Yellowstone Winter Activities + Travel Tips
If you’re looking for a once in a lifetime experience, we recommend planning a Yellowstone winter vacation! There are many Yellowstone winter activities to experience the park this time of year: snowcoach and snowmobile tours, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and more!
It’s surreal to see the park covered in a blanket of snow with billowing steam and mist from the geysers. And that snow, frost and mist that cover the landscape and wildlife result in amazing Yellowstone winter photography.
This Yellowstone National Park travel guide gives you all the information you need to plan a winter trip: services and lodging available, road status, weather, and more!
The top reason we enjoy visiting Yellowstone in the winter is the unique experience you can’t get anywhere else! Yellowstone is a destination like no other, and with limited ways to enter the park during the winter months, you can enjoy the quiet and serenity.
We live only hours away and visit Yellowstone often. The tips we share are based on our experiences visiting the park during the winter. Our number one tip is to pack and wear winter clothes so you can enjoy your time in the park!! Grab your free Yellowstone winter packing list by clicking the image below!
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Yellowstone Winter Packing List
READ all about packing for a winter vacation in Yellowstone!
- Insulted boots – Baffin winter boots are amazing!!
- Darn Tough heavy wool socks
- Wicking and quick-drying base layers
- Columbia fleece jackets are our favorite!
- Insulated winter jacket – to layer atop the fleece jacket for the cold mornings and evenings, trust us!
- Winter hat
- Winter gloves
- Rechargeable hand warmers
- Fleece neck gaiter
What It’s Like at Yellowstone in the Winter
The top reason we enjoy visiting Yellowstone in the winter is the unique experience you can’t get anywhere else!
Yellowstone is a destination like no other, and in the winter it’s even more so with steaming geysers amid a snowy landscape. With limited ways to enter the park, you can enjoy the quiet and serenity.
Cell service in and around Yellowstone can be spotty in some parts and non-existent in other parts.
If you stay in park lodging, there are no televisions, radios, or Wi-Fi at the hotels in order to provide guests the most authentic wilderness experience. Check out our list of Yellowstone winter lodging ideas.
Because cell coverage is not reliable, it is a good idea to make proper preparations ahead of time. Print directions and reservations information prior to departure, or save them on a device that can be accessed offline.
Yellowstone Services in the Winter
Mammoth Hot Springs to the Northeast Entrance is the only part of the park open to wheeled vehicles in the winter. The road is open up to Cooke City, Montana, after which the road is closed (no through-traffic to Red Lodge, Montana or Cody, Wyoming). Services are very limited between Mammoth Hot Springs and Cooke City, Montana.
Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt areas:
- Albright Visitor Center
- General Store
- Mammoth Campground
- Mammoth Clinic
- Post Office
- Mammoth and Tower-Roosevelt Service Stations – credit card fueling only 24-hours
Old Faithful area:
- Old Faithful Snow Lodge
- Old Faithful Visitor Education Center
- Old Faithful and Grant Service Stations – credit card fueling only 24-hours
Canyon Area:
- Canyon Yurt Camp
- Canyon and Fishing Bridge Service Stations – credit card fueling only 24-hours
Warming Huts available in the winter:
- Canyon Visitor Education Center Lobby
- Fishing Bridge
- Indian Creek
- Madison
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Old Faithful Yurts
- West Thumb
Always check the Yellowstone operating hours and seasons for the most updated information.
Yellowstone Roads in the Winter
In the winter all roads except from the north entrance in Gardiner to the northeast entrance in Cooke City are closed. Be sure to read the fall and winter Yellowstone road closure dates for the most updated year-to-year information.
You can access the park from West Yellowstone and the south entrance near Grand Teton by snow coach tours, snowshoeing, cross country skiing or snowmobile tours.
Is Winter a Good Time to Visit Yellowstone?
A Yellowstone winter vacation isn’t for everyone. Check out our guide for finding the best time to visit Yellowstone National Park. Each season and month of the year will have different activities and services available.
Here’s a breakdown of what to expect each month during the winter at Yellowstone:
Yellowstone Weather in the Winter
The weather during the winter months in Yellowstone can be unpredictable and constantly changing. Check the Yellowstone weather daily so you’re prepared for the conditions.
Temperatures range from 0 to 20 degrees F during the winter. At night and at higher elevations, temperatures can dip below 0!
Yellowstone Winter Activities
Winter in Yellowstone is not your ordinary vacation. In the winter the roads open to oversnow travel only via snowmobile, snowcoach, snowshoe and cross-country ski.
Here are some fun things to do at Yellowstone National Park in the winter.
Yellowstone Winter Tours
You’ll find a variety of winter tours at Yellowstone National Park. Many of the tours will provide hotel pick up and drop-off. Most Yellowstone winter tours do NOT include gratuity for the guide.
Yellowstone National Park may require all guests to pay the entrance fee or show your National Park pass.
We enjoyed traveling along Yellowstone’s snow-covered roads in a bomardier snowcoach. There were no streams of cars, RVs or tour buses crowding the roads. If you’ve ever visited Yellowstone in the summer, you know this is a welcome change.
You’ll find Yellowstone winter tours to explore the park by snowshoes, skis, snowmobiles or snowcoaches!
Cross-country Skiing and Snowshoeing at Yellowstone
All unplowed roads and trails are open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Here’s a list of Yellowstone ski and snowshoe trails by region.
Canyon Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Canyon Rim, Cascade Lake, North Rim, Old Canyon Bridge, Roller Coaster
Mammoth Hot Springs Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Bighorn Loop, Bunsen Peak, Indian Creek, Sheepeater, Snow Pass, Upper Terrace Loop
Northeast Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Bannock, Barronette, Pebble Creek
Old Faithful Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Black Sand Basin, Divide, Fairy Falls, Fern Cascades, Lone Star Geyser, Mallard Creek, Mallard Lake, Observation Point Loop, Spring Creek
Tower Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Blacktail Plateau, Chittenden Loop, Lost Lake, Tower Fall, Yancey’s Hole
West Yellowstone Ski & Snowshoe Trails: Bighorn Pass, Black Butte, Daly Creek, Fawn Pass, Gneiss Creek, Riverside, Specimen
Snowmobiling at Yellowstone
The road between Mammoth Hot Springs and the northeast entrance is the only road in the park open to regular traffic all year long. All other roads in the park close in early November to prepare for the winter season.
By mid-December when enough snow accumulates on the roads, they open to “oversnow” travel only. This means the only way to visit Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and other areas in the park during the winter is by guided snowmobile or snowcoach.
In addition to the tours listed above, here’s a list of more authorized tour companies for snowmobile and snowcoach tours.
- See Yellowstone Alpen Guides – we LOVE the bomardier snowcoach tours
- Backcountry Adventures
- Old Faithful Snowmobile Tours
- Scenic Safaris
- Yellowstone Expeditions
Yellowstone Winter Photography
The winter landscape at Yellowstone is covered in a blanket of snow. There is frost on the trees and mist rising from the geysers. You’ll be taking a ton of Yellowstone National Park winter pictures!!
Be ready with your WINTER camera gear to capture images of the landscape and wildlife as you drive along the road, or ski along the trails. We especially love photography gloves and rechargeable hand warmers!
We recommend you book a Yellowstone snowcoach that offers photo tours where there is flexibility to stop and take pictures at any time.
One of our favorite stops in the park was visiting Grand Prismatic where we captured the reflection of the winter landscape and rising steam in the water.
Wildlife at Yellowstone in the Winter
The animals who call Yellowstone National Park home are even more exciting to watch in the snowy landscape. Winter is one of the best times to visit Yellowstone for wildlife!
We love to photograph the contrast of the white snow against the dark hair of the animal. You’ll see the bison plow away the snow with their massive heads.
In the winter, the northern range and Lamar Valley are the best places to see wildlife in Yellowstone National Park.
Be sure to have the right camera and lens to capture animals that are in the distance:
