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Yellowstone National Park is a land of colorful bubbling mud and spouting geysers, a magical winter wonderland, a place of vast scenic beauty. The average snowfall in a Yellowstone winter is nearly 50 inches, creating a beautiful setting for sightseers, and a wonderful source for outdoor winter recreation. From mid-December to around mid-March, the park is open to oversnow vehicles. The only roads that are open for cars is the Mammoth Hot Springs - Cook City Road. Most visitors enter Yellowstone in winter from the west or south entrances by snowcoach or snowmobile.
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| Ice Formation |
| © National Park Service |
Winter is a magical time to visit Yellowstone. Much of the wildlife gathers in the winter around the steaming hot pools and geysers which generate little islands of warmth and clear ground. Geysers and steam rise in eerie mists, and the landscape is coated with snow. Nearby trees are transformed into "snow ghosts" by frozen thermal vapors. Bison become frosted, shaggy beasts, easily spotted as they take advantage of the more accessible vegetation on the thawed ground. Yellowstone Lake's surface freezes to an average thickness of 3 feet, creating a vast ice sheet that sings and moans as the huge plates of ice shift. Otters surface at the breaks in the ice, where the ice has thinned by hot springs rising from the lake bottom. Waterfalls become astounding pieces of frozen sculpture. Endangered trumpeter swans glid through geyser-fed streams under clear blue skies of clean, crisp mountain air.
A winter tour of Yellowstone is quite different from any other season's tour. The park is less traveled with only two lodges in operation, the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hot Springs, providing accommodations from December through March. In the Old Faithful area, there are 40 miles of cross-country trails. The Lone Star Geyser Trail, an 8 mile trail in a remote setting that starts at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge is very popular, and the Fern Cascades Trail, a 3 mile trail winds through rolling woodland landscape on a short loop close to the Old Faithful area. In the Mammoth area, try the Upper Geyser Basin and Biscuit Basin Trail. It is nearly 6 miles and some say it is the best in Yellowstone.
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| Trees Frozen in Winter |
| © National Park Service |
Cross-country equipment rentals, ski instruction, ski shuttles to various locations, and guided ski tours are all available at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. There are private outfitters as well, offering multiday cross-country skiing excursions. Snow vans, also known as snowcoaches, are used to transport clients from West Yellowstone to the Yellowstone Yurt Camp, located in Canyon Village, one half mile from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Clients are joined with certified backcountry ski guides and explore meadows, backcountry hot spring basins, the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, or telemark ski the slopes of the Washburn Range.
In Mammoth, folks of all ages can enjoy an hour or more of ice-skating. The Mammoth Skating Rink is located behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Recreation Center, and skates can be rented for $1 per hour, or $4 per day. Gliding across the ice while seasonal melodies are broadcast over the PA system is a delightful winter memory of Yellowstone National Park. Remember, it is cold out there, stay warm by dressing appropriately, sipping hot chocolate, and nestling up to the crackling fire at the rink's edge.
Visitor's most preferred mode of travel in Yellowstone is by snowmobile. The snowmobile offers more mobility to the most popular attractions, an excellent way to sightsee at your own pace. Moderate speed limits are strictly enforced, a driver's license is required for rental, and snowmobiling is confined to roads only. Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or Old Faithful Snow Lodge have snowmobile and gear rentals, along with the gateway communities of Gardiner, West Yellowstone, and Flagg Ranch. Warming huts are located throughout the park's designated snowmobile road. Huts located at Mammoth, Indian Creek, Canyon, Madison, West Thumb, and Fishing Bridge offer snacks, a hot cup of coffee or chocolate, and an excellent opportunity to recover from a chill.
Snowcoach tours are an alternate way to see Yellowstone National Park and are becoming quite popular. The original snowcoach, made by the Bombardier, was created in the north of Canada to travel on snow-covered roads. Today, modern vehicles are used, with converted vans on snow tracks. They offer an enclosed and heated option, chauffeured by a naturalist guide. In the quiet of a snowcoach, your guide will have an opportunity to entertain you with stories that bring the history of Yellowstone alive. Find out about the predator-prey relationships operating within the ecosystem and learn about how geologic forces operating deep within the earth are responsible for Yellowstone's 10,000 thermal features. Scenic tours to Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone operate every day. Skier drop-offs and guided ski tours may also be arranged. Charters are also available.
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