Are you wondering what to do this winter after hunting season? Instead of simply waiting for next fall, I have a suggestion — why don’t you consider visiting Yellowstone National Park this winter.
Snowcoach, snowmobile, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing tours will start leaving Mammoth and West Yellowstone on Dec. 15. These tours of Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone will run until March 15. You will need to make your reservations early. Immediately would not be too soon.
The snowcoach tour I’m most familiar with starts at the West Entrance in West Yellowstone and proceeds 14 miles east along the Madison River toward the Madison Junction. The Madison Junction area is a great place to see buffalo and elk.
At that point we turn south to travel 16 miles to Old Faithful. Along the way, we check out Firehole Canyon and Firehole Falls.
This route follows part of Chief Joseph’s route along the Firehole River and winds through the Lower Geyser Basin, the Midway Geyser Basin, Biscuit Basin, Black Sand Basin and the Upper Geyser Basin. Ultimately, we end up at Old Faithful.
The steam from all the geysers, especially Old Faithful, are really spectacular in the winter.
In addition, wildlife is abundant along this route. Waterfowl, including ducks, mergansers, mallards, coots and others can be seen. Geese are also prominent.
Trumpeter Swans are very common. Maternity herds and bachelor groups of bison feed all winter in the meadows, as do bull and cow elk. Wolves and coyotes also frequent this area in the winter.
Restrooms are located at Seven Mile Bridge and at the warming hut at Madison Junction.
The snowcoach returns to West Yellowstone by the same route, so if you didn’t see something, maybe you will see it on the way back. The Stage Coach Inn and the Branding Iron Motel, as well as several other motels, are available for lodging in West Yellowstone. There are also several good restaurants, as well as fast food places like McDonald’s.
As mentioned above, there are also snowcoach tours of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. You can also rent a snowmobile and take a guided tour of the Gallatin National Forest, as well as Yellowstone itself.
If you are interested in more information on snowcoach tours of Yellowstone Park, call 877-600-4308 or visit www.visityellowstonepark.com/snow-coach.
Smokey Merkley was raised in Idaho and has been hunting since he was 10 years old. He was a member of the faculty of Texas A&M University for 25 years. There he taught orienteering, marksmanship, self-defense, fencing, scuba diving and boxing. He was among the first DPS-certified Texas Concealed Handgun Instructors. He can be contacted at mokeydo41245@hotmail.com.
