Winter Wonderland: Your Guide to Visiting Yellowstone National Park in the Winter

yellowstone welcome sign and roads in winter

Thinking about a visit to Yellowstone National Park in the winter? Prepare for small crowds (but lots of wolf watchers!) and magical views of America’s first national park under a blanket of white, sparkling snow.

Visiting Yellowstone in the winter is a magical time of year, and you’ll be visiting a true winter wonderland. (In fact, ‘wonderland’ was the name given to Yellowstone before it was a national park, and is still a nickname used today.)

During our winter trip to Yellowstone, we snowmobiled next to a herd of bison in West Yellowstone. We had front-row viewing access to an Old Faithful eruption while bison grazed nearby. We spent an hour observing a red fox hunt, eat and nap in North Yellowstone. We saw wolves and a hibernating bear, and soaked in warm hot springs at the base of a mountain (after a day of happily exploring in below-freezing temperatures).

Visiting Yellowstone is one of the grandest ways to enjoy the winter season (and the winter season is one of the grandest ways to see Yellowstone 😉). And as just about everyone told us, once you see Yellowstone through snow-capped mountains and frost-covered bison, you won’t want to see it any other way!

yellowstone welcome sign at sunset — Welcome sign on the road from Bozeman Airport to West Yellowstone.

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Cliffs Notes

Plan your trip for February. Book 3 nights in West Yellowstone, 3 or 4 nights in Gardiner, and 1 night (the night before your flight home) in Bozeman.

Day 1: Flight to Bozeman, Rent a car, Drive to West Yellowstone
Day 2: Snowmobile Tour to Yellowstone Canyon
Day 3: Snowcoach Tour to Old Faithful
Day 4: Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center, Drive to Gardiner
Day 5: Drive from Gardiner into Yellowstone National Park to Cooke City
Day 6: Snowshoe Tour in North Yellowstone
Day 7: Wildlife Watching, Flight home (Option A)
Day 8: Flight home (Option B)

Looking to add a ski vacation to your trip? Add a few days to go skiing near Bozeman and consider Big Sky or Bridger Bowl.

When to Visit Yellowstone in the Winter

According to 2022 data from the National Park Service, November is the least busy month to visit Yellowstone National Park. December follows shortly behind, then January, then February, then March, then April.

This means visiting Yellowstone National Park in the winter is a great time of year to visit and enjoy fewer crowds.

If you’re looking for somewhere to have a ‘White Christmas’, or you want to visit during the least busy winter month, consider December. (Just a heads up that crowds will get slightly busier the week between Christmas and New Year’s with holiday travel.)

That said, January and February are not much busier than December. December and January appear to be the coldest months to visit Yellowstone National Park, with February close behind. On average, December tends to get the most precipitation.

There’s really not a bad month to visit Yellowstone National park, and that’s true in the winter too. We visited Yellowstone for 7 days in February 2023, and it was a great time to visit. You’ll still get to enjoy smaller crowds and winter weather, but temperatures are slightly rising in February, and precipitation tends to be the lowest in February (when comparing the three winter months). We highly recommend planning your Yellowstone winter trip for February!

Fun Fact: Want to visit for Yellowstone Christmas? You’ll have to plan your trip for August. According to one of our Yellowstone guides, local legend has it that a blizzard once hit Yellowstone - on August 25th - and that date has since been dubbed “Yellowstone Christmas”… a tradition celebrated ever since!

How to Get to Yellowstone National Park in the Winter

Most people fly to Bozeman airport and then rent a car to drive to the park. If you’re staying in both West Yellowstone and Gardiner, expect to drive from Bozeman to West, then back to Bozeman, and around to Gardiner. (This is because the road between West and North Yellowstone is closed to private vehicles in the winter.)

While it’s a long drive that you’re technically 'doubling up’, it’s worth seeing both areas of Yellowstone National Park in the winter. Plus, the drives (Bozeman to West and Bozeman to North) are different and grand in their own ways.

If you’re flying into Bozeman Airport and don’t want to rent a vehicle, you can book transportation from Bozeman to West Yellowstone. Click here for more information.

If you’re coming from a nearby state and want to drive to Yellowstone in the winter, remember that you can only enter Yellowstone in your personal vehicle from the North entrance. If you’re staying in West Yellowstone, you’ll still need to book a tour or transportation into the park.

RTL Tip: A Yellowstone winter trip is generally the most expensive time of year to visit Yellowstone since certain parts of the park are only accessible via commercial tour. (Plus, you have to factor in things like winter gear, gear for activities like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, and possibly a more expensive car rental for 4WD.)

Due to this and the impact winter weather can have on travel plans, you may want to consider travel insurance for your trip. Although we didn’t book travel insurance for our Yellowstone trip, we did purchase it for our 3-week trip to visit Alaska’s 8 National Parks. We were recently featured in an article talking about this decision; You can check it out here plus get some great information about travel insurance and whether or not it’s right for you!

Where to Stay in Yellowstone in the Winter

You have two main options for where to stay to visit Yellowstone in the winter: West Yellowstone (for access to the west entrance of Yellowstone) and Gardiner (for access to the north entrance of Yellowstone).

The north entrance (Gardiner) is the only entrance open year-round. From here, you’ll be able to drive into the park with your personal vehicle.

If possible, we recommend you spend a few nights in West Yellowstone and a few nights in Gardiner (North Yellowstone). We spent three nights in West Yellowstone and 4 nights in Gardiner; it was the perfect amount of time in each.

RTL Tip: If you have an early flight out of Bozeman, spend that final night in Bozeman rather than Gardiner. You do not want to drive the Bozeman Pass early in the morning in the winter, even if your weather app is saying all’s clear. As a local warned us then we experienced first-hand, the weather along this drive is gnarly and can be unpredictable (sometimes even leading to road closures).

West Yellowstone

West Yellowstone is the gateway to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park. You’ll have access to Yellowstone Canyon, Hayden Valley, Old Faithful, and the Lower and Upper Geyser Basins from West Yellowstone.

West Yellowstone is one of the most popular places to stay while visiting Yellowstone, partly because of its access to Old Faithful and partly because it’s an accessible drive from many surrounding states.

However, in the winter, the west entrance of Yellowstone is not open to private vehicles. This means you’ll need to book a snowcoach or snowmobile tour, book a ski shuttle, or win a permit for non-commercial snowmobile access to enter the park.

To visit West Yellowstone in the winter, we recommend staying in either the town of West Yellowstone or the Old Faithful Lodge inside the park.

If you choose to stay in town, we recommend a hotel such as the Holiday Inn, Days Inn, or Best Western so you can walk to restaurants and tour pick-up locations. Although we stayed in a short-term rental only a few minutes’ drive from the heart of the town, it would have been more convenient to be able to walk and avoid driving on slick roads early in the morning.

Note: If you want to stay in the park at the Old Faithful Lodge, you’ll have to book a snowcoach ride from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. Be sure to factor this cost of transportation into your hotel budget. You can read more about planning for winter transportation here. If you don’t want to rent a vehicle at all during your stay, you can book transportation from Bozeman Airport to Old Faithful and even a snowcoach from Old Faithful to Mammoth Lodge to get to both areas of the park.

Gardiner

Gardiner is the gateway to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park. In the winter, the entrance into Yellowstone from Gardiner (North Entrance) is the only entrance open to private vehicles. You can drive from Gardiner to Cooke City, during which you’ll pass Mammoth Hot Springs, Lamar Valley, and much more.

This north part of the park is typically the best and most consistent for seeing wildlife in Yellowstone year-round. So if you’re most interested in seeing wildlife in Yellowstone (wolves, foxes, coyotes, moose, eagles, etc.), then be sure to plan time for Gardiner / North Yellowstone during your trip.

To access the north entrance of Yellowstone, you can stay in either the town of Gardiner or in the park at the Mammoth Lodge. Since the north entrance is open year-round, you can drive your own car to the Mammoth Lodge.

What to Do in West Yellowstone in the Winter

Since the West Yellowstone entrance is closed to private vehicles during the winter months, you have to plan for another mode of transportation when visiting. You can: (1) Win a snowmobile permit to enter and tour on your own, (2) Join a guided snowmobile tour, (3) Take a guided snowcoach tour into the park, or (4) Book a ski shuttle into the park for cross country skiing.

Once you decide on transportation to West Yellowstone, then choose which part of the park you’d like to explore. The two main areas to see in West Yellowstone in the winter are Yellowstone Canyon and Old Faithful.

The Old Faithful tour is the most popular tour from West Yellowstone, as you’ll enjoy time at Old Faithful and the Lower and Upper Geyser Basins. The Canyon tour is a less popular but just as amazing tour, where you may see Artist’s Point, Hayden Valley, and the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. (Note: What exactly you see will depend on the weather, visibility, and your guide.)

If time and budget allow, we recommend booking one snowmobile tour and one snowcoach tour. Visit the Canyon one day and Old Faithful the next. We personally liked going to the Canyon during our snowmobile tour and taking the snowcoach to Old Faithful.

If you only have time for one activity in West Yellowstone, we recommend booking the Old Faithful Snowcoach Tour. This is especially true if you want more time to explore on foot or to take photos inside Yellowstone National Park.

Snowmobile Tour

Our snowmobile tour through Yellowstone was a ton of fun! It’s one of the most fun and unique ways we’ve explored a national park to date, and it was the perfect way for us to kick off our week in Yellowstone’s winter wonderland.

If you’re looking for an adventure, love snowmobiling (or ATV-ing or go-carting), or want a unique way to explore a national park, consider a snowmobile tour.

We took our snowmobile tour of Yellowstone Canyon and were able to see Artist’s Point, Yellowstone Canyon, Gibson Falls, Hayden Valley, and an overlook of the Yellowstone Caldera.

You also snowmobile through the town of West Yellowstone (stopping at stop signs, red lights, etc., alongside cars). We were actually on a tour with someone from Germany, who asked us to take a video (I was a passenger while Jon was driving, so I could easily take photos and videos) because friends from home wouldn’t believe she was snowmobiling through town. This is common in West Yellowstone in the winter; You’ll see snowmobilers everywhere!

While the snowmobile tour is definitely an adventure, you do spend most of your time on the snowmobile. (There are quick stops at overlooks, an ~15-minute stop at a warming hut where you can purchase a hot beverage, and an ~40-minute stop for lunch at Canyon Lodge.) If this is what you’re looking for, perfect! But if you’re hoping for more time on foot to walk around or lots of time for photography, consider the snowcoach instead.

snowmobiles on snowy road — Our mode of transportation for the day! We covered about 100 miles on snowmobile through Yellowstone Canyon.

Yellowstone Canyon vs. Old Faithful

As mentioned, you can snowmobile to either Yellowstone Canyon or Old Faithful.

The Old Faithful tour is the most popular one from West Yellowstone (since most people want to see an Old Faithful eruption), and the Canyon tour is a less popular but just as gorgeous tour around Yellowstone Grand Canyon.

Our Canyon guide mentioned that we’d see a few hundred people in the park throughout the day, but only a quarter of those people were going to the Canyon. So the Canyon Tour is the one to do if you want to minimize crowds. That said, you’re always with your tour group, so don’t expect to have Yellowstone 100% to yourself unless you’re able to snag a self-guided snowmobile permit.

We recommend snowmobiling to Yellowstone Canyon and taking a snowcoach to Old Faithful.

frozen waterfall in canyon — Artist’s Point, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

What to Wear Snowmobiling

Unless you snowmobile often, your best bet is to rent snowmobile gear at the time of your booking. (When you sign up for the tour, also book rental gear.)

We booked with Yellowstone Vacation Tours, who, upon arrival and check-in, got us set up with a 40-below suit, helmet, gloves, and good winter boots. You might be tempted to remove a jacket or opt out of snow pants with a suit like this, but don’t! You’ll be driving up to 40mph, which makes the temperature feel much colder.

For a day of snowmobiling through Yellowstone, wear your long johns, winter coat, and winter pants. Plus, make sure you wear a buff and wool socks. (Wool socks will keep your feet warmer. And the buff is a MUST. HAVE! The wind is (lovingly? lol) whipping you in the face as you ride, so a face covering like this is VERY helpful.)

You may also want to wear tinted snow goggles. Sunglasses will work okay too, but Jon’s snow goggles were far more comfortable alongside the helmet than my sunglasses. (You can see his goggles vs. my sunglasses in the picture above at the West Yellowstone welcome sign.)

And remember, you’re snowmobiling, not exploring on foot. You won’t work up as much internal heat as you would with cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Wear your thermal underwear, snow or sweat pants, winter jacket, wool socks, and buff, then rent gloves, boots, and a snowmobile suit. Then, you’ll be comfortable to enjoy your day outside in the snow!

Note: Alongside renting gear when you book, you can also order a boxed lunch. You must book this boxed lunch in advance or plan to bring your own lunch if you’re booking a full-day snowmobile tour. (We did not book lunch ahead of time, so we grabbed sandwiches at the Exxon convenience store in town before our tour. This worked fine and was probably slightly cheaper, but booking the boxed lunch in advance is definitely more convenient.)

Hungry after your adventure? Consider Hank’s in town.

two snowmobilers in snow suits overlooking caldera — All bundled up and ready for a winter day in Yellowstone. Looking into the heart of the Yellowstone Caldera, with the Teton Range visible in the distance.

Our Snowmobile Experience to Yellowstone Canyon

Before our tour, we chatted with our guide, who casually said, “It’s not if you see bison; it’s when.” While wolves, foxes, coyotes, and other wildlife are more elusive even in winter, bison are out and about and one of the most beautiful animals to see in the snow!

During our snowmobile trip, we rode past multiple herds of bison; it was one of the coolest experiences we had on our entire trip.

We’ve been surrounded by bison in our car while driving through Yellowstone, but to be so close to them - side by side along the road - without the barrier of something like a car is a wild experience. Even though you’re with your group, following your guide, and going slow while staying out of any bison’s way, you know these magical, intimidating animals are wild… and you’re reminded of their unpredictability when they’re less than 10 feet away from you sans buffer.

Sharing the road with bison while you’re snowmobiling through Yellowstone National Park is one of those experiences only available to you in the winter, and it’s as incredible and awe-inducing as it sounds. Just, wow!

Also on snowmobile, we watched a coyote walk down a mountain and cross the road in front of us. We took in the views of Artists Point with just our small group of snowmobilers alongside us. We waited in no lines. We had to move around (or later, edit out of photos) no people. There was no one blocking any of our views.

We saw Hayden Valley completely empty from cars (and people) and look essentially unrecognizable from its summer counterpart.

This is one of the coolest things about visiting Yellowstone National Park in the winter - there are miles and miles of pristine, untouched snow.

Because roads are closed and access is limited in the winter, the tracks you see breaking up the snowy landscape are almost exclusively from wildlife. We saw fox, coyote, and wolf tracks we would have otherwise missed. We could follow bison tracks right to where they were grazing by the water or in the distance.

You have a window into wildlife habits in the winter that you don’t have any other time of year. And that’s just one of the many reasons to plan a visit to experience Yellowstone’s winter wonderland!

Snowcoach Tour

Another option for getting into Yellowstone National Park in the winter is by snowcoach. Just like with snowmobiling, you can book a snowcoach tour to either Yellowstone Canyon or Old Faithful.

Spoiler: The snowcoach tour to Old Faithful is pure MAGIC. Book this tour if this is your first time visiting Yellowstone in the winter.

yellow snowcoach on snow packed road — We booked our snowcoach tour with Yellowstone Vacation Tours. Ask for Gypsy!

Yellowstone Canyon vs Old Faithful

The Old Faithful Snowcoach Tour is the most popular tour from West Yellowstone, and for good reason. You see Old Faithful, Biscuit Basin, and the Lower and Upper Geyser Basins, plus have a decent amount of time on foot to explore with your group and on your own.

If we only had one day to explore West Yellowstone and had to pick one thing to do, we’d choose a snowcoach tour to Old Faithful simply because you get this extra time on the ground.

RTL Tip: We booked our tour with Yellowstone Vacations. Ask for Gypsy’s tour and, if possible, to be booked on the smaller coach. Although the Old Faithful Snow Coach tour is the most popular winter tour, being on the smaller coach plus having a great tour guide like Gypsy - who made a point to get to overlooks and trails just before or after other coaches - meant we often had areas all to ourselves, which is truly the magic of visiting Yellowstone in the winter.

bison grazing in grassy snow in front of geyser — Bison grazing in front of Old Faithful.

What to Wear for Your Snowcoach Tour

Dress warmly so you can take advantage of all the time you’re offered outside the coach. You want to walk the trails, take pictures, and soak up Yellowstone in all of its winter glory.

Yes, you will spend a lot of time inside the coach, but while the coach won’t be cold, it won’t be hot either. We were comfortable wearing our winter attire inside and outside of the coach. We just took gloves and hats on/off accordingly.

So even though you’re taking a snow coach tour, dress for the winter weather so you can get off the coach and stay warm while you explore! This includes wearing winter boots, gloves, hats, wool socks, long johns, snow or sweat pants, and a winter jacket. You may also want to bring extra chargers if you plan on taking lots of photos (especially since the cold weather can cause batteries to drain more quickly).

Note: Just like with the snowmobile tour, you can opt for a boxed lunch, pack your own, or run to the Exxon gas station by Otter Pub to grab sandwiches before you go.

Consider having dinner at Slippery Otter Pub in West Yellowstone afterward.

couple in snow jackets standing in snowy valley — Here’s how we dressed for our snowcoach tour: we both have on long johns, two jackets (me- lightweight and heavy, Jon- hoodie and jacket), sweatpants (mine-water resistance, Jon’s- standard), winter boots, gloves, sunglasses, and buffs. We were comfortable! This is also how we dressed for the majority of our days driving through the north part of the park with quick stops at overlooks.

Our Snowcoach Experience to Old Faithful

Compared to our snowmobile tour, the snowcoach tour was less adventurous, but we had way more time for taking photos, learning about the history of Yellowstone National Park, and stretching our legs out of the bus and along a few short trails near Old Faithful and the Lower Geyser Basin… which we loved!

(We probably had close to two hours out of the coach to walk around on foot, which was amazing for soaking up West Yellowstone and taking lots of photos of wildlife and the landscape.)

We watched Old Faithful erupt with a herd of bison grazing nearby.

We saw Fountain Geyser erupt, looked at mud pots, photographed waterfalls, and drove by canyons. We saw coyotes (again!), a bald eagle, swans, mallards, and elk.

And we slooooowly (and calmly-ish?) backed up on foot after realizing a herd of bison wanted to use the very same groomed trail we were using, but they were moving in the opposite direction, walking TOWARD us. It was incredible to be so close to bison on foot, watching them take the path of least resistance through the snow to save energy.

The word of the day for us on this tour was “wow” because Yellowstone is stunning whenever you visit, but especially in the winter.

After your full-day snowcoach tour, you’ll feel like you’ve seen so much but then find out you saw less than a quarter of a percent of Yellowstone National Park. (According to our tour guide, driving all roads in Yellowstone - many of which are not open in the winter - will only allow you to see about 1% of the park. You have to get out on trails and in the backcountry for more. WOW, right?)

RTL Tip: This one’s for you if you’re interested in wildlife. From what we heard, Old Faithful gives you a better chance of seeing wolves than Yellowstone Canyon. We didn’t see any wolves here, but a week and a half before our visit, one of the guides saw a pack of 9 wolves during an Old Faithful Snowcoach tour. (He said it was the best sighting of the season in West Yellowstone. Gardiner / North Yellowstone tends to be better for wildlife sightings.) Our snowmobile guide also said he’d seen wolves three times this season - all in the Old Faithful area.

That said, if you’re hoping to see wildlife during your trip to Yellowstone, remember: (1) Wildlife viewing is better in North Yellowstone, and (2) It’s a numbers game, meaning the more time you spend looking for wildlife (or driving through the park), the more you’re likely to see.

How to Pick: Snowmobile vs. Snowcoach in West Yellowstone

A snowmobiling tour through Yellowstone in the winter is for you if you’re looking for an adventure or a unique way to explore a national park. It’s also for you if you love speed and thrills, and activities like ATV-ing or go-carting.

Heads up for my fellow slow-mos: During the snowmobile tour, you’re going FAST - like 30-45 mph (on average, sometimes as fast as 50 mph), and you have to go with the speed of the group. This was no problem for Jon even though he’s never snowmobiled before (he has gone go-carting and ATV-ing), but I definitely don’t have a need for speed and didn’t love keeping up with the speed of the group, especially never having been on a snowmobile before. Just something to keep in mind as you consider which tour is best for you. (I did love being a photographing passenger, so Jon driving while I captured the experience worked out great for us!)

The snowmobile tour is great, but it’s NOT a photographer’s tour. This is especially true if you’re riding solo. You also won’t get a lot of time on foot or to explore at leisure.

So if you want to take a lot of photos, walk a few short trails, or spend the most time possible on foot or with a chance to explore on your own, book a snowcoach tour.

You’ll have a decent amount of time outside the coach, plus, because you’re going slower than you do on the snowmobile (and you’re not behind the wheel), you'll feel like you’re able to see more while driving.

If you have to pick one, we recommend a snowcoach tour to Old Faithful, but if you have time and budget for both, we recommend a snowmobile tour to Yellowstone Canyon and a snowcoach tour to Old Faithful.

Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center

Fun Fact: Jon and I are now annual members of the Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone! (Even though we live in Dallas, ha.) We’re planning to visit Yellowstone National Park once a season during the 2023 calendar year, so we’ll be back… soon!

The Wolf and Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone provides an opportunity to safely view grizzly bears, wolves, otters, and other animals up close. Plus, you’re able to ask questions, hear from wildlife guides, and learn more about the habits of these animals, which the center tries to keep as wild as possible.

We spent a half day inside this park and particularly enjoyed watching the wolves because you’re able to view them from just a few feet away (using an indoor viewing room with floor-to-ceiling windows) and watch pack interactions.

RTL Tip: Be at the naturalist center about 25 minutes before the morning Wolf Chat begins. (You’ll see the time for this once you arrive.) Sit on the right side (if you’re facing the fireplace). The wolves are about to be fed and will come hang/play right in front of the windows. It’s incredible to see from so close!

If you want to guarantee you see bears and wolves during your trip to Yellowstone… Or you want to view these animals from a distance closer than you can typically do safely in the park, spend a morning or afternoon at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.

Afterward, grab lunch and start your drive to Gardiner and North Yellowstone.

What to Do in Gardiner (North Yellowstone) in the Winter

Grandeur. M-a-g-i-c. These two words flash through your mind as you drive through the north side of Yellowstone National Park in the winter. It’s absolutely incredible!

After a morning at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, we drove from West Yellowstone to North Yellowstone, arriving at the north entrance to the park with about an hour and a half to explore before sundown.

It might not be an entirely fair fight as the west entrance isn’t open to personal vehicles in the winter, but the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park is more grand and magnificent than the west (and much grander than I could have imagined).

It’s 100% worth spending some time in Gardiner so you can drive your own car into the park and soak up the beauty at every pull-off and overlook you’d like.

From the north entrance, you’ll also get to see and photograph Roosevelt Arch.

basalt arch entryway to park — Roosevelt Arch, North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park

Drive through Yellowstone National Park

The north entrance to Yellowstone is the only entrance open year-round. This means you can drive your own vehicle through Yellowstone National Park from this entrance only during winter months.

That’s one of the very first things we recommend you do after arriving in Gardiner. This 55-mile drive from the north entrance in Gardiner to the northeast entrance in Cooke City is magnificent!

Take in the views from the Gardiner River Bridge (particularly when driving back toward Gardiner) and the Icebox Canyon (between Lamar Valley and the Northeast Entrance). These are two of my favorite views when driving through Yellowstone in the winter.

After you arrive in Cooke City (passing through Yellowstone’s Northeast Entrance), grab a hot chocolate at Cooke City Coffee before turning around. (There are also public restrooms at the Visitor Center in Cooke City.)

Then, prepare for the views to get even better! Driving from Cooke City to Gardiner through the Icebox Canyon, you’ll see snow-dusted trees and grand snow-capped mountains, some of which seemingly just appear out of the sky.

We spent our first full day in Gardiner driving through North Yellowstone, watching for wildlife, and taking in the incredible views. We hopped out of the car to walk the open trails at the Mammoth Hot Springs and ate lunch in a pull-off overlooking Lamar Valley.

Then, at the end of the day, when the sun was going down, we enjoyed our drive back toward the town of Gardiner, looking so cozy and inviting while lit up in warm lights at the base of misty, snowy mountains. Driving through North Yellowstone is hands-down one of the best, most breathtaking things to do in Yellowstone National Park in the winter!

Visit the Mammoth Hot Springs

One of the best things to do in Yellowstone during the winter is tour the Mammoth Hot Springs. You can drive your own car to the parking lot and then enjoy a quiet boardwalk stroll through the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces.

It’s truly magical to have these trails and hot spring viewing sites to yourself. That’s a huge bonus to visiting Yellowstone in the winter, but it comes with a small tradeoff: Some trails will be closed when you’re visiting. This is one of the biggest things (alongside the weather) to remember about making a trip to Yellowstone in the winter. Some roads, trails, campgrounds, entrances, restaurants, etc., will be closed.

That’s part of the fun (or maybe, the adventure?) of visiting during this quieter time of the year though, so don’t fret when you stumble upon a closure notice. Listen to park rangers and abide by all signs to keep you and wildlife safe. And enjoy what is open and the front-row viewing access you’re provided!

We spent almost 40 minutes exploring the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces with no one else in sight. And the views really are incredible during the winter - the cold temperatures allow the steam on the hot springs to be even more pronounced, and when it’s cold enough, the steam from a hot spring will freeze along the boardwalk, creating a picture-perfect frost-lined winter wonderland.

P.S. Looking for a hot spring you can actually soak in after a day in the cold? Remember, the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park are NOT to be touched. However, you can drive about 10 minutes north of Gardiner to Yellowstone Hot Springs, a natural hot spring you can enter.

At the time of our winter visit, Yellowstone Hot Springs was open from Wednesday to Sunday and had three pools available for soaking: a soothing 102ºF average main pool, a hot plunge at around 104 degrees, and a cold plunge pool at around 65ºF. We really enjoyed an evening visit to Yellowstone Hot Springs after a day in the park!

Go Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing is a great way to explore Yellowstone National Park in the winter. You can hire a guide or rent/bring snowshoes to take a guided or self-guided snowshoe through the park.

If you love hiking, you’ll love snowshoeing! It’s an amazing way to get off the road and into the backcountry during the winter, and as opposed to hiking during summer months, you’ll likely have most of these snowshoe trails to yourself.

Snowshoeing is a little bit harder than hiking since you’re trekking through snow, but not by much, and your effort will be rewarded with stunning views you can’t get from the road.

We booked our snowshoe tour with Yellowstone Safari (ask for Gabrielle!) and met our guide in Gardiner. There, we boarded a snow-equipped van full of snacks, lunch, water bottles, binoculars, snowshoes and poles, and just about everything else we’d need for a fun day in the park. (We just brought our camera gear and wore long johns, wool socks, winter coats, waterproof pants, buffs, ear muffs/hats, and winter boots.)

Because you’ll drive through the park to get to your trailhead for snowshoeing, this tour doubles as a wildlife adventure. Our guide would stop every time we saw wildlife so we could take pictures, and she would regularly swap recommendations with other guides in her company, so we stayed up to date on any wildlife spottings. (This is actually how we saw three moose in Yellowstone National Park!)

After a morning driving through Yellowstone, taking pictures, and viewing wildlife, we snowshoed about two miles along the rim of a mountain to a hot spring overlook. It was gorgeous, and we REALLY enjoyed getting out of the car and into the backcountry to explore!

woman snowshoeing on mountain ridge — Feeling like we had the park to ourselves during our snowshoe hike. Our guide pointed out wolf tracks along the way!

Look for Wildlife

We found out one thing for sure during our winter trip to Yellowstone after talking to just about every wildlife watcher we could find (about a dozen): The best opportunity for viewing wildlife year-round is found in the north part of Yellowstone National Park.

If you want to see wildlife, go north.

During our winter trip, we saw a hibernating bear (well, we’re told we saw a hibernating bear because we were looking into a known hibernation den, but the bear was tucked in so well, we couldn’t actually make out what we were looking at, ha!)

We also saw the three canids of Yellowstone National Park: wolf, red fox, and coyote. (We also saw wolf, red fox, and coyote tracks! And heard both a coyote and a wolf howl. So cool!)

We saw 7 of the 8 hooved animals in Yellowstone National Park: white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, elk, pronghorn antelope (right near the North Entrance!), moose, bighorn sheep, and bison. (We saw three moose in total - from two different parts of the North park - and saw quite a few bighorn sheep on the very, very top of a mountain ridge at the Footbridge pull-off.) We did not see a mountain goat this trip, but I guess that just gives us something to look for when we head back later this year, right?

We saw both golden and bald eagles. And we rode next to bison on snowmobiles, watched bison graze while Old Faithful erupted, and saw bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, and coyotes cross the street in front of us (the latter of which crossed in front of us both while on snowmobiles and driving through the north part of the park).

Yellowstone National Park is one of the most amazing places in the United States to look for wildlife, and we absolutely loved this part of our trip!

Visiting in the winter, we had an easier time spotting wildlife (i.e. wolves that may camouflage otherwise), and we had better access to overlooks and pull-offs. Because winter in Yellowstone is one of the least crowded times of the year, you’ll have an easier time getting off the road and parking in a safe spot to look and watch for minutes (or hours) at a time.

Plus, you’ll probably get to meet official ‘Wolf Watchers’ and hear incredible stories from their years of tracking wildlife in Yellowstone.

In fact, that was one of our favorite things about visiting Yellowstone in the winter. We got to meet so many different people with incredible stories about what led them to visit Yellowstone during a season not many others do.

We met wildlife biologists a year out of college who were now working seasonal jobs with different parks, researching and doing fieldwork on various wildlife. We met a retired couple who recently spent three months on a road trip to and through Alaska. We met many wolf watchers who come to the park daily, monthly, and yearly to look for wolves. (We even met the very first Wolf Watcher in the park, Rick McIntyre, who has written many books on Yellowstone and is considered a leading expert on Yellowstone wolves.)

And so many of these wolf watchers were helpful, friendly, and willing to chat with us about their experiences in the park. They are a large reason we got to see wolves on our first winter trip to Yellowstone. (This is a HUGE deal because seeing wolves in the wild was on Jonathan’s bucket list!!! Want to read about our experience and learn more about wildlife watching in Yellowstone National Park? Soon you’ll be able to click here for a post by Jonathan on wildlife in Yellowstone.)

Visiting Yellowstone in the Winter is out of the norm — it’s quite the trip with planning, logistics, and unpredictable weather — so we met many people with interesting stories and backgrounds that led them here.

Here as in… to sometimes as low as -47 degree weather… where they’d then stand in the snow for hours on end… just waiting for a glimpse of a wolf or red fox in the snow.

We say 6 to 7 days is the perfect amount of time to visit Yellowstone in the winter and do everything thoroughly. However, if wildlife watching is high on your priority list, consider adding a few days to your trip to maximize your chances of seeing wolves and other animals. It’s truly a numbers game. Some wolf watchers saw 20 wolves the day before we arrived, then nothing for 2 days, then we saw a pack of 5 on our last day in town. The more days you have available to drive the park in search of wildlife, the better.

Learn more about wildlife watching in Yellowstone National Park here. (Post coming soon!)

After a morning spent looking for wildlife, consider the Wonderland Cafe for brunch and hot apple cider.

What to Pack / Wear to Visit Yellowstone in the Winter

Regular wolf watchers told us the year we visited (February 2023) was a “proper” Yellowstone winter, meaning the temperature and weather were closer to how the weather had been prior to the past two decades.

For the last 20 years or so, it hadn’t been as cold (on average), and there hadn’t been as much snow, they told us. (2023 saw days as cold as -47!)

But while you do want to pack warm for your trip, you don’t necessarily need a lot of luggage. Jon and I packed two carryons and brought two backpacks for one week in Yellowstone National Park.

My backpack was exclusively a camera bag, and Jon’s backpack was almost exclusively a camera and wildlife-viewing bag. (He had a go-pro, tripod, binoculars, and scope attachment in his bag with a few other miscellaneous items like wallets and keys.) All of our attire was in the two carryons.

Here’s what to pack for your winter trip to Yellowstone National Park. I’ll share what we’re glad we packed and a few items we wish we’d packed (and why).

Long johns (long sleeve top and bottoms)
Wool socks
Snow Pants/Waterproof Pants (especially if you want to be in the snow doing cross-country skiing or snowshoeing)
Sweat Pants
Light but warm jacket
Heavier snow jacket
Buff
Gloves*
Ear muffs/hats
Good winter boots*
One pair of pajamas
One post-exploration outfit (either one to relax in at home or one for dinners out if you plan on doing so - we typically ate right after our excursions in our winter gear, so we only brought one pair of shorts and a t-shirt for at-home relaxing)
Silicone rings if applicable (This one is because you’ll take your gloves on and off regularly for photos, and as you hop in and out of the car. Since you’re traveling during winter, your hands will likely be cold, and your fingers will likely shrink. You don’t want to lose your jewelry, so opt for a cheaper silicone band for your trip instead.)
Nail clippers/nail file (Nails can break more easily in colder temperatures, especially if you’re not used to it. So bring a nail file even if you’re going for a short amount of time and you’ll thank us later! We BOTH wished we had one because we experienced several broken nails we didn’t expect.)
Camera gear/scopes (If you’re interested in seeing wildlife, you can also rent cameras and scopes in Gardiner.)
Show shoes/cross-country skis (If you’re driving or you have your own gear, you may wish to bring it vs. renting. Otherwise, you can hire a guide who will bring all of the necessary gear, or you can rent show shoes in town.)
Sunglasses (Tinted snow goggles if you’re snowmobiling.)
Toiletries

*Invest in good boots, socks, and gloves if you want to watch for wildlife. You’ll spend a lot of time out of the car, not moving. (If you’re doing mostly drives or tours, you’ll hop in and out of the warm car/bus, so you’re probably fine with whatever winter boots and gloves you have in your closet.)

Is Winter the Best Time to Visit Yellowstone National Park?

During our visit, we asked almost everyone we met (including all of our tour guides) when was their favorite time of year in Yellowstone. And each said pretty much the exact same thing…

You’re in for a special treat visiting Yellowstone in the winter. It’s one of the most magical times of the year to be in the park. And once you see Yellowstone under a blanket of snow, you won’t want to see it any other way.

You’ve got winter wonderland views with the smallest crowds of the year, and sometimes it feels like you have Yellowstone National Park all to yourself during the months of December, January, and February.

That said (our guides and the locals would all continue in the same way)… Each season in Yellowstone is unique. There’s no bad day to be in the park. The best time to visit Yellowstone truly depends on what you want to do and see.

For example, want to see the full colors of Yellowstone, including the Grand Prismatic Springs? Visit in the summer. The colors are too muted to view in winter months. Want to see bear and wolf cubs playing? Visit in the Spring (mid-May). Want to snowmobile through Yellowstone or have the best luck spotting wolves? Visit in the winter.

The best time of year to visit depends on the experience you want to have. (Psst. As we visit Yellowstone each season in the 2023 calendar year, we’ll break down what to expect and how to pick the best month for your visit. Check back each season for updates!)

If your heart is set on a winter wonderland, all of our guides were right - Yellowstone under a blanket of snow is absolutely magical.

But here’s what I’d add if you’re thinking about planning a winter trip.

Is it worth it to put a Yellowstone winter on your bucket list? 100%. No question. But would I plan my first trip to Yellowstone in the winter? Probably not. Roads are closed, campgrounds are closed, and if you want to see as much of Yellowstone as possible, you’ll need a large budget to book things like snowmobile tours, snowcoaches, and snowshoe trips.

We suggest your first trip to Yellowstone take place in the summer or fall so you can see Yellowstone in its fullest, most colorful glory. And then, when you fall in love with America’s first national park (and you will), plan your winter trip next!