Planning a Winter Trip to Yellowstone? Here's What to Expect

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Wednesday, 20 January 2010 08:33

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Winter Cross-Country Skiing

A visit during the winter season shows a completely different -- and refreshing -- side of the Park. Parts of the Park are dormant, as many species retreat into dens and nests for hibernation. But other parts seem even more majestic than during the summer months.

Thermal features are even more pronounced in the cold winter air, and wildlife is much more visible during Yellowstone's winter season: the bison contently graze in the geyser basins, eagles eye the warm rivers, and elk roam the countryside. Even the reclusive mountain goats, mountain lions and antelope come down from the high country. If you thought the Lamar Valley was a wildlife-viewing nirvana in the summer, just wait until you see it in winter.

If you haven't already guessed, winter is one of our favorite seasons in Yellowstone National Park. We're now in the midst of the winter season. Most of the Grand Loop Road is closed to vehicles of any kind, while other sections -- the road between Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful, and between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful -- are open only to snowmobiles and snowcoaches. Head in on a snowmobile and you can have large swatches of the Park to yourself. Wildlife like elk, wolves and bison stay in the low country during the winter and can be seen easily from the road. But be careful: bison can be traffic hazards on their own, since they like to use the groomed roads to move between sections of the Park. (One winter trip was made more memorable by witnessing a snowmobiler run into the back side of a bison; the damn fool was lucky he wasn't killed and there was medical staff on our snowcoach.) Bison don't really pay much attention to cars in the summer; they pay less attention to snowmobiles in winter.

A trip to Yellowstone in winter can be as short as a day trip or a multiday excursion. We'll go over each here.

THE NORTH: MAMMOTH TO COOKE CITY
The North Entrance to Yellowstone is open year-round. The city of Gardiner is a going concern on a daily basis, as are many of the services at Mammoth Hot Springs, including the General Store and the Albright Visitor Center. The Mammoth Hotel and the Mammoth dining facilities are open only on a seasonal basis, however.

As you can drive directly into Mammoth from Gardiner, there's no reason for elaborate plans should you want to visit for the day. Though the thermal activity in the Mammoth Terraces has declined in recent years, a winter walk in the area is still a delight. In addition, the road to the upper terraces is plowed, so you can park there and walk through the thermal areas there. The loop road past the terraces is groomed; you can cross-country ski or snowshoe back there. All of this can be done on a day trip.

As can a drive up to Cooke City and back, if the weather gods are cooperating. The highway between Gardiner and Silver Gate/Cooke City is plowed year-round. The drive puts you square in the middle of the Lamar Valley; if you thought it was scenic in the summer, you'll be stunned by its beauty in the winter months. There's not much in the way of thermal activity here, but the abundance of wildlife -- easier to spot with a backdrop of white snow -- is the real draw. The aforementioned wolves, elk and bison can be easily spotted, while other more exotic species like mountain lions -- rarely seen in the summer -- are occasionally spotted in winter.

Things slow down in Cooke City during the wintertime: virtually the hotels and stores (including the historic General Store) close down, but the Soda Butte and Super 8 hotels remain open. The main attraction in Cooke City is snowmobiling. Many make Cooke City their stay for a multiday snowmobile trip, as it's outside the Park boundaries: Yellowstone National Park restrictions on snowmobiling do not apply here. There are plenty of state and national forests open to sleds, while Hwy. 212 east of town is groomed for snowmobiling as well. Ask the locals about the safest places to snowmobile: avalanches do occur with some regularity in the backcountry areas, and every winter there are reports of a snowmobiler killed because they underestimated the dangers of the area. Also, because of the rougher terrain in the area, it's not a great place for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

Mammoth Hot Springs can also be the base for a multi-day excursion into the Park. One popular itinerary involves a stay at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and then an early-morning snowcoach trip to Old Faithful. A daily snowcoach runs between Mammoth and Old Faithful at 7:30 a.m., arriving at noon before returning at 1:30 p.m. This is a leisurely way to travel the Park: snowcoach drivers provide commentary on the various Park features and slow down when there's a viewing or photography opportunity. It's common to find travelers spending a day or two at Mammoth before heading down to Old Faithful for a multi-day stay at the Snow Lodge.

The road between Mammoth and Cooke City provides access for some pretty decent cross-country skiing as well. The 3.5-mile Barronette Trail has trailheads at the upper and lower Soda Butte bridges on the Northeast Road and runs through some deep woods on the old Cooke City access road. The Bannock Trail runs only 2 miles from the Warm Spring picnic area and eventually meets up with the Northeast Road. Both are considered easy trails, and although they're not groomed, chances are pretty good someone has already been out to break the trail. You can just drive up to the trailheads; no reservations or snowcoaches are needed.

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