Christmas trip to Yellowstone

<p>We are trying to plan a Christmas trip to Yellowstone and not sure where to start. I understand that only the northern road is open during the winter. So, if we stayed in Jackson Hole, how would we access the park? Is the Grand Teton park open during the winter? I see that the Snow Lodge in Yellowstone is open during that week, but we'd rather not stay there the whole time. Can we travel from Jackson to Yellowstone during the winter or would we have to drive around to the west and to Mammoth? It would be great to spend part of the time in Jackson, visiting the Elk Refuge, etc. and then up to Yellowstone for snowmobiling and wildlife and landscape shots. Also, are there any recommendations on where to stay during the winter in that area? Thanks!</p>

<p>You are correct that the only road kept open in winter is the road from the Roosevelt gate (northwest) over the Lamar Valley, and that is probably subject to change if the budget issues still exist at holiday time. Staying outside the Roosevelt gate is possible, but Gardiner MT doesn't sound like what you are looking for.</p>

<p>The Grand Teton park is open in winter, but not all roads are plowed. The road that runs north-south in the center of the valley (US89) will be kept open, but the road on the west side of the valley will only be open as far as the area of Teton Glacier Turnout. You won't be able to get to Jenny Lake and beyond except on foot (or ski). Still, the elk refuge will be accessible and there are plenty of photo-friendly places available.</p>

<p>Winter accommodations: plenty in Jackson, but you'll be competing with skiers, so make reservations early. All different prices and levels of luxury - Google can help a lot. Also outside the park is West Yellowstone MT, immediately outside the west gate. Quite a bit of motel space, some interesting and good local restaurants, but the only way into the park is on a snow coach tour. They offer two - the geyser basin tour and the canyon tour. We've taken both and they are excellent. Again Google can help with details. You can also arrange snowmobile excursions into the park from W Yellowstone. All snowmobiling in the park is strictly controlled these days - you'll only be able to go as part of an accompanied tour where the tour limits speeds and controls the route.</p>

<p>The Snow Lodge is also accessed by snow coach, but from the south gate. You drive up thru Jackson Hole to Flagg Ranch. The ranch is closed in winter, but the snow coaches use the parking lot. There you leave your car, transfer your stuff to the snow coach, and then you are driven into the park to the lodge. Once there, you can get around on foot, snowshoe or X-country skis. I don't know if snow coach tours can be arranged from there - there weren't any in 2007, but that easily could have changed. Again, Google is your friend. BTW, the Snow Lodge is a nice place. I've also seen snowmobile tours that enter thru the south gate, probably arranged in Jackson, but I have no specific info on that.</p>

<p>It sounds like you could be happy dividing your stay between Jackson and the Snow Lodge. Naturally, the amount of snow they get will vary tremendously, and the more the better for the in-the-park experience. I've been to Yellowstone in all 4 seasons and I can say with some authority that winter is magical there - I highly recommend it.</p>

<p>If you'll be out taking picture in the park, take precautions to make sure you have useful battery capacity. I dressed in layers like everyone advised, with the innermost layer being a pocket T shirt. I kept a spare battery in that pocket, inside and close to the body to keep it warm. When the cold caused the battery in the camera to get low, I swapped them, putting the warm battery in to use in the camera and putting the cold one into the warm environment where it would recover. Worked like a charm.</p>

<p>If you find yourself in a position to take a snow coach tour, take your camera gear including a tripod. The coach drivers/tour guides were very accommodating for picture taking - they've seen it before.</p>

<p>I'm jealous of your trip - like I said, the place is magical in winter.</p>

 

<p>The only road open is from Gardiner (the north entrance) out to Cooke City. There is not problem with that road being closed due to budget issues as it is the only access to Cooke City during the winter. Jackson would be a poor choice to spend the whole time, since the only access to the park is via snowmobile or snowcoach. Staying in West Yellowstone is a better base for exploring the area of Old Faithful and a large part of the other major geothermal features in the park -- it is a long way from Jackson to Old Faithful, Fountain Paint Pots and lots of other cool stuff. It is probably worth it to stay at the Snow Lodge for a night or two. </p>

<p>On the north Gardiner or Livingston are good places to base operations out of. The Mammoth area is interesting and there, or at least used to be, people who operated snowcoaches out of there which would allow you access to Norris a very interesting area. Also from Gardiner/Livingston/Bozeman you can easily get to the Lamar Valley which generally hosts pretty good Bison herds during the winter. For my money, I'd split my time between West Yellowstone and Livingston (or Bozeman, but then I live there) as Gardiner is pretty dead during the winter.</p>

<p>You might want to bump around search engines.....I saw a local blog for the NP and the area. It had the latest warnings, road closures, happenings, etc etc....all from local pov. You'd likely get some good hints from that.</p>

<p>Good luck and enjoy your trip.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>Thanks so much for this great info. I agree with the idea of splitting our time including part of the time at the snow lodge. As much as we love Jackson Hole considering the distance it may be smarter to go with either West Yellowstone or Mammoth. I've not been to Livingston but will look into that option as well. Now I'm getting excited!</p>

 

<p>We've decided to stay in Jackson Hole for most of our trip and take the snowcoach to the Snow Lodge for a couple days. While in Jackson, we should expect to see quite a lot of wildlife correct? Will the best viewing and shooting opportunities still be in the morning and early evening or should we expect more activity during mid-day? I'm hearing that we can expect quite a few moose in the area around Jackson and possibly even in the town. What about snow tires? Since we're driving in from Texas should we rent a car with snow tires once we arrive in Jackson or is that not necessary? As always, thanks for any tips!</p>

<p>Well, only 9 days until we leave on our winter adventure. Normally, when we drive to Jackson from Texas, we drive cross country via Raton Pass. However, driving in winter we are considering staying on interstates more due to possible issues with snow. We'd head up I-35 to I-70 and across to Jackson The time difference only seems to be about an hour (according to Mapquest). I think the most challenging part will be as we get within a couple hours of Jackson driving through the mountains. Any thoughts/advise? Have any of your driven that way in winter and, if so, do you recommend tire chains? Thanks!!</p>

<p>I'd check with the highway patrols and park service for the areas you'll be visiting. Regulations and restrictions change from state to state.</p>