it might’ve been more difficult if you’re driving a little car, say a Civic or something. Some parts of the road was a little bumpy.
So when we got to the ranch we were surprised to find that it was only going to be me and my husband for lunch and for horse back riding. It was pretty neat in that it felt like it was a special experience only for us. However, I think having had more people there would’ve made the experience more fun.
The house itself is nice. There are mounted animals around that they themselves hunted/​shot so that was pretty cool.
Anyways, onto the food. I don’t know what I was expecting. Maybe more of an authentic lunch. I mean, it is claimed to be a «Montana Style» lunch– whatever that is. But it was just a typical, unexciting, and traditional hamburger lunch. No frills. Nothing «wow» about it. Just a burger, chips and a soda. That was pretty disappointing.
After lunch was horseback riding. Since it was just the two of us I was really expecting a more hands-​on experience. I have never been horse back riding so I was pretty scared. When I voiced my concerns I got the response «just like everyone else.» And because of that I was told how to get on the horse and how to pull on the reins. AND THAT WAS IT. I am short, so I couldn’t reach the stirrups. So they had to get «kiddie» additions which made me even more uncomfortable. I was told to «yank» this way if my horse stopped, blah blah blah. Again, since I have no experience on horses I didn’t know how hard/​soft to hit my horse with the reins. Needless to say, my horse knew how big an idiot I was and took advantage of me in every way possible. She stopped when she wanted. Went as slow as she wanted. Everything you could imagine. My guide and my husband were so far ahead they had to stop multiple times so I could catch up. But did my guide stop to show me how to properly guide my horse? Nope. Not at all. Finally, my husband (who grew up riding horses) had to ride behind me so his horse could show my horse who was boss.
My horse HATED me. And it showed. lmao
Anyways, the ride itself was pretty miserable only because I hated the whole «hateful» horse experience and that I wasn’t given more direction. But the trail itself was nice.
Overall, I give it a 4 star experience only because I loved the rafting part and our rafting guide. And I also loved that we got to experience something together for the first time and it was a great addition to our Yellowstone adventure.

We went rafting with this outfit last May and it was awesome. Sure the water was freezing, but the rapids were high and it was so much fun. Our guide was nice and seemed knowledgeable. Whats better is that someone who works there part time was willing to watch our infant son while we did it (for a very reasonable cost).

I apprehensively booked the paddle/​saddle adventure with Flying Pig Adventure Company in June of this year. I say apprehensively because I’m not very adventurous and pretty terrified of activities where I might die.
At any rate, it was a good price ($ 98/​pp and it included lunch) and I thought it would be a great trip for my son and the rest of the family and a great way to see more of Yellowstone country.
The horseback riding took place at the Hells A-​Roarin’ Outfitters ranch at the top of a mountain. The road all the way to the top was gravel (it turns out that’s not such a great thing for a rental car) so you could only go about 30mph.
We arrived to find a dusty parking area and other adventurers waiting for their trip. I was really excited! Our horses showed up, we were paired with an animal and we were off!
The bad part here is that none of us were given any instructions or «what-​if» scenarios. The people pairing us up just asked if we’d ever ridden a horse before and then told us how to hold the reigns. I wanted to scream out – «What if this thing tries to throw me off!!!»
Anyway, we were taken through some very beautiful country – and on some very rocky paths where I was certain my horse was going to fall down. The trail guides did little to no talking (with the exception of one guide who wouldn’t shut up, according to my brother).
With a sore ass we got back to the ranch in about 2 hours. Lunch consisted of cold burgers, canned baked beans, mini bags of chips, ice berg salag with generic bottled dressings, and kool aid. The view made up for it, however, as we were high above Gardiner.
The rafting portion was a tad scarier, only because it involved water. The pairing off continued at the actual store, as the guy with the wetsuits had to find sizes to fit each person. Although I felt funny squeezing myself into my suit, I was thankful to not be the fattest one there.
The rafting was to include class 2 and 3 rapids. I was terrified. After the first set, however, I was much more relaxed because I realized that there was no way I could fall out and drown in this water. (I’m sure the 5 year old girl sitting next to me was reassurance that I would be safe!)
At the end of the ride we were to take a school bus back to the store. I didn’t think anything of it, so my group of four helped the raft guides get the rafts out of the water while the rest of the huge group scrambled onto the bus. When we go on, there were no seats left. Did even one person try to make room? Nope. What a bunch of rude-​asses, I swear.
I liked the trip, but I didn’t like the fact that the guides all seemed really impersonal and unconcerned that we might have questions. They were more interested in loading/​unloading rafters/​horse riders as fast as possible to really care. I understand that, but it doesn’t make me all that comfortable. In fact, the people operating the store didn’t seem to care much either. The best info/​customer service I got were in response to my worrysome emails prior to arrival. Whoever responded to those was nice.