VOL 27 ISSUE 30, August 3, 2026
As visitation to the iconic Yellowstone National Park continues to grow – it topped 4.7 million visitors last year – Delaware North is expanding its winter tour offerings and enhancing its lodging and retail operations in the region.
During a very busy first half of 2026, Delaware North’s Parks and Resorts division completed comprehensive renovations of the Gray Wolf Inn Suites near the park’s west entrance and one of the Yellowstone General Stores in the park, added a new dining concept at another store and secured new National Park Service (NPS) contracts for winter tours into the park.
“The renovations and expanded tour offerings reinforce Delaware North’s continued investment in the Yellowstone National Park region and an elevation of the guest experience through lodging, tours, food and beverage, and retail,” said Erin Benike, regional general manager for Delaware North Parks and Resorts.
The company’s Yellowstone offerings are promoted at Yellowstone Vacations.
Yellowstone Vacation Tours Expansion
The company’s Yellowstone Vacation Tours this winter will have more guides and a larger fleet of snowmobiles and snow coaches to accommodate additional tours into the park from West Yellowstone, Mont., a key gateway destination to the park.
Delaware North was selected in a competitive bidding process by NPS to continue and even expand its winter tour business into the park. Yellowstone Vacation Tours has operated winter tours into the park from West Yellowstone since 2016 and from Gardiner, Mont., since 2019. In addition to snowmobile tours and rentals and snow coach tours, it offers bus tours and side-by-side and electric scooter rentals in the summer season.
All tours are facilitated by professionally certified guides who take visitors to some of Yellowstone’s most spectacular vistas while sharing fascinating facts about the park. Delaware North is enhancing guide training this winter with a National Association of Interpretation (NAI) Certified Interpretive Guide Instructor as part of the team to provide coaching and training throughout the season.
“We’re very proud of the guest experience we provide, including interpretation, safety training and environmentally sustainable operations so no waste is left in the park,” said Jason Fatouros, director of tours and transportation for Delaware North Parks and Resorts. “Winter is an incredible time to visit, and travelers will find that all the top experiences, guides and accommodations can be found in one convenient place with Yellowstone Vacations.”
Fatouros said guides will now be equipped with mobile phones so they can take photos for guests for social media posts. Lunches will be served in reusable containers, and carbon credits will be purchased to offset fuel usage.
A key part of the expansion will be launching a new snow coach shuttle service between West Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Snow Lodge & Cabins in the park. Interior park roads are closed in the winter, making the shuttle the only way other than snowmobiles to access the lodge.
Besides the Yellowstone winter tour operations, Delaware North also owns and operates Nova Guides at Camp Hale, Colo., making the company one of the largest operators of winter outdoor recreation and adventure tours in the United States.
Gray Wolf Inn & Suites Renovation
The Gray Wolf was closed for several months but recently reopened following a full renovation that refreshed guestrooms, public spaces and guest amenities throughout the property.
The project modernized the hotel’s interiors with updated furnishings, fixtures, finishes and design elements, creating a more contemporary and welcoming guest experience.
“With accommodations ranging from standard guestrooms to spacious suites with full kitchens, Gray Wolf is an ideal choice for families, groups and travelers looking for extra space and the comforts of home while exploring Yellowstone National Park,” Benike said.
The Gray Wolf is one of six Delaware North lodging properties in the region, with the others being the Holiday Inn® West Yellowstone, Yellowstone Park Hotel and Explorer Cabins at Yellowstone in West Yellowstone, and The Ridgeline Hotel® at Yellowstone and Jim Bridger Explorer Cabins in Gardiner.
1872 Pizza Co. Opens at Canyon Village General Store
Delaware North Parks and Resorts team members and leaders, including Erin Benike (third from left), regional general manager; Dawn Hedges (center), director of operational support for Parks and Resorts; and Brian Sterner (fifth from right), vice president of food & beverage, celebrate the grand opening of 1872 Pizza Co at Yellowstone National Park.
Delaware North has operated the 11 Yellowstone General Stores in the park for NPS since 2003, with a new 15-year contract secured in 2023 following a competitive bidding process.
Under the new contract, Delaware North is renovating some of the stores – including retail as well as food and beverage services that many stores offer – to enhance the guest experience while advancing environmental sustainability and historic preservation. The comprehensive renovation of the Old Faithful Upper General Store this spring was featured in the July 20 edition of 360.
In addition, Delaware North developed and in June opened 1872 Pizza Co., a new dining concept near the Canyon Village General Store, drawing visitors to Yellowstone Falls and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park became the first national park in the U.S. and the world.
1872 Pizza Co. features made-to-order salads and stone-fired pizzas made with high-quality ingredients – Lactalis premium mozzarella, Pedone Pinsa for hand-stretched crusts and San Marzano tomatoes for the sauce – served from an open kitchen that brings the pizza-making process to life. Meatless pizzas are also available.
“We created 1872 Pizza Co. to be a welcoming destination for great food, local beverages and genuine hospitality,” said Brian Sterner, vice president of food and beverage operations for Parks and Resorts. “What began as a concept a few years ago evolved into a thoughtfully developed dining experience, shaped by hands-on research, recipe testing and a commitment to serving high-quality pizza in a fresh, engaging environment.”