Winter offers a wonderful perspective in the park. Bright white snow cover provides brilliant contrast along waterways and throughout the landscape.  Cold air amplifies steam plumes creating eerie views at thermal features.  Visitation averages around 2.5% of peak summer crowds making for a blissfully low-stress trek through the park.  It also allows wildlife to move more freely and openly near visitor traveling corridors making for frequent and more casual sightings.

Four days devoted to exploring provides for lots of flexibility to backtrack or reorder activities and just hang out a few minutes longer to meet everyone’s expectations for the trip. It was a nice change having someone else doing all the planning and organizing.

The guide makes the experience.  John’s obvious devotion to and reverence for this place along with his easy nature with the group makes him perfect.

I am not sure I am in favor of all the snowmobiles in the park. When they show up in large groups it feels a bit like an invasion.  Maybe that’s just me?

Fun tidbit – Old Faithful employees participate in their own version of the Olympics in late February.  There are classic winter events and decidedly non-traditional events all in the spirit of team building and moral boosting.  Seems visitors can come and observe.  Might be worth looking into if you are planning a winter outing to Yellowstone in the future.

To close the loop; my trepidation was unfounded.  Our traveling companions were wonderful people with which to share this awesome place.

Morning is awesome.  We wake early and I get a short look at an inky black sky absolutely filled with stars.  It lasts maybe 10 minutes then fog and steam roll back in – but I get to see it! We are out for one last Old Faithful eruption.  While we stand in silence the howl of a lone wolf floats from not far across the basin.  It is mournful and powerful at the same time.  A bit frightening and mesmerizing.  A two-pitch clear toned howl repeats for 4 or 5 minutes, takes a break and resumes this time with a bit more flourish on both ends of the howl.  I wonder, who is the message for?  What does it mean?  No one answers.

It is time for our final snow coach ride out from Old Faithful back to Mammoth. we check out Middle Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Springs.  Mist/fog hangs heavy over the features obscuring much of their color but it is still an impressive thermal area. A waterfall into the Firehole River is a reminder of the tremendous power beneath us that heats such huge quantities of water that is released throughout the caldera.  There are magnificent long views from the slightly elevated boardwalk.

We do some bison watching.  We have been on the watch for a glimpse of the icon of winter Yellowstone, a snow-covered bison.  Here we have him as a huge bull quietly swings his massive head to uncover grasses.  A long train of bison cows and calves cross just in front of the coach.  Cows encourage and correct to keep the young ones moving and the calves cavort in the snow.   It is a classic family moment.

We catch a few more thermal stops.  We revisit Paint Pots in the daylight, slow to a crawl at Norris Basin for one last hopeful check for a Steamboat eruption, and walk to Canary Spring atop the travertine terrace.

We get another fun look into a few minutes in the life of a pair of coyotes as they trot across Fairy Meadow flats. We speculate, is it a female with male in pursuit?  He, the follower, slows as he is distracted by some sound beneath the snow.  He dawdles as the female disappears in the rolling terrain.  Howling ensues.  Once again, we are left wandering what are they saying?

Back at Mammoth Hot Springs we bid farewell to Yellowstone and our guide and host, John.  It is hard to imagine a better ambassador for Yellowstone.  I leave more knowledgeable about the park and its inhabitants and with a renewed respect for how rare and special this place is.  The trip has also been a nice reminder to slowdown and appreciate life and surroundings in the moment.

A farewell toast! Korbel Brute in Yellowstone flutes.  It has been a great week.

We weren’t the only ones who heard the wolves last night.  There is lots of excitement around Old Faithful geyser basin.  Howling and tracks confirm there are wolves here and it is extremely rare for them to be in this section of the park.  Rangers and guides have been out tracking and in search of a kill site that might explain why they are here.  Today we join in.  We are set to go snow shoeing around the thermal features with a guide, Berlin, but the route expands to cover some of the area with signs of wolf traffic.  We find lots of tracks in the snow, some muddy tracks on the boardwalks and even a bit of scat.  It is a great adventure.  Our walk includes a geyser of course, Solitary Geyser, and we make it to Observation Point with a great view of the basin.  Our inexperience at snow shoeing and 7300+ft elevation combine to keep us breathing pretty deeply but it is a great trip.

Our afternoon thermal feature trip turns into a bit of a Wolf quest too and it pays off.  Check out this picture of wolf butt Kent got.  The wolf trotted right along the road then off across the meadow and out of sight.  It is magical to see them move.  We are anxious for another look so move along the roadway and pull offs stopping and straining to catch another glimpse.  After a particularly raw, windy stop at Flood Geyser results in no further sightings, we end our wolf quest for now.  We close out our afternoon excursion with a geyser walk at Biscuit Basin.  It has been a spectacular day so far.

There is dinner, bison short ribs and braised lamb, but the day isn’t done.

It is 6:45PM and we load up for a night time excursion to the Fountain Paint pots.  Enroute two wolves come toward us tracking first down middle of the road then right past along-side the coach.  We got a great look at those magnificent creatures just doing their thing.  Fantastic.

Steam and stars and soundscapes.  What a different world this is in the dark.  Glurgles, spitters, hisses and smells fill in what the eye can’t register.  We get some snow.  We close the walk with a cup of hot chocolate, thanks John, and a few minutes of silence, great idea John, under the dark sky.  Almost as if they were waiting for us to be quiet, wolves begin their chorus.  That sounds seems to create more of a connection than even seeing them and it hits home just how amazing it is that we are actually sharing this part of the earth with them.  What a perfect way to end the day.

Another new day and our destination is all about the Yellowstone River and the amazing terrain it has carved through this area.  We skirt the shore of Yellowstone Lake.  The Absaroka Mountains jut up on the horizon and whisps of steam rise from thermal features along the shore.  There are vents and hot springs below the surface as well yet the lake ices over.  Amazing!  Winter water temp is around 45F.  Brrrr.

We are all excited to see a bald eagle out on the lake ice.  Scopes come out as John agrees to make an unscheduled stop to check it out.  We hit a bit of bad luck as the coach sinks into the soft snow at the edge of the road.  We are stuck.  John shovels.  Still stuck.  Other snow coaches come to our aide with a pull strap.  Still stuck and the road is now blocked so the group of people hanging out has grown to 40+.  A snowmobile slows to a stop alongside our coach.  The guy hops off his machine and with no hesitation climbs into the coaches.  He flips some switch and each makes some grindy noises.  He is out and directing drivers and acting top man in charge.  Turns out, he is top guy for this problem.  He is the lead snowcoach mechanic who was just out for a spin on his off day and happened to come across us.  Short story, we are out.  The total adventure lasted about 1 hour and we are on our way.  It is all just part of the adventure.

Oh, the eagle flew away even before the scopes got set up and returned only for a brief flyby.  Kent got pictures so we have evidence to justify requesting the ill-fated stop and everybody got a good look at the snack out on the ice.  Eagle and ravens had been sharing the remnants of either a goose or a swan.

Next up, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and falls.  It is spectacular.

We had a quiet, delicious dinner; prime rib and Red Bird chicken breast.  Because we are here, we wander out to check on Old Faithful.  We catch an eruption, cool as always.  She settles back to the serene plume of steam and we get a bonus, a wolf chorus; long and loud and it is close.  It is awesome.

It is our first whole day in the Park and John is here to gather us bright and early.  We are heading out to explore the North Range and Lamar valley. Visitation at the park is low this time of year leaving us with opportunity to stop and dawdle and watch animals just living their lives.   Terrain is amazing and the day exceeds all expectations for wild life viewing.  There are bison everywhere.  Herds of cows and calves along with bulls roaming solitary or in small groups are scattered throughout the valley.  All are working hard to find their daily 30# of grass beneath the snow cover. Two big horn sheep go about their business munching on grass on a hill just off the road.  Moose seem to fill the willow stands along the river.  Young males spar while cows quietly munch on willow twigs.   Elk hang out along the route.  Thanks John, for the spectacular morning.

A quick lunch then on to part two for today.

It is snow coach time.  John pulls up in this huge, bright yellow, big wheeled coach.  So cool.  This will be our transportation for the next few days as we head for Old Faithful and the rest of the over-snow vehicle sections of the park.  We load up and head out.  The ride is bouncy but comfortable and the views marvelous.

A pair of coyotes cross the road and seem on a mission heading our same direction of travel. We stop at Nymph Lake just a bit down the road and wait for them to reappear.  Sure enough, first one than the other emerge from the tree line, cross the road, and move toward the lake.  They are methodically scouting the lakeshore appearing to test access to geese and ducks.  There is still too much open water.  They have no success and disappear into the far hillsides.

Everyone is set for exploration and we hit thermal features at the boardwalks of Norris Geyser Basin.  Here too snow creates unique accents against the steam and colored bio mats.  We dawdle at Steamboat Geyser, the tallest in the world, on the off chance today will be the day.  It is not the time, but it is exciting to anticipate and imagine what it might be like.  Time to head for Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

We check in to our new digs and unwind from the day.  Dinner is bison burgers that are delicious.  We catch a late-night eruption of Old Faithful then call It a night.

We are now in the capable hands of Rolf, our bus driver for the ride to Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone. He is fun and informative and great at pointing out wildlife along the route. We see mule deer and elk on hillsides. There is a paddock of bison – surplus over the parks 5000 animal carrying capacity. They are in brucellosis quarantine then will be off to new homes in other Parks and First Nations Reservations.
At Gardner we stop for a photo op under the Roosevelt Arch and at the Park entry sign then its just a few miles to the hotel. Check in was a little unorganized but all is well. Constantly changing Covid driven staffing shortages are hitting them hard. Right now the most evident impact being that dining (the only dining this end of the park) is carry out only with the seating in our rooms or other public spaces found around the hotel. We shall see how that works out!
We check out the local thermal feature, the travertine terraces. It definitely looks different this time of year as steam swirls from snow circled pools. Colors are not quite as vivid but all still amazing to see.
Dinner turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. Even with an extra trip across the parking lot to the restaurant we never quite got the order right. Presentation was terrible with entrée and sides just sort of dumped into a big carryout box. Getting past the looks, my trout was delicious. Kent was not as fortunate. His pork loin dry, tough and cold. On the plus side, his chocolate caldera dessert, unceremoniously plopped in a paper cup, was great!
The real trip begins as we meet the 4 other couples who are to be in our touring group. They are actually all long-time friends and on this trip together. First blush we feel a bit of a 5th wheel but the group has a good vibe. It might well all work out – we shall see.
We meet our guide/teacher/Park ambassador, John. He will be sharing the Park with us for the next 4 days. What a great guy. Friendly, knowledgeable, flexible, and devoted to Yellowstone and all it represents. We are going to have fun.

Today is our outbound travel day for a winter week in Yellowstone National Park.  The short story, we arrived pretty much as expected at the Best Western in Bozeman Montana.  In reality, we didn’t get off to the best start.  We oversleep (something we pretty much never do) arising at 6:15 when our intended departure was 6AM.  It is pouring rain.  Phone alarms sound as we drive through an actual tornado warning.  We opt to garage park to avoid shuttle bus delays.  Self check-in kiosks are not functioning for checked bag travelers and the SWA check-in line snakes far down the terminal hallway – fortunately it moves quickly.  Security is a mess with criss-crossing lines and disorganized agents.  We get settled at the gate only to hear a gate change announcement triggering a relocation and an open-ended delay, “your captain has been diverted”.  2 hours later we are in the air.  A long layover at our stopover saves our connections and we land right on time.  No scuffles onboard but a lengthy reprimand at our stopover in Grand Rapids for one fellow traveler who had been giving the flight attendants grief about wearing a mask.  All is well that ends well and we settle in at the Best Western in Bozeman to prepare to head into the park tomorrow.