Yellowstone the Winter Wonderland
We planned on skipping the Ball Drop this 2025 New Year’s Eve so we could get up bright and early to head to the airport. We were only hours away from the 2026 New Year. We’d have to leave around 4:30 AM in order to get there on time to check our bags and get through screening. Amy didn’t seem to have any issues falling asleep which left me, alone, tired, not tired. We had spent quite a bit of time packing our bags making sure we had enough layers and warm weather apparel.
I told Alexa to turn off the bedroom lights. She complied only after I asked her four times. I don’t think she likes me, just Amy. I laid down, pulled up the covers, closed my eyes. Alexa played thunder storm sounds. The oscillating fan sent its cool breeze across the room. I didn’t fall asleep. Fireworks began sounding off nearby and I found my eyes open and wandering out the bedroom window watching the free fireworks show. Amy continued to sleep.
It was soon nearing midnight so I took out my Ipad and laid down head first towards the end of the bed. I found the New York broadcast and ended up counting down the ball. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year! I whipped out my Iphone and began texting Happy New Year to my family and everyone I know. Not a lot of people replied this year, eventually they came back with a text, but for a couple of minutes I thought I was celebrating the new year alone.
Then I got back under the covers, leaned over and squeezed Amy and told her Happy New Year. She got up, wished it back to me and sat for a while watching the fireworks with me out the window. Then it was time, finally, only four hours to sleep, get up, shower and throw the luggage into the car.
The alarm clock sounded off. We both sprang out of bed like we were kids again. We were going to Yellowstone. We were going to Yellowstone during the winter!
10 hours later we were in Yellowstone.
An hour to the JAX, an hour to wait. An hour flight from Jacksonville to ATL. Another hour or so delay. Then a four hour flight to BZN.
We went wheels down on the runway. Mountains surrounding us instantly. Snow on top. It was 33 degrees in Florida when we left, and 33 degrees in Montana when we landed. The 33 degrees in Montana felt colder though. That was strange, right?
The two story airport had a very log cabin feel. On the first floor we saw rocking chairs in front of a huge brick outlined fireplace. We were hungry.
We grabbed our bags quickly from the conveyor belt and headed to find food.
We headed over to the first restaurant / food place we saw and ordered some food. We filled our bellies and then headed to the rendezvous area to wait on the bus. A short while later, a huge yellow bus pulled up reading, “Yellowstone,” on the side. The excitement was building. Loaded luggage underneath and climbed aboard. a few minutes later we were on our way to Yellowstone. Winter Wonderland awaited.
We made a short pitstop in Livingston, Montana. A gas station run. We grabbed some quick snacks and a soda. The bus driver said if you want to get you some beers get them now, “You can bring them on the bus. You just can’t drink them on the bus.”
On our way to Mammoth Hot Springs we drove through Paradise Valley, we had camped here before in our van in 2022. That had been just after the major flood in Yellowstone and the river had been running rampant.
Now, in the winter time it was a much different view. We gazed out our windows from our seats on the bus in awe. Taking in the scenery, the elk, and yes, a few pronghorns!
We drove through Gardiner, Montana leading us directly to Mammoth Hot Springs. This is one of the main entrances leading to and providing a quick access to the Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley was one of the areas in 2022 that had been closed to us Tates and we had been patiently waiting to return to Yellowstone for a couple of years to explore this beautiful stretch of God’s country.
We stopped just inside the Roosevelt Arch, located at the North Entrance in Gardiner. Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 had this 50-foot-high, Romanesque-style arch designed for a formal entry into this magnificent park! Inscribed at the top of the arch, “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” You can see just how tall it is (check out the picture on your left as Amy is freezing and getting windblown by ice air making sure we get our plentiful pictures of the arch) seeing Amy just beneath this quarried basalt stone arch. Remember, Yellowstone was the very first, National Park.
We hopped back on the bus and our driver took us past the Albright Vistor Center (open year round) and through the Fort Yellowstone Historic District featuring Army-era buildings.
Amy had purchased us a vehicle pass just before entering the park so we would be covered during our visit.
We had arrived at our first destination where we would be staying at the next couple of days, the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Cabins.
Adjacent to the main hotel is a humongous dining hall open to the hotel / park guest with reservations.
A block away, we found a general store full of things to buy, snacks, wine, and liquor. I must mention we got huckleberry beer, liquorish, and gummy bears! When in Montana, you gotta get something huckleberry!
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel was booked up when we got there, but Amy found out they had rooms available and booked one for us for the return from Old Faithful. For our first couple nights we would be out back in one of the cozy little cabins.
The hotel is amazing, a huge fire place in the lobby, an attached gift shop, and a nice cozy map room. The map room has a massive piece of marquetry measuring 17 foot, ten inches by 10 foot 4inches. It is composed of 2,544 individual pieces of wood featuring 15 different types of wood sources from 9 different countries (Africa, Australia, Central America, India and the US for example).
It is built on 6 massive panels and designed to show the United States as it existed in the 1930’s. It was was installed in 1937 and is a sight to see, iconic!
We checked in and rolled our luggage out the back door of the hotel into the snow drifts, yes, snow drifts, lol. It was getting darker and a lot colder. We sifted? We shuffled our way to the cabin. Amy was talking about it had a hot tub just outside. She talked about getting in the entire journey from Florida to Yellowstone, but now she, well she changed her mind. It was cool though, a small circular hot tub covered by wooden slatted top. You could feel the heat rising from underneath. It was very tempting, but no we decided to stay warm inside our cozy one bedroom, one toilet kind of cabin. Heaters blasting until we reached a point the room was too hot, lol.
There were no air conditioning units or thermostats we could see. Heater only, one in the living room and one in the bathroom (thank our lucky stars). They worked good too!
We were kind of hoping to hear wolves howling off in the distance, but we didn’t get lucky.
We played cards and organized our clothes for the first excursion we would be taking early morning. A four hour photography / wildlife adventure in a Snow Cat. I’ll show you pictures of those shortly. They are sweet! They do slide too on ice. Again, a later story. Keep reading, much more to talk about.
Hot Springs of Mammoth
It felt like we had stepped foot on to another planet. A very otherworldly experience. Magnificent geological formations that are breathtaking.
We took our time and walked around, the sun was beginning to set and it made for a great evening scene.
We walked up the steps. The higher we climbed we found the mountain opening up more and more.
We learned that hot springs and geysers are both geothermal features. Geysers erupt with water and steam. Hot springs are pools of hot flowing or standing water. Geysers require a restricted narrow tube to build pressure. Hot springs have open pathways that allow water to freely flow to the surface. Geysers can be hotter because they are usually at boiling point before they blow.
We thought that was interesting.
We finished a staircase, then climbed another.
Not a bad hike at all. Located a short distance down the road from the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel its worth the time.
About three hundred feet elevation along terrace boardwalks navigating the lower and upper terraces. From up top you get the best view of the town below.
The hike is moderate, there are a lot of stairs however. You see the 37 foot tall Liberty Cap as you enter the boardwalk. There are also the Palette springs, Jupiter Terrace and the vibrant, Canary springs.
This mountain was formed by the springs. There are also drives you can take in your vehicle during the warmer months if you so choose.
If you look closely, you may find a rabbit or two that completely blend in with their enviorment. We found our little friend hiding at the base under the boardwalk. We waited patiently and soon he appeared, walked out from underneath then froze. He thought he was fooling us. I kept him in my sights, but he can dissapear easily if you don’t keep a careful eye. He realized we meant him no harm and decided to pose for our pictures.
Getting Ready for Adventure
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Day 1:
Delta Flight JAX to ATL
Delta Flight ATL to BZN
Yellowstone Bus to Mammoth
Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel
Day 2:
Wake up to Wildlife Excursion (4hours)
Snow Coach to Old Faithful Snow Lodge
Check Into Lodge
Day 3:
Madison Wildlife Excursion (5hours)
Steam Stars & Winter Soundscapes Excursion (2hours)
Day 4:
Hike to Old Faithful Geyser
Snow Coach to Mammoth Hotel
Check into Mammoth Springs Hotel
Mammoth Hot Springs Hike
Visited General Store
Day 5:
Lamar Valley Wildlife Excursion (8hours)
Day 6:
Bus Shuttle to BZN
Delta Flight BZN to ATL
Delta Flight ATL to JAX
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Lamar Valley is known for some of the largest herds of bison and elk in North America. We spotted animals like coyotes, elk, moose, bald eagles, and a red fox. In the summer time we saw a grizzly bear with her cubs.
This time we also saw trumpeter swans and ducks. Some said they spotted beavers and otters but we were not so lucky.
Where the ravens fly there is usually a carcass nearby. This usually attracts the wolves, coyotes, and foxes.
We learned people come just to spend time in this area of Yellowstone just driving up and down the road in hopes of spotting a wolf pack or one of these other critters. Amy and I just use the word Critter because when we do spot something we are usually so excited and busy getting our cameras out we have forgotten the name of the animal we are seeing.
The valley is about eight miles long. It is the only road that is open during the winter and it goes all the way from Gardiner, Montana over to Cooke, Montana.
Beyond Cooke city is the start of the Bear Tooth Highway.
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We knew it was going to be very cold. We were told when we arrived they were expecting a lot more snow than had fallen. This was considered a mild winter to them.
We made clothing lists prior to the trip. I lived in Montana for a few years when I was younger and knew we needed to dress in layers.
We did bring heavy jackets but I never wore mine, with a t-shirt, long johns and snow pants my bottom and top half stayed warm. We put on full hooded masks a couple of times but didn’t really use them much.
We had nice gloves and hand warmers and thick wool socks. We had purchased waterproof hiking boots for me and Amy wore her snow boots, also waterproof. We found ourselves shedding clothing at times and at other times putting on another layer.
The Snow Coaches were warm and we were in and out of them a lot. Plus we made a lot of pit stops for hot chocolate and / or coffee.
We ended up only bringing three pairs of pants, five t-shirts, long johns, lots of socks, coat, gloves, hoods, and beanie hats. Amy also wore a scarf, especially when the snow started falling hard and fast.
You should always drink lots of water, Montana is much different than Florida or similar states. You can get dehydrated fast and won’t even know it until you get headaches or start feeling a bit ill.
We drank water continuously throughout the entire trip. We figured this first winter trip we’d bring extra clothing but ended up not needing it. The snow pants were the best purchases we made. Mine were lined with fleece material on the inner side. They were also waterproof. I even tested them out in the field, sat in a drift of snow taking shots of two bulls, moose in close proximity of us. Stayed warm and dry!
Columbia pants rock! Just do the research to make sure you have a comfortable fit but also are prepared for the weather you can face in Yellowstone.
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I brought one main camera body, my trusted Sony AS73 with two lenses. I brought my 16-35 MM lens. I also brought, for the first time, my Sony 200-600 telephoto lens with a x2 adapter.
I of course toted my Peak Design tripod.
I brought our spotting scope and another older tripod as well for Amy. Turns out a pair of binoculars would probably be better equipment to bring and easier to carry. But spotting scopes are powerful and can bring your vision to long, far off distances. Such as wolves, you don’t normally see them up close. Probably not a good idea anyways, lol.
I brought my Insta 360 Go Ultra that I used to vlog and take beautiful pictures and videos of things up close. It also took great photos. It is small and pocket size so I always had it nearby. Wait to see pictures from the section on Mammoth Hot Springs, you will see how nice this camera is.
I purchased a small luggage roller bag just long enough to pack my carmera bag, tripods and gear. I didn’t check this bag, put it up in the overhead ben of the plane and felt safe the entire time. I was nervous too, I can’t lie, first time bringing my prized possessions (cameras) on a flight. Turns out it isn’t no big deal after all. Phew!
We learned and made notes of what we will bring next time, what we can downsize or what we might want to bring, we’ll be ready! There will be a next time for sure!
Oh, I also brought a polorized filter and another one as well. Turns out with the snow and lack of sun shining I was actually shooting without a filter most of the time.
I learned a lot about my cameras and lens and what they and I, myself was capable of. I learned about shutter speed and ISO quite a bit. Especially shooting fast moving animals like those in the Yellowstone.
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Xanterra Travel Collection Company. A global, privately owned travel and hospitality company. You can find out more information on the national park website.
This is the agency Amy used this time to book lodging at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge. She used it for booking dinner reservations at both locations.
Amy used this service to book all photography excursions we took while in Yellowstone.
There are always other services to use while in Yellowstone but Amy chose this one, found it on the park website and we were overall very satisfied with this company.
If you plan on going into the park, other than Lamar Valley you will have to hire services from the park and / or private companies licensed to travel the roads. The snow comes in fast and roads are icy and dangerous during the winter time.
This company also booked the bus, our transportation from the airport to the lodge, and then back to the airport. They obtain your flight log if your flying into Bozeman so they can keep up with the status of your flight. That way if your delayed or something happens they will help make arrangements for you.
Amy signed us up for five excursions in all.
Wake up to Wildlife Excursion (Mammoth Hot Springs)
Madison Wildlife Excursion (Old Faithful Lodge)
Steam, Stars, and Winter Landscapes (Old Faithful Lodge)
Lamar Valley Wildlife Tour Excursion 8 hours (Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge)
I would personally book longer tours next time we go. The first two were great it just seemed to go by quicker and were a bit pushed for time. Less time at stops.
Photography Tours +
We did three tours, two were four hours long, the last one was eight. Big difference. It just depends on how much time you want to spend out there in the field. I wanted all the time in the world so even though i enjoyed the first two four hour tours, the eight hour tour was the best.
The tours generally leave bright and early in the morning, before the sun rises. There is some travel time involved to get out to the great spots. The tour guides are savvy and know where a carcass has been spotted or where wildlife has been found and guide you to the areas.
We really wanted to see wolves. Twice, our guide spotted them, we pulled over, ran out the door and set up our tripods, heard wolves howling in the distance, excited, but no joy. By the time we were set up they were too far off in the distance or no longer in sight. This is why when we go next time we will opt to rent a four by four ourselves so we can take as much time as needed to set up and get to a location. I am not putting the tours down at all, don’t get me wrong, they are absolutely fantastic and I was able to photograph so many animals and the surrounding scenery. I just feel it would be best to do things on our own time. Plus, this was our first visit, we had never been, so the way we did it by going with guides from the park was great, we got the lay of the land as well as great informative insider information from those that are there every single day working in the park.
Also, keep in mind if you intend to go down to the area of Old Faithful during the winter you will have to book a snow coach / tour to get down to this area. And the tours there are definitely worth signing up for.
We did two tours from Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and two from Old Faithful Lodge.
The ride to Old Faithful was a bit scary, but not as scary as our ride back from Old Faithful to Mammoth Springs. Both times, the snow fell heavy and the roads filled quickly. The ice was bad on the roads since this was the first major snow fall the park was getting. We were told this winter was starting late. The guide drove at 5ph most the time because it had gotten so bad. The max speed they can go I think was 20mph. We started sliding toward the edge a couple of times, and there were major drop off I tell you no lies my friends.
The drivers were trained well and knew what they were doing. I never lost the faith in them and they kept us alive to extra big tips at the end of the ride!
The tours include a stop to use what they call the non-flushing-toilets and then there was a small building inbetween the two lodge areas where we pulled into a parking lot with a small building. They had flush toilets and a building with hot coffee, hot chocolate, drinks and snacks. We brought our own snacks and plenty water ourselves.
We saw plenty wildlife and we were able to get some great photographs of Moose, Elk, Eagles,Coyotes, Ravens, Trumpeter Swans, ducks, rabbits, and more! We were close a couple of times with wolves, but no pictures. We had a wonderful time filming four beautiful coyotes for a long time right in front of us, hanging around a carcass of an unknown animal.
Wildlife in Lamar Valley
All Photos by Mark & Amy Tate
Old Faithful Snow Lodge +
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Old Faithful Snow Lodge
It took us about four hours to get to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge from the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. We traveled in a Snow Coach. We traveled through what we called was a blizzard to get there.
Yellowstone snow coaches are specialized, very well heated, with massive low-pressure tires or tracks (tires had small spikes in them to help with traction). They only carry 13 persons max. We never had but ten at the most in any of the ones we traveled inside. They have panoramic windows and were pretty great for spotting wildlife and looking at the scenery. The tires are about four feet tall, three feet wide, make for a sweet 4×4 ride.All drivers go through extensive training before being allowed to carry passengers.
The guide told us that Steamboat Geyser is the tallest geyser in the park. It erupts basically when it feels like it, very unpredictable.
We were able to make a pit stop on our way to the snow lodge, get out and hike in the snow drifts leading the way to the geyser. What you saw pictured in the section before this one was a couple days after it erupted, the aftermath. As you could see it was still going off pretty good! Great hike, Amy loved it for the snow flakes falling down. She enjoyed the geyser as well. She stopped at every tree branch she could to giggle like a kid and flick snow piled on the branches at me!
The lodge was a grand sight to us. It was dark when we arrived and the weather, well it dropped pretty low.
Check in was easy. We rolled our luggage to our room, rested for a few then headed to the bar while we waited for our dinner reservation time to come.
Again, you need to book a ride to get here. Some snowmobiles were present but the park has a time frame when they can come into the park.
There is a huge fireplace with rocking chairs in the lobby. We could tell right away that this lodge is a lot more busier than Mammoth Hot Springs. People come to ski, cross country, snowmobile, take tours, hike on snow shoes, and if you want you can rent skates and hit the ice ring in back.
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Old Faithful Inn & Museum
The Old Faithful Inn is closed during the winter so the only place to stay is in the snow lodge. Just behind the lodge is the Inn and the huge Museum. Inside is all the information you can load inside your brain. There is also a really nice gift shop as well.
Just outside the back of the museum is the famous geyser, Old Faithful.
Both are only minutes walk, well a couple extra minutes for us as we were in a downpour of snow falling and shuffling our way through snow drifts to get there.
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Old Faithful Geyser
People from all over the world have journeyed here just to get to see this geyser in person.
It is one of nearly 500 geysers in the park and one of six geysers the park is able to predict when its going to erupt.
It goes off every multiple times during the day. You can find a list of predicted times posted in the lobby of the lodge.
Glacier till deposits underlie the geyser basins providing storage areas for the water used in the eruptions. Old faithful isn’t the tallest, its just one popular geyser! If you have never seen it you should at some time in your life. To be walking on top of an active volcano and see something like this event is extraordinary to say the least.
Steam, Stars and Winter Soundscapes
We weren’t sure what to expect when we got ready to go on this nighttime excursion. We lucked up and got the same tour guide that had brought us down to Old Faithful. We were glad we signed up.
We met in the lobby of the lodge, we were really dressed warm this time, it had snowed all day and the sun was up but nowhere in sight.
We board the snow coach and were off sliding here and there. The snow was coming down, huge flakes. So much if you were to stand still too long you’d have a small snow drift of your own on your shoulders. So cold, but so awesome.
We made four stops. The first one was to cross a bridge leading to the geysers. We were all given small red flashlights that illuminated red lights for the nighttime.
We stopped on the bridge and listened and watched the river flowing strong underneath our bodies.
We carried on to the other side and walked for a short distance. It was loud, water crashing. It was dark, but we knew we were on a platform with a waterfall beneath us. The guide turned a small spotlight casting a glow on the waterfall. The waterfall had many levels to it as it made its way down the mountain side. Beautiful. Behind us, the only time we saw the moon. It was a full moon. We got pictures before it disappeared into the clouds. We made our way back to the coach. We drove for a bit and made another stop, got out and waited for our guide to make sure no bison had made their ways on to our path. The last group that had stopped, a bison had caused them all to hurry back to the snow coach, lol.
We were lucky, no bison, no critters, that we knew of anyway. We walked down the path all shining our red lights to see where our feet were stepping. We got on to the boardwalk and watched and listened as small geysers were singing, spraying up little spurts into the air. The guide then told us all to turn off our lights. He said look up. We did.
He shown his flashlight into the sky. The snow was falling so hard it looked like a small tornado spinning overhead. It is one of the coolest things we ever saw.
We got back on board, the guide handed us all a Yellowstone tumbler, said they were ours to keep. He pulled out three or four old green army looking thermoses. He carefully turned the cap and poured our hot chocolate first. We sipped and sipped, ahh, it was good to have warmth back in our bodies. It was no lie, the best hot chocolate we ever tasted.
We continued on making one more stop. Then on the way back stopped at the little store building we had stopped at before. We headed back. O’what a night, except it wasn’t late September at all, it was the first week of January 2026.
The next day we took a four hour tour and saw the pair of eagles flying around. Also saw trumpeter swans, and ducks. Up in the tree I spied a big bird, dark, purple looking, a lone Raven. Way up on the top branch. I made my way over careful not to spook him, or her. I was able to get some really close up shots and it was amazing.
This tour led us down a road along a sketchy cliffside but the payoff was exhilarating, another waterfall, Firehole.
Thank You.
In conclusion, we had a fantastic time. It is kind of pricy to plan a trip of this magnitude but it is well worth the buck. We didn’t get to see any wolves this time, but we did hear them howling, and that’s alright.
We stayed in the lodges and everyone was so super nice. The tour guides were great and it was a magical experience. We took a lot of knowledge of the park and the critters that live within it home with us.
We will return, no doubt.
Amy found a snowman, pictured right, on the steps to that little building store we stopped at a couple times on the tour. She would be mad if I finished this journal entry and didn’t show him off to you all. I hope you enjoyed this read and the pictures, they are memories / keepsakes we will remember for ever. To get a chance to to do something like this with the one true love of yours makes it all the better.
The travel agency, Amy’s planning and research, led us to having a successful journey to Yellowstone, no issues, no worries. We truly didn’t want to leave. There is so much more of this park to explore and see. Each season brings you a whole new list of things for sure.
The video will be out soon and we’ll make sure to include our links. Look forward to sharing more travel adventures with you, if you have questions reach out to us and let us know. You can also follow us on Instagram as well or our Facebook page.
Tates are out.
