First Winter trip to Yellowstone

[shredhiker]

We've decided on taking our first winter trip to YNP this Christmas. I'm aware there's a lot of limitations to visiting the area, unless you're breaking out the checkbook, but thought I'd ask for whatever helpful advice we can get. Here's a rundown of what we've got so far...

• Day 1: Fly into BZN, pick up AWD with snow tires from Explore Rentals, grocery shop. Suggestions for lodging in/near Bozeman would be welcome.
• Day 2: Snowcoach tour to Norris GB, this is the only guided tour we splurged on for the trip. Need to book lodging in Gardiner that night.
• Days 3-5: Staying at the Alpine in Cooke City, planning to mainly hang around between Lamar & Tower area. Would love suggestions for short hikes etc. we should consider? Ideally something we could do in 2-3 hours. I know conditions this time of year can vary widely.
• Days 5-6: Staying at Riverside Cottage in Gardiner. Planning to hang around Mammoth, maybe check out the commercial hot springs outside the park.

Photo from a winter trip we did to RMNP a few years ago. If anyone from the forum here will be around the area during the week of Christmas, feel free to drop me a line, we'd be happy to plan a meet up if possible! Unfortunately we're not experienced XC skiers, although we're not opposed to lessons for beginners, if there are places nearby that would offer that.

 

[Bob]

Bozeman has some of the highest prices for motels around....

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Boiling river is good any time.

There's places in Bozeman that rent snowshoes, if there's enough snow in Lamar/Tower Jct/Blacktail to use them.

 

[Jackson]

I'd definitely rent snowshoes or xc skis! Wish I knew Cooke City better to give you pointers over there. I'd imagine there's good stuff to go snowshoe/ski almost right from town. Blacktail, Specimen Ridge, and Lamar Valley will be great for hiking or snow travel. I backpacked a shuttle route up Pebble Creek this year and that was really nice too. Steep right at the beginning but then really nice.

Bozeman has some of the highest prices for motels around....

This is true. Christmastime would be brutal I imagine. You may find a good Airbnb though. Multiple in my neighborhood 5 minutes from the airport. Livingston area may also be worth a look since you're headed that way.

And re: Boiling River, the word post-flood is that it doesn't really exist like it did before due to major changes in the river channel. It was closed to for years before then as well.

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

And re: Boiling River, the word post-flood is that it doesn't really exist like it did before due to major changes in the river channel. It was closed to for years before then as well.

Thanks for the update @Jackson . Sorry to read.

 

[shredhiker]

Thankfully we got to experience boiling river back in 2019. After that it closed due to Covid & the flood shut it off permanently.

 

[Jackson]

Thanks for the update @Jackson . Sorry to read.

Me too. I never had a chance to go!

 

[Tailey]

In Gardiner, the Yellowstone River Motel is a solid, budget-friendly option, and you’re right by the park entrance. For your time in Lamar Valley, one hike I’d recommend is the Tower Falls trail—it’s relatively short and beautiful in the snow. Conditions can definitely be hit or miss, so snowshoes or Yaktrax can be handy.

If you’re up for it, a beginner XC ski lesson could be fun—Yellowstone Expeditions offers rentals and lessons, and you’d get to see the park from a different perspective. Also, the hot springs in Chico are a great call—perfect for relaxing after a cold day out.

If you’re planning future trips, https://www.westgateresorts.com/vacation-packages/ might give you some good ideas.

 

[magilligansisland]

Yellowstone in winter is magical and I'm excited for you and your family to see it!! The geyser basins are extra special in the cold. Mammoth is so pretty and it's worth a snowshoe or XC ski of the upper terrace area. On your Norris tour, make sure you head over to Porcelain basin, it is one of my winter favorites. Snowshoes or XC skis are a great option in general. There are so many great options for XC skis around Blacktail. There is also a trail past Pebble with parking on the left that is popular.

Winter wildlife in Lamar is really fun to spot and quite a bit easier in the snow. Lamar can be really cold making for some great frost on trees and bison. On the way to Lamar you can SC ski or snowshoe the road towards Tower which is also pretty and you can get to the overlooks that are not too far from the parking area. You can make that walk/ski as long or as short as you'd like.

Be careful in pullouts. Last year most were plowed, but not all, so even if it appears packed from a previous car, maybe test it before you full send ...

I usually drive down and sometimes stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Belgrade (by Costco) outside of Bozeman because it's easy and right off the road. In Gardiner the Wonderland Cafe is great for dinner and has really cool local artists on display. Sadly the Boiling River is closed after the flood. Also the temporary road into the park from Gardiner is windy and in some places steep, but luckily gets a lot of traffic so is usually ok in winter with 4WD. I hope y'all have the best time.

 

[shredhiker]

Yellowstone in winter is magical and I'm excited for you and your family to see it!! The geyser basins are extra special in the cold. Mammoth is so pretty and it's worth a snowshoe or XC ski of the upper terrace area. On your Norris tour, make sure you head over to Porcelain basin, it is one of my winter favorites. Snowshoes or XC skis are a great option in general. There are so many great options for XC skis around Blacktail. There is also a trail past Pebble with parking on the left that is popular.

Winter wildlife in Lamar is really fun to spot and quite a bit easier in the snow. Lamar can be really cold making for some great frost on trees and bison. On the way to Lamar you can SC ski or snowshoe the road towards Tower which is also pretty and you can get to the overlooks that are not too far from the parking area. You can make that walk/ski as long or as short as you'd like.

Be careful in pullouts. Last year most were plowed, but not all, so even if it appears packed from a previous car, maybe test it before you full send ...

I usually drive down and sometimes stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Belgrade (by Costco) outside of Bozeman because it's easy and right off the road. In Gardiner the Wonderland Cafe is great for dinner and has really cool local artists on display. Sadly the Boiling River is closed after the flood. Also the temporary road into the park from Gardiner is windy and in some places steep, but luckily gets a lot of traffic so is usually ok in winter with 4WD. I hope y'all have the best time.

So from Tower Junction, we could travel the road toward the falls on foot?

 

[TheMountainRabbit]

So from Tower Junction, we could travel the road toward the falls on foot?

Yes. Though I'd recommend x-c skis, I see folks on snowshoes or just spikes every year, too. I went most of the way up to Dunraven Pass on skis last year. I'd echo a lot of what @magilligansisland says generally.

Along the NE entrance road, the Bannock/Barronette ski trails are nice and fairly easy, but should be done on skis. If you want to just get out on snowshoes/spikes, the short hike up and around Trout Lake is a totally different experience in winter. Hiking up the road to Slough Creek CG and beyond is a nice option, too.

Even if you don't want to x-c ski, I've found the folks at the Mammoth x-c ski shop to be incredibly informative and passionate every time I've visited. And if you want to try some x-c skiing, they offer lessons that are more than sufficient to get you on most of the easier to access trails. They'll take you up to the Upper Terraces at Mammoth which is a fun, easy-to-access trail in its own right. (And if you go mid-week, a 'group lesson' is very likely to end up basically private.)

I go up about every year in late January and normally have a 'base' in Gardiner (often one of the 'studios' at Riverside Cottages) and occasionally just camp in the park - depending on conditions.

 

[shredhiker]

Thanks everyone for the info! The trip was overall a success.

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 for the specific trip.

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.

We ended up with a flat tire in the middle of our Cooke City stay, with limited connectivity we reached out to the rental company to see if they could offer some assistance on getting it repaired. I was honestly just hoping they could help us find a place that would be open to get it handled. The guy assured us that someone in Cooke City or Gardiner would be able to do it. As expected, nothing was open in Cooke City so we drove to Gardiner; the only shop there was close for the next 3 days, so we had to drive all the way to Livingston.

I've got a ton of photos to sort through.