Out of Ditch - A Winter Trip to Yellowstone NP

[Tom Kellie]

~ @ice

 

Thank you for this first-class trip report.

 

I enjoyed everything. The photos, the comments, the sense of reality without gilding.

 

What a pleasant surprise to see Kölner Dom at the finish.

 

May your future travels in 2019 be as fulfilling as your visit to the United States was.

 

Tom K.

[Zubbie15]

Thanks for sharing this report @ice, I’ve been to Grand Teton in summer so it’s interesting to see how different the area looks in winter. Some year when I have a few extra vacation days to use I hope to go during the winter.

[ice]

2 hours ago, Zubbie15 said:

Thanks for sharing this report @ice, I’ve been to Grand Teton in summer so it’s interesting to see how different the area looks in winter. Some year when I have a few extra vacation days to use I hope to go during the winter.

 

During my research I was surprised to find out that Grand Teton ranks at number 9 among the most popular national parks in the US, ahead of much bigger (and more famous) parks like Joshua Tree, Bryce Canyon or Arches. 

[ice]

4 hours ago, Tom Kellie said:

~ @ice

 

May your future travels in 2019 be as fulfilling as your visit to the United States was.

 

Tom K.

 

One of our next holidays will be a return trip to the US, now including Canada. The itinerary is as follows:

 

Chicago

Amtrak to Seattle

Vancouver

Vancouver Island

Wells Gray

Jasper

Banff

New York

[Tom Kellie]

Just now, ice said:

One of our next holidays will be a return trip to the US, now including Canada. The itinerary is as follows:

Chicago

Amtrak to Seattle

 

~ @ice

 

WOW!

 

The Amtrak Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle's King Street Station is one of America's highlights.

 

I'm thrilled to know that you'll experience that. As a child, I took that route many times.

 

The views in the upper Vista-dome car were magnificent, especially passing through western Montana.

 

My family owned a large tract of ocean front forested land facing Vancouver Island across the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

 

What a lovely part of the world to visit! I'll look forward to someday seeing those images.

 

Thank you for telling this.

 

Tom K.

[Zubbie15]

2 hours ago, ice said:

 

One of our next holidays will be a return trip to the US, now including Canada. The itinerary is as follows:

 

Chicago

Amtrak to Seattle

Vancouver

Vancouver Island

Wells Gray

Jasper

Banff

New York

 

We spent 9 nights in Banff and Jasper last year, very beautiful part of the world.  I was a little underwhelmed with the mammals we saw, but we may have just been unlucky (and we spent a lot of time on landscape photography, which reduced our mammal searching time).   You’ll have a great trip - I want to get back to Vancouver Island  sometime, we didn’t see much more than Victoria, which was a shame.

[ice]

CONCLUSION, Part 1

 

- Disclaimer -

 

The following final thoughts are those of a person who has visited Yellowstone thrice: twice in summer and once in winter. As mentioned throughout my report, I usually travel to Africa, so for me comparing these experiences stands to reason. I am quite aware that some of those who visit the area regularly will most likely have very different opinions.

 

I believe there are at least three different reasons why one might visit Yellowstone in winter:

 

- to see the landscape and the animals in a completely different environment

- to get away from the summer crowds

- to experience a true winter holiday.

 

Me, I was hoping to see wolves and since a lot of folks told me that winter offers the best chances to achieve that the goal, I went for it. Also, the area where I live does not have winters like WY and MT has; we do get a few inches of snow here and there and see the temperature drop well below freezing point, but periods like these are the exeption from the rule and usually only last for a few days. I was since also looking forward to a winter WY / MT style. Prior to departure I had to buy a "real" winter outfit: jacket, trousers, boots and gloves (all used, though, since I am not sure if / when I will need them again).

 

Especially for my time in Jackson I added typical tourist activities: a sleigh ride through the Elk Refuge, a dog sled tour to Granite Springs and a snow mobile tour through Bridger-Teton. While I enjoyed all of them (two more, one less), none of them were that grand that I feel I must repeat them, no matter what.

 

Travelling in winter means that you are never really alone and that you must stick to travel times that are offered to you. Regarding the transfers and the activities inside the park, there is no competition whatsoever: Scenic Safaris gets you into the Park (if coming from the south), Xanterra drives you around and transfers you to the Northern Entrance. In the end a big chunk of your itinerary is predetermined by these companies and their schedules. I understand the need and I am not criticizing, I just point something that imho has to be considered when contemplating a similiar trip. It is certainly a big difference to a self drive trip, be it to Yellowstone in summer or to Africa.

 

Planning a winter trip takes up a lot of time, too, even though it's usually fairly easy. Some modules have to be booked as soon as possible (like accomodation at OFSN and the dog sled tour at Jackson), others (like the Elk Refuge) can most likely be reserved on a short notice. Regarding the transfers, I am not sure: we were 2 passengers in a 16 seater from Jackson to Flagg Ranch, about 10 passengers in a snow coach from Flagg Ranch to OFSL, about 30 passengers (spread over 3 different snow coaches) from OFSL to MHS and then 3 in a regular sized bus from MHS to Bozeman.

 

[Peter Connan]

Thank you for a very interesting and beautiful trip report!

[ice]

CONCLUSION, Part 2

 

The crowds - there is no doubt at all that Yellowstone in winter is (must be) much less crowded than in summer, simply because the the number of beds and the number roads open to the public are restricted. According to official statistics 96 % of the 4,1 annual million visitors come between April ands October and a mere 4 % during the other half of the year.  And yet, personally, I found OFSL a tad bit crowded so I am quite happy that I had made the decision to stay in the cabins. They are slightly more private, out in the woods (meaning wildlife is in theory nearby) and certainly not smaller than the rooms at the lodge.

 

However, once you leave the area around the lodge, you will really feel the emptiness. I would assume that once MHS Hotel has re-opened again, the North (with the addition of the self drivers coming in from Gardiner) will see more visitors than the South and West.

 

The Winter Experience - that's what I probably loved most, especially in the mornings and evenings, when it was dark. The stark contrast between the black sky and the white snow, the muffled sounds...brilliant. However for me it was all the more beautiful when the sun was out and the black sky was replaced by a crystal blue sky. During my stay I only had three clear mornings and these were the moments the ones I enjoyed most.

 

The Weather - everybody I met, be it in Jackson, at Old Faithful or in Gardiner, kept on telling me how mild this winter had been so far and how little snow had fallen. For me, used to even milder German winters, it was cold enough, especially on that first day in Jackson. Depending on where you come from, I could imagine that a "real" WY / MT winter will have a stark (most likely negative) influence on your experience, because no matter what and how many layers you wear, sooner or later you will be cold. And of course heavy snow fall will interfere with your Wildlife Viewing - again it will depend where you come from and where you have travelled to in the past.

 

From my experience, the only animals you are guaranteed to see in decent numbers and from close up are bison and elk and maybe bighorn sheep. Me, I was lucky enough to spot coyotes, moose, an otter and even a few wolves, too. However, all these latter sightings were brief and quite distant, nothing I'd find worth mentioning on a trip to Africa. So keep your expectations low and appreciate whatever mother nature will present to you.

 

[Tom Kellie]

41 minutes ago, ice said:

 So keep your expectations low and appreciate whatever mother nature will present to you.

 

~ @ice

 

Wise words.

 

That's the ideal approach to heading outdoors into field observation. 

 

Minimal expectations but alert eyes.

 

Your writing style fits my taste. Reading your comments above was like reading the epilogue in a fine book.

 

Again, thank you.

 

Tom K.

[ice]

thanks, @Tom Kellie

[xelas]

That was one very interesting trip, and equally interesting trip report. 

[Atravelynn]

Excellent, active report.  You did it all.  I kept wondering when the ditch part would come.  I am glad you were not hurt, it was not too much of an expense, and it did not disrupt your travels a lot.  It's good you could see the ditch incident as part of the adventure.  Your camera came out unscathed as evidenced by your many beautiful photos.