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Yellowstone National Park - Winter

Yellowstone National Park in winter is truly a wonderland of magnificent snow covered vistas, amazing wildlife and devoid of the crowds that summer.  

Wyoming

2003, 2006, 2013, 2014

About The Park

Yellowstone is a National Park that is open in winter and relatively easy to visit. Unlike other national parks in the northern part of the country or in Alaska, where the visits are constricted by the closing of many roads and few other options, almost all of Yellowstone’s roads are open but closed to normal vehicular traffic in the winter. With one exception the only way you can visit is to come in by snowmobile or snow coach. The exception is the road from Gardiner, Montana to Mammoth Hot Springs in the northwest corner of the park. This is a small fraction of Yellowstone’s roads and Montana and the Park’s Service endeavor to keep it open sometimes against great odds.

Winter in Yellowstone is a totally different experience from the summer. The only traffic on the snow-covered roads are snowmobiles and snow coaches and they generally are few and far between.

The scenery really is breathtakingly beautiful. Long expanses of pure white untouched snow, frozen lakes, waterfalls, forests of snow-covered evergreens and clouds of steam rising from geysers and boiling pools. In addition there’s the sight of foxes, coyotes, elk and herds of buffalo with steam rising from their nostrils.

The most common way to see Yellowstone in winter is on one of the many guided snowmobile or snow coach tours. These tours drive only on the snow-covered park roads.

The tours typically stop at points of interest along the way, scenic spots where you can take pictures that your friends will marvel at but that you know barely do justice to what you were photographing.

When you get your destination, either Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, you’ll stop and have lunch in a warm place. After that you’ll tour the area.
 

If your destination is Old Faithful you’ll get to watch the famous geyser erupt in a 175 foot column of water that instantly turns to steam. After that you’ll have some time to take a walk around the geyser basin. You’ll get to see the geysers, steaming vents and boiling pools that the parks is famous for. Generally there will be bison among the thermal features where they like to take advantage of the warmth that the thermal features give off. You’ll be walking on a boardwalk and they may only be 15 feet away from you. In the summer time that would not be considered a safe distance but in the winter, you’re walking on a boardwalk, and the bison don’t seem to be affected by your proximity.

If your destination is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone you’ll have your lunch at the canyon and then drive along the rim of the canyon. One of the main stops is Artist’s Point which juts out into the canyon and gives you a tremendous view of the steep canyon walls and the famous Yellowstone Falls at the south end. The 308 foot lower falls are partly obscured by a 200 foot high ice dam that forms in front of it and is quite an impressive sight. The tour will also take you to other points along the way where you can walk around a bit and take pictures.

If you are skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Big Sky, Montana take a day off from skiing and take a snowmobile tour into Yellowstone. You will remember that experience long after you’ve forgotten the skiing.

Wildlife

Bison, elk, trumpeter swans, bald eagles, coyotes, otters, martens, wolves and lynx. The bears are hibernating.

Lodging

Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge and Cabins

As far as staying in the park itself the only road that is kept open in winter is from Gardiner, Montana to Mammoth Hot Springs where the Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge and Cabins are. They are older and a bit more rustic but adequate given where you are.

 

Old Faithful Snow Lodge

The Old Faithful Snow Lodge is at the Old Faithful geyser basin and is the only other lodging option in the National Park and you will need to arrange transportation to and from it.

There is a full range of lodging options in Jackson and Jackson Hole, Wyoming as well as in West Yellowstone, Montana.

Hiking

You can hike anywhere or cross-country ski in Yellowstone with or without a guide. If you are on a tour the hiking options are limited to whatever venues are suitable for short hikes to waterfalls or around geyser basins etc. With all the gear you are wearing short hikes are appropriate.

WARNING! The parks thermal features can be extremely dangerous and you should never leave the boardwalks around them. What looks like solid ground may just be a cryptobiotic crust that will crumble under your feet and plunge you into boiling water that can reach 250°F. People have been severely injured and others have died trying to cross these features or even swim in them. Bodies have been unrecoverable having dissolved in the acidic water. The stories are gruesome and, while I have provided a link below to some of these stories, you might not want to read about them. Definitely heed what I have said and keep your hands on small children at all times.

Snowmobile and Snow Coach Tours

Taking a 65 to 85 mile snowmobile trip may sound like a daunting option for someone who has never done it before. However, operating a snowmobile if you’re able-bodied is something that they’ll teach you right there at the entrance to the park. Since you don’t snowmobile off-road the skill set needed to drive on snow covered park roads is minimal. The snowmobiles can carry two people so, if you are with someone comfortable with driving and you are not, you can ride as a passenger or take turns.

For those who prefer not to be on a snowmobile there are snow coaches some of which can take up to 10 people in a heated cabin at a considerably less cost per person.

Tours range from around $125-300 per person for snow coach tours to about $250-500 per person for snowmobile tours depending if it is out of Jackson Hole or West Yellowstone (less expensive). A passenger on the snowmobile is around half-price. Some tours are all-inclusive: pick-up and drop off at your hotel, clothing, continental breakfast, lunch and a guide; others are not. You need to check with the tour operator as to exactly what is included. Insurance is usually offered and, if you are a first time snowmobiler, I would recommend it for the relatively small additional cost.

Snowmobile Tour From Jackson Hole, Wyoming

You’ll get picked up at your hotel about 6 A.M. At the tour office you’ll get a full outfit suitable for your trip. From there it is about a 2 hour, 65 mile drive in a van through the beautifully scenic Grand Teton Mountains via the Rockefeller Parkway in Grand Teton National Park. You stop at Flagg Ranch which is right at the south entrance to Yellowstone. There they will set you up with your snowmobile and give a quick lesson for all who have never driven one. You then enter the park and, depending on the tour, will go to either Old Faithful or to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. For a first time trip, Old Faithful is the preferred destination and is about an 85 mile round trip. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is about a 130 mile round trip. This trip is more physically demanding and for experienced snowmobilers. You will get back to your hotel between 5 and 7 P.M.

Snowmobile Tour From West Yellowstone, Montana

These tours require you to get to West Yellowstone which isn’t a problem if you are staying in town. If you are skiing at Montana’s Big Sky ski area you are about 50 miles away which could take upwards of 2 hours to drive if the weather isn’t clear and dry. Once at the tour office you are no more than a block or so from the West Entrance. The round trip is about 65 miles for Old Faithful or 85 miles for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Tours from here generally leave about 8:30 A.M and return by 5:30 P.M.   

All tours will include instructions on the ‘rules of the road’ so that you know what the speed limits are and how to drive the snow covered roads safely. You ride single-file behind the guide and, basically, do what he does.

They will also instruct you on bison etiquette with a snowmobile. If you see bison coming you pull over to the side and sit on your machine with the engine idling until they pass. It can be unnerving having one of those large creatures pass by you only a few feet away but it works!   

*Note* Tours do not include the National Park entrance fee of $30 . If you have a National Parks pass make sure to take it and let the tour operator know that you have it and you will not have to pay this fee.

Yellowstone National Park Winter Photo Gallery

Other Resources

Yellowstone National Park on the National Parks Service website - NPS.gov

Yellowstone National Park - Wikipedia

Yellowstone National Park - National Parks.org

Yellowstone National Park - Winter Lodging

Snowmobile and Snow Coach Tours - NPS.gov

Snowmobile Tours

Snow Coach Tours

Deaths due to accidents or foolishness around thermal features

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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

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