shredhiker
Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2023
- Messages
- 160
Thanks again to everyone who commented on the other thread to help plan this trip.
We flew into Bozeman, and rented a Subaru Outback with AWD & snow tires. It was around $1300 for the week, but well worth it. I saw the plows running through the park from first light til dark (which was around 5 pm) but having AWD & snow tires really helped with pullouts and parking lots. There was also one day it snowed really heavily and we saw a few vehicles getting stuck etc. They ended up temporarily closing the road between Mammoth & Tower that evening.
We spent our first night in Bozeman @ Comfort Suites, second night in Gardiner @ Ridgeline Hotel, three nights in Cooke City @ Alpine Hotel, & our last two nights in Gardiner @ Riverside Cottages. We spent an average of $120/night on lodging. Anticipating restaurants being closed or having limited menus, we stocked up on groceries in Bozeman. We also flew with our little single burner propane stove, which we had to get gas for after landing. The Yellowstone River & Lava Creek picnic areas were open, we used those to heat up/cook food as needed.
In Gardiner we ate at Eat Cafe, Yellowstone Mine, and Cowboys Grille for breakfast; Yellowstone Mine, Cowboys Grille, and Wonderland Cafe for dinner. Several places were closed for the season or on the holidays, internet information on who was open was inaccurate. We just had to ask around once we got in town, but we had good experiences everywhere we ate. In Cooke City, the Miners Saloon was open for dinner & Cooke City Coffee for breakfast most days were were there.
The only snow coach tour we did was from Mammoth Hotel to Norris Geyser Basin through Xanterra. It was great getting to see some of the park, and our guide was fantastic. We hiked Trout Lake, Grand Loop Rd from Tower Junction to Calcite Springs Overlook, Lamar River Trail, Wraith Falls, Mammoth Upper Terrace Loop Drive, and the Frog Rock Trail (which is a service road closed in the summer) All of the areas that double as Ski Trails had very clear signage up for getting around on skis vs on foot. We were able to do all of this with just snow boots and micro-spikes.
I wish we had done the XC ski lesson from the Mammoth Hotel. It’s not an expensive activity, and we saw a group when we were walking the Terrace Drive who were having a lot of fun.
Here's a few photos, I'll share some more when I get time to sort through them.
We flew into Bozeman, and rented a Subaru Outback with AWD & snow tires. It was around $1300 for the week, but well worth it. I saw the plows running through the park from first light til dark (which was around 5 pm) but having AWD & snow tires really helped with pullouts and parking lots. There was also one day it snowed really heavily and we saw a few vehicles getting stuck etc. They ended up temporarily closing the road between Mammoth & Tower that evening.
We spent our first night in Bozeman @ Comfort Suites, second night in Gardiner @ Ridgeline Hotel, three nights in Cooke City @ Alpine Hotel, & our last two nights in Gardiner @ Riverside Cottages. We spent an average of $120/night on lodging. Anticipating restaurants being closed or having limited menus, we stocked up on groceries in Bozeman. We also flew with our little single burner propane stove, which we had to get gas for after landing. The Yellowstone River & Lava Creek picnic areas were open, we used those to heat up/cook food as needed.
In Gardiner we ate at Eat Cafe, Yellowstone Mine, and Cowboys Grille for breakfast; Yellowstone Mine, Cowboys Grille, and Wonderland Cafe for dinner. Several places were closed for the season or on the holidays, internet information on who was open was inaccurate. We just had to ask around once we got in town, but we had good experiences everywhere we ate. In Cooke City, the Miners Saloon was open for dinner & Cooke City Coffee for breakfast most days were were there.
The only snow coach tour we did was from Mammoth Hotel to Norris Geyser Basin through Xanterra. It was great getting to see some of the park, and our guide was fantastic. We hiked Trout Lake, Grand Loop Rd from Tower Junction to Calcite Springs Overlook, Lamar River Trail, Wraith Falls, Mammoth Upper Terrace Loop Drive, and the Frog Rock Trail (which is a service road closed in the summer) All of the areas that double as Ski Trails had very clear signage up for getting around on skis vs on foot. We were able to do all of this with just snow boots and micro-spikes.
I wish we had done the XC ski lesson from the Mammoth Hotel. It’s not an expensive activity, and we saw a group when we were walking the Terrace Drive who were having a lot of fun.
Here's a few photos, I'll share some more when I get time to sort through them.
