Yellowstone Country Backstories

How Dedicated Montanans Inspire the Soul of the Land

We often say that our small towns are the heart of Yellowstone Country, but what makes them so special are the people who call them home—the hard-working, fiercely dedicated folks who are so passionate about this amazing place, they’re committed to protecting, preserving, exploring and celebrating it. These folks live here because they love it here, and they understand the value of open space, natural resources, wildlife habitat, big skies, peace and quiet, walking in the woods, unplugging in order to connect. Yellowstone Country is pretty darn phenomenal on its own, but it’s got soul because of these fine individuals.

MacNeil Lyons:
Yellowstone Insight

Brad and Cyndi Edward:
Elk River Outfitters

Amy Beegel:
Easy Tours Yellowstone

Katy Martin:
Fishtail General Store

MacNeil Lyons

MacNeil Lyons owns Yellowstone Insight, offering private guided tours of Yellowstone National Park. Lyons’ trademark is his individualized dedication to visitor experience. Lyons’ passion for the park and all of Montana shines through in his in-depth, educational and thought-provoking tours. His goal is to cultivate in others a lasting appreciation of the beauty of the world’s natural resources, whether he’s showing visitors the geological wonders, human history, American Indian history, or wildlife of the park.

ELK RIVER OUTFITTERS

Brad and Cyndi Edward own Elk River Outfitters, a fifth-generation, family-owned business that offers a glimpse into the cowboy way of life and pays tribute to the Crow Tribe, as “Elk River” was their name for the Yellowstone River. Brad shared the dream of owning a pack string with his grandfather, Bill Hayes, and that dream became a reality in 1994 when they began offering their first trail rides around Billings. They now have operations in Red Lodge, Billings, the Pryor Mountains and East Glacier—all with the help of their four sons.

Easy Tours Yellowstone

Meet Amy Beegel—a Yellowstone tour guide with a passion for snowmobiling and a knack for making people laugh. Amy was eager to explore and see the country from a young age, and that sense of adventure is still apparent to everyone around her. When she first came to Yellowstone in 1988, she tried every tour and soaked up all the information she could find about the area. Her guiding career began out of the south, coming from the Tetons, but Amy always knew she would find her way back to West Yellowstone. If you ask Amy why she works in tourism, she'll give you a straightforward answer: "People are so happy on vacation. I wanted to be where people were happy all the time."

Fishtail General Store

Katy Martin moved to Fishtail, Montana with her husband, Bill, in search of their next great adventure after retiring. Surprisingly enough, they found it in the Fishtail General Store—the oldest continually open general store in the state, which just happened to be on the market when Katy and Bill came to town. They bought the historic small-town business and vowed to preserve the look and feel, so you can still step back in time when you stop for lunch. While Fishtail’s population is only 60, Katy still doesn't feel the need to advertise their special spot at the base of the Beartooth Mountains. In her words, "I just hope that somebody walks in the door, and they always do."