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  • The Wild Huckleberries of Yellowstone

    The Wild Huckleberries of Yellowstone

HomeTravel StoriesThe Wild Huckleberries of Yellowstone

This locally sourced and sustainable fruit appears in everything from margaritas and syrup to ice cream and lip balm at America’s first national park

They’re plump, sweet, and tart. They resist cultivation and must be handpicked in the wild…and visitors to Yellowstone National Park eat them up!

The humble huckleberry has made its way into everything from milkshakes to bath salts. Visitors sip huckleberry margaritas at the historic Old Faithful Inn. They pour huckleberry syrup over their pancakes at the M66 Grill at the park’s new Canyon Lodge. They snap up huckleberry lip balm at the Lake Hotel’s gift shop. They line up for huckleberry ice cream cones at Mammoth Hot Springs.

Consider it the ultimate eco-friendly ingredient.

A closeup of huckleberries on a tree branch under sunlight with a blurry background

Huckleberries grow on bushes at high elevations above 5,000 feet, and can’t be commercially grown. Because they’re wild, they’re free of chemicals and fertilizers. And in late summer, legions of pickers take to the mountains of Montana and beyond to collect them.About 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of the delicate fruit end up at The Huckleberry People headquarters in Missoula, Mont., where owners Terry and Lois Richardson clean and quick-freeze them. Then they become the key ingredient in products like chocolate cordials, licorice, cookie mixes, jelly beans, taffy, caramels, and, of course, jam. The company is a major supplier to restaurants and shops in Yellowstone and other national parks.

The Richardsons got into the huckleberry business in 1982. And what started with a simple jam recipe has spread to a plethora of other products, including a bath and beauty line, and even candles. Terry Richardson says they’ve considered other berries — blueberries, chokecherries, gooseberries. But there’s magic in a wild huckleberry.

“The taste is more intense. I guess it’s like the difference between driving an eight-cylinder car and a four-cylinder car,” he says. “Things that grow in the wild generally have more flavor.”

How to Explore

With nine unique lodging options, including the renowned historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel, Yellowstone National Park Lodges allows you to have the ultimate park experience. Staying in the park is the best way for visitors to experience all it has to offer, including the exciting wildlife watching. Once the day-visitors leave, Yellowstone remains for the in-park overnight guests alone. Yellowstone National Park Lodges offer tours and activities guided by Certified Interpretive Guides that help create memorable experiences. For more information on lodging, tours, and vacation packages, visit yellowstonenationalparklodges.com or call 307-344-7311.

For more travel experiences to Beautiful Places on Earth™ available from Xanterra Travel Collection® and its affiliated properties, visit xanterra.com/explore.