Tours at Tippet Rise

Tippet Rise has closed for tours in Season Three and will open again in early Summer, 2019. Please see the events page for opportunities to visit the Art Center during the off-season.

Placed atop knolls and nestled into valleys across the art center’s 10,260 acres, our sculptures can be toured by van, by bicycle and on foot.

Sculpture Tours

Van Tours

Tours by eight-passenger van

Van Tours for Season Three (2018) have come to an end. Van tours will resume in the early Summer, 2019.

Two van tour options are available this season: the full tour, which visits all of the art center’s sculptures and lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and the half tour, which visits a pre-selected route and number of sculptures and lasts approximately 75 minutes. The van will stop at each sculpture. All sculptures are visible from the van; however, guests are welcome to walk to the sculptures to stretch their legs, shoot photos and take a closer look. Van tours are $10.00 per person and free for everyone 21 and under, all tours require reservations.

Please keep in mind:
  • Distances from the van to the sculptures require a walk of up to 100 yards on unpaved terrain. Please wear footwear suitable for walking.
  • The weather can change quickly at Tippet Rise. Please dress for the outdoors and please consider wearing sun protection.
  • Please bring water or a water bottle, which you can fill in the Visitor Center. You are welcome to bring snacks. For more information, including a packing list, please see the FAQs section of our Visit page.

Hiking & Mountain Biking

Tour the sculptures by foot or by mountain bike

Bring your own mountain bike or your hiking shoes and tour the sculptures and the land on your own. Roughly 9 miles of trails and 13 miles of gravel road connect the sculptures at Tippet Rise. Distances between each sculpture vary from .5 mile to 3 miles on hilly terrain with very steep grades. Hiking and bicycling tours are free of charge, but require reservations. Helmets are required for biking at Tippet Rise.

Please keep in mind:
  • The Art Center Maps on the Visit page will help you plan your trek and customize your tour.
  • We recommend a mountain bike or any bicycle suitable for rough, gravel roads.
  • Please bring a helmet. All cyclists are required to wear a helmet.
  • Pets are not permitted at Tippet Rise
  • Please stay on designated trails and roads.
  • The weather can change quickly at Tippet Rise. Please dress for the outdoors and please consider wearing sun protection.
  • Bring snacks and water or a water bottle, which you can fill in the Visitor Center.
  • Please be aware of your surroundings and alert to changing weather. Tippet Rise is a working ranch and you may encounter sheep, cattle and herd dogs. Please do not approach or feed any of the animals or wildlife you may encounter.
  • For more information, including a packing list, please see the FAQs section of our Visit page.

Geo-Paleo Tours

Van Tours

Geo-Paleo Tours have ended for Season Three (2018).

Poised at the convergence of two vastly different regions, the Beartooth Mountains and the Great Plains, Tippet Rise is home to a unique combination of geologic wonders. The art center was founded in part to celebrate the connections between nature, art, architecture, and music. To this end, we offer Geo-Paleo Tours at Tippet Rise, which allow our guests to explore and gain some understanding of the various geological and paleontological features scattered across the art center’s 10,260 acres—features that offer clues to and glimpses of the geologic processes that formed this extraordinary region.

The Geo-Paleo Tours are the result of a partnership between Tippet Rise and the Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association (YBRA), founded by the Princeton Geological Association in 1936 at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge, Montana. YBRA’s distinguished faculty lead the tours.

2018’s Geo-Paleo Tours take place on five consecutive Thursdays beginning July 26. Tours run from 9AM - 1PM.

Please keep in mind:
  • Space is limited and advanced registration is required for all tour guests.
  • Each tour requires extensive walking over rough terrain. Please wear footwear suitable for walking.
  • The weather can change quickly at Tippet Rise. Please dress for the outdoors and please wear sun protection.
  • Please bring water or a water bottle, which you can fill in the Visitor Center. You are welcome to bring snacks.
  • You are welcome to bring a brown-bag lunch to eat on the Tippet Rise campus after the tour.
  • For more information, including a packing list, please see the FAQs section of our Visit page.

To plan your visit to Tippet Rise and for directions to the art center, please see our Visit page. To learn more about our sculpture collection and the artists behind them, visit the Artwork page. To learn more about the YBRA, click here. To read a story about 2017’s Geo-Paleo Tours, click here.