We wanted to see Yellowstone National Park in the winter and from our base at Amangani, outside of Jackson, snowmobiling sounded like a good way to do it. The concierge made the reservations so we were set to go the following day.
Bright and early the next morning we drove up to the park entrance and met with our snowmobile guide. He equipped
us with the warm suits, helmets, gloves and new Arctic Cat snowmobiles. After a little instruction, we started up our snowmobiles and away we went.
The plan was travel through Snow covered Yellowstone and get to Old Faithful and see it in action. Along the way there was lots to see, Hot Springs, Elk, herds of Buffalo, Wolf tracks, beautiful vistas and much more.
 |
| Resting Buffalo |
The snow covered roads in Yellowstone Park are wide and nicely groomed. They’re the main roads that all vehicles use during the summer and are the snowmobile trails during the winter months. The speed limit is 45mph.
The first main area you come to is the West Thumb junction. This is about 29 miles from the south entrance. Continuing on for about another 17 miles you get to the world renowned Old Faithful Geyser.
 |
| Old Faithful |
We parked our snowmobiles and walked to viewing area. The guide timed it right and as predicted, Old Faithful erupted in all its glory. Quite dramatic in the winter due to the large amounts of steam produced in the cold air. In about 2 minutes it was over and after a hot drink at the lodge, it was back to the snowmobiles.
During the drive back we stopped at the Continental Divide. We then pushed on and got back to the car before dark for the drive back to Amangani.
All in all, we had a fantastic time and this is a great way to see Yellowstone National Park in the winter. It was quite a treat, highly recommended!
Check out the rest of my blog posts . . . http://bit.ly/iDqzWB
You have made my day! My husband and I were in Yellowstone this past August and I have been thinking about it ever since - mostly, what does it look like in winter and what is the experience of Old Faithful in the snow. We kept seeing signs that indicated the places where snowmobiles were and were not allowed, so we assumed it was possible to get around at least some of the park. Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Glad to make your day. Yellowstone is amazing in the winter. If you can get to the Lamar Valley by snowmobile it is really the essence of emptiness - white, quiet and more than the mind can take in. Very Zen.
Delete