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Buffalo Bill Center of the West

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  • Visit
    • Current HoursDecember 1–February 28: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday–Sunday
    • Hours and RatesPlan your visit to the Center of the West.
    • Group SalesBook a commercial or non-commercial tour with us.
    • Facility RentalsHost your event in one of our indoor or outdoor spaces.
    • Visiting YellowstonePlan your visit to Yellowstone National Park.
    • LodgingSelect from a variety of local accommodations.
    • ItinerariesDiscover some quick day trips in and around Cody.
    • DirectionsFind driving directions and check road conditions.
    • StoriesFind your story among ours.
    • Calendar of EventsSee what events are happening during your visit here.
  • Explore
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      • Buffalo Bill Museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Draper Natural History Museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Whitney Western Art Museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Plains Indian Museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Cody Firearms Museum Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • McCracken Research Library Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Online Collections Buffalo Bill Center of the West
      • Blogs, articles, and features Buffalo Bill Center of the West
    • Museum Details
      • ExhibitionsFind out what’s on view in our Center.
      • Beyond Our WallsSee how we bring the West to the World.
      • EventsEnjoy learning more about the American West.
      • NewsroomStay up-to-date with all Center happenings.
  • Learn
    • School Programs & ResourcesEssential info and resources for teachers and students.
    • Family ProgramsFamily-friendly programs, activities, and craft ideas.
    • InternshipsCollege students may apply to gain museum experience.
    • Skype in the ClassroomLive, interactive K–12 field trips.
    • WorkshopsExplore hands-on programs for kids, families, and adults.
    • Conservation InternshipsTraining for conservators from all over the world.
    • Pre-K ProgramsSet up a guided tour for your preschool class.
    • Field TripsInvestigate outdoor adventures for adults and children.
    • Highlights MapsDiscover collection highlights in each of our museum.
    • Games and InteractivesLearn about the collection through online interactives.
    • Lectures & FilmsPlan for future talks and view past program videos.
    • Western EssaysDelve into historical information on western topics.
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Clothing and Accessories
    • Gifts
    • Native American Replicas
    • Fine Art
    • Quality Leather
    • Native American Jewelry
    • Navajo Rugs
    • Pottery
    • Prints
    • Media
    • Baskets
  • Research
    • McCracken Research LibraryFind books, photos, archives, media, and more.Buffalo Bill Center of the West
    • Digital CollectionsExplore our extensive photo and manuscript collections.
    • Archival Collection List and Finding GuidesBrowse inventories of archival collections.
    • The Papers of William F. CodyDiscover scholarship on the man and the myth.
    • Fellowship ProgramContribute to new scholarship using Center collections.
    • Buffalo BillUncover in-depth information about William F. Cody.
    • Greater Yellowstone Natural HistoryLearn more about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
    • Western ArtDelve into the lives and works of western artists.
    • Plains IndianDiscover more about Plains Indian tribes and collections.
    • FirearmsFind a firearms bibliography, glossary, and more.
    • ConservationFind out how we preserve Center collections.
    • Rights and ReproductionsLicense or reproduce images from our collections.
  • Support
    • Planned GivingLeave your legacy with a bequest or estate gift.
    • Patrons BallAttend our annual gala fundraiser.
    • MembershipBecome a supporter and receive great benefits.
    • VolunteerSupport the Center with your time and talent.
    • 1966 Pontiac GTO winner: Ticket # 4206Our winner: Ticket number 4206 from Bozeman, Montana!
    • Give TodayMake a donation to programs and operations.
    • Why I SupportSee what motivates donors to give to the Center.
    • A.P. Proctor bronze winner: Ticket # 1115407Our winner: Ticket number 1115407 from Dayton, Ohio!
    • Raptor ExperienceHelp provide care for our avian friends.
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Home > Staff > A winter visit to Yellowstone National Park

A winter visit to Yellowstone National Park

February 9, 2014 by Nancy McClure

A winter landscape in Yellowstone National Park

It’s snowed at least a foot over the past couple days here in Cody, Wyoming. A bit unusual for right here in town—often much of the snow in a storm falls before it gets here, dropping to the west of us as the elevation climbs over the fifty miles between here and Yellowstone National Park. Sure is easy to forget how pretty it actually is when you’re shoveling it!

Winter in Yellowstone: trees become sculptureWinter in Yellowstone

But it can be winter wonderland this time of year, especially for those of us lucky enough to live near Yellowstone. It doesn’t necessarily occur to everyone that the dead of winter is a good time to visit the park, but the three winter trips I’ve made there rank as some of the best winter experiences I’ve ever had. The feeling evoked by immersing yourself in winter in Yellowstone can be hard to explain, but I’ll give it a try.

Winter in Yellowstone: ...a traffic jam?I’m sure it comes as no surprise that there are crowds in Yellowstone in the summer. Of course there are: it’s beautiful there, it was the nation’s first official national park, there are awesome thermal features and landscapes all over the place, and you stand a good chance of seeing amazing wildlife.

But guess what? All those things are true in the winter too, with the very notable exception of the crowds. There are not crowds of people in the winter. There is a quiet that’s hard to come by in the summer, unless you hike into the backcountry. And those thermal features are, if this is even possible, more impressive with the colder temperatures of winter amplifying the visibility of steam and mist. The moisture settles onto the trees and refreezes into interesting icicles and patterns. I like patterns. They’re fun to photograph.

Winter in Yellowstone: water and ridges in Mammoth terraces

Winter in Yellowstone: snow and ridges on bacterial mat

Winter in Yellowstone: snow in Mammoth terracesWinter in Yellowstone: white bacterial matWinter in Yellowstone: ice on a fence

Winter in Yellowstone: warm water and cold snow

Getting There

Of course, you have to get to Yellowstone first to see all this. Patience, as they say, is a virtue. From Cody, the shortest route is to go north into Montana to Laurel, then west to Livingston, and then south again to the North Entrance of the park at Gardiner. It’s about a four-hour trip as opposed to summer’s one-hour drive to the East Entrance. Why this longer route, you ask? In the winter season most roads into the park are closed to regular vehicles.

Winter in Yellowstone: Mammoth Hot SpringsThis route north, west, and south again is the one a friend of mine and I took into Yellowstone at the end of January. We booked a package deal with park concessionaire Xanterra—well in advance. (Make note of that; while there are fewer people visiting in the winter, there are also fewer accommodations so planning ahead is essential.) A night’s stay in Mammoth Hot Springs, a snow coach tour to the Old Faithful area—I say “tour” because the drivers of these vehicles on tracks are great guides, talking and answering questions about everything from wildlife to geology to geysers to the park’s colorful history—two nights at Old Faithful with breakfast included, then back to Mammoth for one more night before the long drive home.

At Old Faithful we stayed in a spacious cabin that’s part of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge area. The bell hop zipped our luggage and skis over to the cabin on a snowmobile. It was a very cold weekend, but bundled up properly and moving at a decent pace on foot or on skis kept us warm enough, and in awe of the aforementioned steam and mist. Old Faithful was amazing as expected, although a gray sky behind the steam and water meant photos just couldn’t do it justice.

Nancy on skis in front of Castle Geyser, Old Faithful area in Yellowstone National ParkI’m a cross country skier (admittedly not a very good one—steep hills and sharp curves can trip me up), but others were snowshoeing, and some were hiking just fine on the packed snow on trails and boardwalks. Winter in Yellowstone: snowmobiles and snow coachesThese days, snowmobilers ride cleaner and quieter machines. The snow coaches are fascinating even to the not-so-mechanically inclined—the old and squat bombardiers, newer coaches that resemble comfortable tour buses, and some just a van body on tracks. Everybody respected everyone else regardless of their preferred method of travel, yielding to others when courtesy called for it.

Our first night at Old Faithful we went on an after-dark tour called “Steam, Stars, and Winter Soundscapes.” Amazing. The swath of the Milky Way, constellations, the North Star, all were stunningly visible in a way that only happens without the interference of the bright lights of “civilization.” The sound of the roiling water in Excelsior Geyser is amplified in the dark. And if you’ve never been to Black Sand Pool, make a point to go sometime—summer or winter, night or day. It thumps. Yep, thumps. The best way to experience this is to lie down on the ground by the fence that surrounds the pool. You can feel the thump through your entire body.

Winter in Yellowstone: bisonWinter in Yellowstone: fox across a meadowWinter in Yellowstone: elkWinter in Yellowstone: trumpeter swanWinter in Yellowstone: bald eagleWinter in Yellowstone: coyote

Wildlife Sightings

And the Yellowstone wildlife sightings… We saw bison in abundance; with a gentle light snow falling much of the time, they had a sprinkling of white on their backs, and frost around their noses. In the deep snow, they swing their powerful heads back and forth to sweep it out of the way to reach the vegetation they seek underneath. We saw coyotes who looked like they are faring well, with full and healthy-looking coats. A few elk nibbled here and there. Raptors flew over now and then. The beaver we saw was camera shy, but I enjoyed seeing trumpeter swans and signets. I haven’t seen the trumpeters in the summer for a long time. Turns out there are more of them in the winter. Those that summer in Canada winter in Yellowstone where it’s relatively warm—at least, it is to swans from Canada. And my favorite was a fox who was “mousing” in a meadow, jumping up and diving down into the snow hunting a rodent for lunch.

Winter in Yellowstone: hot springsI have loved my experiences in Yellowstone in the winter, and hope at least some readers will consider making plans to follow in my tracks to enjoy the quiet mystique of the park during what we call the “off season.” There are other jumping-off points into the park in winter, too, but I recommend a trip to Cody and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West first, and then taking the scenic route to the winter wonderland of Yellowstone National Park. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. Oh…and dress warm!

Filed Under: Staff
Tagged With: Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful, winter in yellowstone, Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park, yellowstone wildlife

 

About Nancy McClure

Nancy works with electronic communications, including website, events, news, images, and social media. She produces the e-newsletter Western Wire, writes news releases, and assistant edits Points West magazine. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys photography, plays the flute, and is attempting to learn to play the piano.

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