Want to see Yellowstone wildlife up close? …then go skiing.
A quick 50 mile drive west of Cody is our hidden gem of a ski area, Sleeping Giant. Even if you are not a skier or snowboarder (there is also great Nordic skiing and snowshoeing), the drive to the east gate of Yellowstone National Park is well worth the trip. The winter drive is better than the summer drive, by far, and here is why.
Not only do the mountains look better with snow on them, but when there is snow on the mountains, the Yellowstone wildlife has nowhere to go but down, and down is where the highway is. The Northfork Highway is one of the most beautiful roads you will find anywhere, add in a menagerie of bighorn sheep, bison, deer, elk, bald eagles, coyotes, and occasionally a wolf, and you are in for an extraordinarily rare visual treat. Where else in the world can you see herds of big horn sheep from your car window every single trip? And I do mean every trip.
The images of Yellowstone wildlife you see here are all shot through the window of my car with either a cell phone or pocket camera (no big lenses necessary) on weekend ski trips, my very jaded children in the back seat urging me on so we can get to the slopes. They do not realize how lucky they are, and how rare and special the road to Yellowstone is. Come and see it for yourself.
