Winter in Yellowstone Means One Thing: Wolf-Spotting

Head west to get up close and personal with America’s Big Five.

Most people head out to the Wild West in barren wintertime for one thing only : ski some of the best terrain North America has to offer ( we ’re look at you , Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ) . But what most traveller do n’t actualise is that Yellowstone in the winter is a wholly different way to receive the earth ’s firstnational ballpark . It ’s snowcapped , it ’s crude , and it ’s full of wildlife . While the bear are fussy hibernating , there ’s a whole world of fuzzy critters lurking in the picturesque , frozen wonderland — and tough gray wolves that nearly move nonextant from the park in the 1920s .

The most rewarding mode toexplore Yellowstonewhen it morph into winter mode is by enter on a six - 24-hour interval wolk - trek safari withJackson Hole EcoTour Adventures . “ watch a wildcat in the wilderness bring me back in clock time , ” says founder Taylor Phillips . The hoary wildcat were re-introduce toYellowstone National Parkin 1995 after being eliminate for nearly 70 years . As ofDecember 2021 , close to 95 wolf with eight trenchant treaty were distinguish . “ To see them move across the landscape painting and yammer in the distance kibosh the clock , ” says Phillips . “ The rest of the earth becomes peanut . ”

nickname the American Serengeti , Yellowstone ’s ecosystem propose an exciting raiment of scenery and wildlife , including its very own Big Five — grizzly bear , bison , wolves , elk , and moose — and you do n’t have to pilot across the world to receive it . This specific tour starts and ends inBozeman , Montana , an up - and - coming ski Ithiel Town , which has direct flight of steps out of cities like Atlanta , Nashville , Charlotte , Chicago , Dallas , and New York City . By fall , you ’ll be fall out with a naturalist guide over a snug dinner in Bozeman to train for the workweek ’s adventure forward .

wolf in the snow

David Osborn/Shutterstock

This Cute Ski Town Is the Gateway to Yellowstone and a Winter Paradise

National Parks, hot springs, mountain lodges, and the best steak tartare pizza ever.

How to get there and where to stay

You might wonder what it ’s like to get to Yellowstone in the winter . Driving in the nose candy , you ask ? Not a opportunity as a tourist , nor would you ever want to . WhileYellowstone is unfastened to visitors year - around , it ’s backbreaking to navigate in the colder month due to the overweening snowfall ( think on mean 150 column inch or more ) . Most roads close-fitting for the time of year in early October and the only means in or out is via snowmobile , snowcoach travel , and vehicles with mountain chain . Maybe you ’ll get a bit ofThe Shiningvibes , but in a 2.2 million Accho park instead of a deserted mountain hotel .

For lovely lodging , you could go between theElementin Bozeman , with easy access to the park , andMammoth Hot Springs Hotel , an iconic hotel establish in the 1930s and one of the first lordly hotels built inside of a national ballpark . The sumptuosity of staying here is that you do n’t have to leave the park when the sun goes down , and if you ’re lucky , might spot wapiti grazing around the hotel . Not many can boast seeing a sky full of stars on a open evening in Yellowstone .

The Coolest Things to Do in Yellowstone, Any Time of Year

Wake up early to see the most animals

If you ’re not a sunrise mortal , you ’ll quickly learn to be one with a French Press of pre - sunrise coffee before clear your way into the Lamar Valley — the most prominent place to spot wolf . The animals ’ eyeshade playtime is dawn and dusk , throw it closely impossible to spot them unless you ’re in the thick of the Mungo Park before first light or at sundown . Most the great unwashed enjoyavery longday misstep into Yellowstone , but the magic take place when all that ’s leave to see is the terse Baron Snow of Leicester crunching underneath your snowshoe .

Josh Metten , a fourth-year Naturalist with Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures , has antecedently spotted the 16 - fellow member Junction Butte wolf pack galavanting through the Charles Percy Snow . “ We excitedly watched as the pack tested a herd of bison , walking within a few feet of the giant creature , ” say Metton . “ Wolves are course predators , preferring to visibly near prey , looking and smelling for weakness before choosing a target . ” This time around , the bison were tidy and impregnable , so the wildcat moved along .

“ To see the wolves in their natural habitat is a really wonderful and intimate experience , ” says Phillips . “ There ’s a bear hideout that ’s seeable with a recognise telescope . Last yr and at the start of this hibernating time of year , the bear ’s head was horn in out , ” Phillips notes . “ It ’s really a fun sighting . ”

wolf in the snow

Jackson Hole EcoTour Adventures

Spend the afternoon refueling and learning

If you ’re in the northern part of Yellowstone , head to Cooke City , population 77 - ish ( probablywayless in winter ) , for a lunch break atMiners Saloon . This Gold Rush - inspired tavern offers fuss - free food and craft beer . After luncheon , a journeying into the parking lot in hunting of elk , bighorn sheep , and mountain goats on the elevation of the Absaroka Mountains is on the agenda — follow by an evening campaign in hunt of a brute ingroup .

afterward in the day , during a presentation by a Yellowstone wolf biologist , you ’ll become even more fascinated by these creatures after realise their habit . Metten points out how there ’s a “ disproportionate influence of older wolves over the years of five age on multitude achiever , ” and that packs with old wolves are more probable to succeed territorial difference with other pack . “ The onetime wildcat was more valuable than even a liberal , unattackable , younger male in these difference of opinion , ” he tote up .

Answer the Call of the Wild with These Amazing (and Ethical) Animal Encounters

We scoured the planet for the safest places to mingle with wildlife.

Take in other winter sights

have the parking lot to yourself in peak winter is the real award . expend a week in Yellowstone will give you a newfound appreciation for the park ’s ecosystem , filled with diverse wildlife , eruct geysers , rivers , sharp jagged peaks , wood , alpine tundras , and more . In add-on to identifying and tracking various wildlife , the naturalist guide will unveil tidbit about the area ’s geology , history , environmental science , biology , as well as current political issues .

“ In winter you get the best of both worlds — you get to be intimate with wolves and also explore the interior of Yellowstone National Park via a SnowCoach , ” says Phillips . To see Old Faithful erupt in wintertime , on the blow - brood walkways of Biscuit Basin and Fountain Paint Pots — which are wildly overcrowded in summertime — is otherworldly . “ It ’s just awesome , ” Phillips say . While Phillips offer class - daily round excursions and safaris that are superb , a wintertime visit is a big check on the bucket lean .