Native American History

One of the most popular and most beautiful slot canyons near Glen Canyon is Antelope Canyon.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument also has several slot canyons.

You can also read more about slot canyons at americansouthwest.net.

Although the nene is a strong and frequent flyer, its short wings, long legs and reduced webbing between its toes indicate that it often walks and seldom swims. Learn more about the Hawaiian state bird here.

Here are two examples of American Indian caves at Yosemite:

Yosemite Falls Indian Caves
These caves consist of a series of meandering fissures (cracks) between boulders. A single boulder with three mortar cups (a depression in the rock formed from pounding acorn) situated beneath the overhang of a larger boulder occurs at the site.

From the parking area, walk to and from the base of Lower Yosemite Fall using the western trail. Here you can explore the talus caves or "spider caves." In addition, visitors may participate in interpretative walks and other educational activities such as learning games or cave exploration conducted by the Yosemite Institute and the National Park Service.

Hot-low, or Lah'-koo-hah
This Indian cave, immediately under Washington Column at the mouth of Tenaya Canon is a low, broad, and deep recess under a huge rock. It is said to have been occupied as a winter shelter, and also when attacked by the Mono Lake Piutes. The overhanging rock is black from the smoke of ages, and far back in the cave large quantities of acorn-shells have been found. The word Lah-koo-hah, often applied to Indian Cave, is a call meaning "come out."

Here are some other places to discover American Indian culture at Yosemite:

Mirror Lake Trail
Mirror Lake interpretive trail is a short loop adjacent to Mirror Lake, a seasonal lake on Tenaya Creek. Exhibits focus on the rich natural history of the area and American Indian use. To reach the start of the trail, walk one mile from shuttle stop #17 to the disabled parking spaces near the lake. The trail begins here.

Indian Village
This short loop winds through the Indian Village of Ahwahnee, a reconstructed Miwok-Paiute village. A booklet is available at the trailhead and in the Visitor Center. The trail begins behind the Yosemite Museum.

In West Yellowstone itself, you can't beat the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, one of the few places around the park where you are gauranteed to see bears and wolves, they are uncommon sights in the park unless you are lucky or persistent. It's reasonably affordable and right in town for convenient visiting on your schedule.

http://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.com/

If you have your vehicle and want to drive the park, it can take from 2 to 3 hours, or the entire day depending on your route and how many stops you make. The biggest tip here is, if you see a bunch of fellow visitors stopped along the road, there's probably wildlife nearby to see. Just park safely out of the traffic lane and remember not to get too close to the animals. You will almost definitely see bison/bufallo on your drive, and if you get up to Mammoth Hot Springs at the north end of the park, you're certain to see elk or moose. Bears, wolves and other animals like bighorn sheep can be trickier to spot.

Since I work in the park and do my sightseeing from my car, I can't recommend specific bus or snowcoach tours, but there are a lot of them accessible from West Yellowstone. The benefit of a guided tour is that the guides are extremely knowledgable and know how to spot animals and point them out.
 

http://www.yellowstoneparknet.com/guides_tours/sightseeing_tours.php