For a few years, we thought it would be magical to see Yellowstone in the winter. This past New Year's, we did just that.
We booked a trip through Yellowstone National Park’s website and found ourselves with a diverse group of 12 adults and children on a 6-day tour led by a company, Off the Beaten Path (http://www.offthebeatenpath.com/), out of Bozeman, Montana.
Yellowstone is breathtaking in the winter. The snow enhances the majesty of each mountain, valley, and tree, while providing a stunning backdrop for its wildlife. And wildlife did abound: elk, bison, pronghorns, mule deer, wolves, pine martins, red foxes, bald eagles, and trumpeter swans to mention a few.
Our first two days were spent in the northern end of the park which has one road open to traffic. It was there that we saw our first wolves, being studiously tracked by both park biologists as well as private admirers. We were able to observe the Lamar Valley pack, who were rather sedentary while we were around. It was quite cold and I imagine they were guarding their energy. The researchers know them well enough to give each of them both numbers and names at times, and if you find any articles about the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone you will see these references.
Yellowstone National Park is sitting on a massive active volcano which has not erupted in 600,000 years. Scientists speculate that the next eruption may be near, and its impact is certain to have a huge environmental impact.
Since no roads are cleared, the only sources of entry to the interior of the park in the winter are vehicles with treads(like tractors) such as Bombadiers, introduced in the 1950s, and snow mobiles, escorted by park guides. We arrived at Old Faithful late New Year’s Eve afternoon, as it was getting dark. Several hearty souls braced themselves for temperatures well below zero to see the last eruption of 2010 (which was already 2011 back east). Some of us just dreamt about sugar plum fairies after sipping champagne throughout an earlier dinner! The following day we tramped through the snow and ice to see many geysers near the lodges. Of the world’s 900+ geysers, 500 are in Yellowstone, thus one sees steam rising over hills and in valleys in much of the park. We actually were sprayed by a surprise eruption of Old Faithful, and took it as a sign of good luck in the New Year.
As we headed back to Bozeman, we stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel (www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Mammoth-Hot-Springs-Hotel-and-Cabins/3621), where guests “soak” in streams diverted into two outdoor pools, of varying temperatures, while watching wildlife grazing on the hillside surrounding the hotel. The biggest challenge was getting the courage to get out of the pool once comfortable in their warmth.
The trip was really all we had hoped it would be…magical, serene, exciting, and full of good humor with our tiny traveling group. Click here to see a page full of photos of this trip.
New Year at Yellowstone December 2010 - January 2011 by Jane Kendall
