Yellowstone National Park in winter: What to pack, what to see and do, where to sleep

My spouse and I have spent almost a year of our lives in Yellowstone National Park, starting with three summers as employees of the Yellowstone Park Company in the late 1960s, and about 40 summer and winter excursions into the park for several days or longer, since (we are headed there again, end of this month).

All of those days in America’s first national park have been precious, but probably the most dramatic and memorable have been our trips in the depths of Yellowstone winters. Despite sometimes deep snow and temperatures that can drop to 40 degrees below zero, Yellowstone Park’s animals — bison, elk, mountain goats, trumpeter swans, otters, coyotes and wolves somehow — manage to thrive, drawing tourists from all over the world. Old Faithful Geyser, mud pots and fumaroles continue to bubble, erupt and thunder into often deep blue skies. Happily, the winter environment means tourism is about 5% to 7% of the summer and fall throngs, so you’ll often have winter vistas almost all to yourself.

Hence, here is a primer on visiting the park during the winter months. You can drive the 1,000 or so miles from Northern California, or fly into Jackson, Wyoming, or West Yellowstone or Bozeman airports in Montana, where you will need a rental car. We typically drive our four-cylinder, all-wheel-drive SUV, good on snowy roads (and I can still manage a day of 700 miles). Packing skis, snowshoes, radial snow chains, and all manner of winter clothing, here is where we are headed in late February and what we plan to see when we get there.

A grand tour of Yellowstone could include starting in Jackson, then north up to West Yellowstone, then north and down to Gardiner/Mammoth Hot Springs. From early November until late March, roads inside Yellowstone are closed to all but snowcoach and snowmobile traffic, with the exception of the north, Mammoth Entrance, where the road all the way to the park’s northeast entrance is open year-round. Of course, cross-country skiers and snowshoers can head into the park from any of those entrances, as well.

Starting in Jackson, you can tour the Grand Teton and head up to Yellowstone’s south entrance. Jackson is a busy ski town bookended by two ski areas; with scores of motels, nice restaurants and shops — no lack of things to do and see. The National Elk Refuge adjoins the city allowing one to drive into the refuge to see these majestic animals. By auto you can tour a good deal of Grand Teton National Park, but again, snowshoeing or cross-country skis are required to get deep into winter’s splendor.

From Jackson, you can drive up the west side of the towering Teton range, reaching 13,776 feet, to West Yellowstone, and spend several nights at our favorite hotel, the Stagecoach Inn. Cross-country ski and snowshoe trails extend along the park’s western edge; the Riverside Trail takes one down to the Madison River where both elk and bison are frequently spotted. West Yellowstone, frequented by lots of snowmobilers, is a lively place, with noisy restaurants and good cheer. Be forewarned, on a visit about five years ago, we awoke to 40-below zero temperatures; even AAA had difficulty getting many cars started. Prepare your vehicle, and dress accordingly.

A variety of concessionaires offer guided tours in cozy snowcoaches into the park (contact the local chamber of commerce), as well as snowmobile tours into the park, all the way to the Old Faithful area. A few years ago, we took the snowcoach into Old Faithful and spent three lovely nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, a modern hotel just a short walk or ski to Old Faithful Geyser. Morning walks or ski jaunts took us to the Firehole River, where trumpeter swans cruised and huge bison wandered through the geyser basins. When we departed the final morning, our snowcoach had to honk and nudge 60-some sleeping elk to wake and amble off the road.

The final option includes heading north to the park’s Gardiner, Montana and Mammoth Hot Springs entryway. In Gardiner, a lovely, historic hotel awaits, the Park Inn Yellowstone, right across from the park boundary.

In winter, roads are open through the Mammoth Hot Springs area, and the stately Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel is also open. Nearby thermal features can be reached by foot and auto and U.S. Highway 212 is plowed all the way to the park’s northeast entry, allowing access to the Lamar Valley and frequent wolf sightings. On our last visit, we counted hundreds of elk, scores of bison and a handful of bighorn sheep, and, to our delight, an 11 member wolf pack just two miles inside the park, south of Gardiner.

What to take: Binoculars and camera, of course, your cold-winter clothing, and skis or showshoes. Chains for your vehicle and jumper cables make sense, if sub-zero temps are predicted.

Where to stay: In Jackson, we have enjoyed the Antler Inn, (855) 516-1090, just a block off Jackson’s town square with its huge elk-antler arches. In West Yellowstone, we choose the Stagecoach Inn, yellowstoneinn.com/; in Gardiner, the Park Hotel Yellowstone, parkhotelyellowstone.com; in Yellowstone Park itself, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge are the only winter lodging choices (yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/). The campground at Mammoth is open year-round for hardy campers. For more information on Yellowstone National Park, nps.gov/yell/, offers great insight, web cams and snow reports.

Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com. Happy travels in the West!

This article originally appeared on The Record: Yellowstone National Park in winter: What to know about visiting