Yellowstone Park in winter: greet 2021 with nature's delights in an uncrowded wonderland

If you visit Yellowstone National Park on a warm winter day between snowstorms you'll see bison snacking on grass. They're feeding now to sustain them until the spring rains bring fresh grazing material.

PARK'S WONDERS UNFOLD IN A CLOAK OF SNOW, ICE AND STEAM

Keller and Cookie enjoy a winter trip to the park each year. Here, they hopped from the snow coach for a look at the frozen river.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

YOU'LL SHARE Yellowstone's wonders with its four-footed inhabitants when you venture into the country's first national park this winter.

The glorious hot pools in Yellowstone are a wondrous winter sight with the steam and snow.

Christene "Cookie" Meyers, left, awaits entry to the snow coach.

In Yellowstone Park, winter means seeing the park in a new light -- fewer crowds, cooler temperatures, steaming geyser basins.  No shorts and t-shirts. Jackets, hats, warm boots. 

FOR A FEW months each winter, snow coaches are the only vehicles to traverse the park's inner roads.  "Oversnow" travel means snowmobiles and snow coaches are the only travel allowed.  The season ends in mid-March, when plowing crews begin clearing a winter's worth of snow. Down the road, as spring comes around mid-April, temperatures begin to climb, roads start re-opening and normal cars can begin touring. 

 Meanwhile, beginning around this time of year in mid-December, roads in Yellowstone open to limited snowmobile and snow coach travel. This means the only way to visit the park's iconic wonders -- including Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and other geysers, hot pots, steaming cauldrons and canyons -- is by guided snowmobile or snow coach, or through the non-commercially guided snowmobile access program. Most stores, restaurants, campgrounds, and lodges are closed during winter. 

Hiking, snowshoeing, nature viewing, bird watching await in a winter park experience.

A series of warming huts are open for cross-country skiing, and ranger-led programs are offered periodically for winter guests at Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs. (Check the websites for rates.) Park partners and other businesses offer guided activities and trips during winter. Visitors must be prepared for cold, so pack and dress in layers.

WE FOUND our winter snow coach tour through Yellowstone offered a remarkable connection with nature in a winter wonderland I'd not seen in my many trips through the park. We spotted wildlife at a relaxed pace and were warm, even cozy, inside our coach. It's a much different experience than the summer-autumn visits I've enjoyed all my life.

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is a rustic get-away in winter.

Winter in Yellowstone does indeed deliver, as the brochures promise, "a more intimate experience" -- fascinating snowy landscapes, and frosty animals. We could see steam from the bisons' mouths as they grazed in a plain where snows had melted and nearly vanished.

Keller and Nick enjoy R&R in Kelly Inn in pet friendly West Yellowstone.

WE STAYED in two places, two different winter sojourns: Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We also enjoy stays in West Yellowstone, where we recommend  Kelly Inn for its comfy, western inspired rooms, pet-friendly ambience and closeness to the wonders of the park.

Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel provides a rustic wintertime place to stay, and a 10-minute walk from Mammoth Hot Springs,

Geyser basins and hot pools take on an other-worldly look, induced by cold temperatures. One might call them canvases of fire and ice. The winter experience also offers opportunity for photography, skiing, snowshoeing and wildlife watching. Explore the winter experience through lodging, snowcoach tours, skiing and snowshoeing, packages, and snowcoach transportation.

yellowstonevacations.com/guided-tours/snowcoach-tours-wy; yellowstonekellyinn.com/

Europe off season is a great time to explore Moorish castles, Italian monasteries, charming villages of France and iconic landmarks. Crowds are fewer and prices lower. Check www.whereiscookie.com for money-saving pointers.

MORE STORIES COMING:   We look at off-season Europe, when crowds are fewer and prices lower. Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh look at the arts, nature, travel, family and more. Please share the link with like minded friends and if this destination sparked your wanderlust, there’s plenty more waiting for you

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