Winter in Yellowstone

I took a giant step back to get a good look at him, this “snowcat,” all 20 tons of him. This beast made of metal was my time machine, taking me deep into the 3500 square mile ice age arctic wilderness of Yellowstone National Park. While over 755,000 visitors pass through this vast and beautiful park in peak summer months, less than 20,000 visitors travel during the winter months when access into the snow covered park is limited to this 10-passenger van equipped with snow tracks.

Boarding Snowcat at the West Entrance of Yellowstone, we traveled into the enchanted backcountry. I set my eyes on snow-covered herds of Buffalo -there must have been 500 of them huddled together- creating a quilted blanket of white cotton candy. Steam from geysers rising in visible puffs and icicles sparkling from branches above danced to the tune of Snowcat’s symphony trudging through snow, becoming my soundtrack for the 2-hour journey to Old Faithful Snow Lodge.

The Lodge, with its 134 rooms, is the only property inside the park open to visitors in the harshness of winter. But I didn’t travel two-hours by snowcoach to sip hot cocoa by the fire! I wanted to see an eruption, a performance. And the star: Old Faithful Geyser. Standing in a crowd of one, I watched as a huge glittering mass of water burst from the earth, emerging into light and air. The winter sunlight gave its applause and I stood there, spellbound.

I walked around the Upper Geyser Basin for hours, mesmerized as Old Faithful erupted again and again. I listened to the crystalline crunch of fresh snow that somehow erased my footprints and set the world anew.I wandered in the beauty of abandonment and reflected on my journey as the stillness of the frigid surroundings opened my eyes to a clarity that only winter can bring and one that I will not soon forget.

Winter in Yellowstone National Park offers a truly unique experience to those visiting early December through late February.In addition to getting a front row seat to Old Faithful and many other spectacular geysers along the snowcoach journey, visitors can book a snowmobile excursion to frozen waterfalls, steaming hot springs, fumaroles and bubbling mud pots. And, with most of its 2.2 million acres closed to vehicle traffic in winter months, Yellowstone provides an unforgettable backcountry paradise for cross country skiers.

In planning your vacation, no matter what adventure you choose, you will never forget your winter visit to Yellowstone National Park.