Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [413]
Winter Sports & Activities
The average snowfall in a Yellowstone winter is nearly 50 inches, creating a beautiful setting for sightseers and a wonderful resource for outdoor winter recreation. The steaming hot pools and geysers generate little islands of warmth and attract not just tourists but wildlife as well. Frozen thermal vapors transform nearby trees into "snow ghosts." Bison become frosted, shaggy beasts, easily spotted as they take advantage of the more accessible vegetation on the thawed ground. Yellowstone Lake's surface freezes to an average thickness of 3 feet, creating a vast ice sheet that sings and moans as the huge plates of ice shift. But the ice is thinner where hot springs come up on the lake bottom, and you'll see otter surfacing at the breaks in the ice. Waterfalls become astounding pieces of frozen sculpture.
Only two of the park's hostelries, Mammoth Hot Springs and the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, provide accommodations from December through March, as does Flagg Ranch, just outside the park's south entrance. The only road that's open for cars is the Mammoth Hot Springs–Cooke City Road. Most visitors these days come into Yellowstone in winter from the west or south by snow coach or snowmobile.
For additional information on all of the following winter activities and accommodations, as well as snow-coach reservations, contact Yellowstone National Park Lodges (☎ 307/344-7311). For more information on snow-coach tours, see "Organized Tours & Ranger Programs," earlier in this chapter.
The Yellowstone Association Institute (☎ 307/344-2294) offers winter courses in various areas in the park. Past offerings have included 3-day classes
devoted to wintertime photography, cross-country skiing, and wolf ecology.
Cross-Country Skiing. The Old Faithful area has 40 miles of cross-country trails, including the popular Lonestar Geyser Trail, an 8-mile trail in a remote setting that starts at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge; and the Fern Cascades trail, which winds for 3 miles through a rolling woodland landscape on a short loop close to the Old Faithful area. In the Mammoth area, try the Upper Geyser Basin and Biscuit Basin trail, which some say is the best in Yellowstone, though it may take an entire day to negotiate.
Equipment rentals (about $15 per day), ski instruction ($25 per person for a group lesson), ski shuttles to various locations, and guided ski tours are available at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Prices for half-day guided excursions (two-person minimum) start at around $60 per person.
Ice-Skating. The Mammoth Hot Springs ice rink is behind the Mammoth Hot Springs Recreation Center. On a crisp winter's night, you can rent skates and glide across the ice while seasonal melodies play over the PA system. It's cold out there, but a warming fire is at the rink's edge.
Snowmobiling. Roads that are jammed with cars during the summer fill with
bison and snowmobiles during the winter. In deference to the shaggy road warriors, moderate speed limits are strictly enforced, but this is still an excellent way to sightsee at your own pace. A driver's license is required for rental ($170 for a single rider, $180 per day for two at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or Old Faithful Snow Lodge), as is a guide ($215 per group for a custom day trip, rentals not included, or $210 per person for a regularly scheduled trip, rental included). A helmet is included with the snowmobile rental, and you can rent a clothing package for protection against the bitter cold. Warming huts are at Mammoth, Indian Creek, Canyon, Madison, West Thumb, and Fishing Bridge. They offer snacks, a hot cup of coffee or chocolate, and an excellent opportunity to recover from a chill. A caution: Keep an eye on snow conditions. Although it's true that snowmobile trails are groomed for travel, when snow cover is scanty, a normally