Yellowstone in Winter - The Parks are Calling

I have been dreaming about photographing Yellowstone in the winter for a long time. Maybe it is the Midwestern girl in me who is romantically remembering snow drifts from my childhood. Maybe it was Mark and my frantic binge watching of Yellowstone. Or maybe it was the fact I was reading Lonesome Dove for the fourth time and I couldn’t wait to see in person what drew Captain Call north of the Yellowstone river. Whatever it was…I couldn’t wait to get there. Winter is a little like childbirth, you forget what it is like until you are in the middle of it again. But there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. So this San Diego girl, begged, borrowed and bought everything she would need to survive in this winter wonderland. Seriously, how bad could it get? Umm it was -15 one of the mornings we left for the park. It was 78 when I left San Diego for this trip, so yes, it was cold. But my gear kept me toasty, and our snow coach was always nearby if needed. Speaking of snow coaches, you can only enter the park by snow coach or snow mobile. The park grooms the roads, but in places, the snowpack on the road was close to six feet deep. You had to watch your step, because one wrong step and you would sink in the snow up to your knees or waist.

The Hayden Valley Tree – I can only guess how often this tree is photographed. It stands by itself, defiant to the cold around it.

Snow Ghosts – thanks to routinely windy conditions, ice crystals are driven onto trees at the top of Mount Two Top, creating eerie snow ghosts. You can only access these trees by snowmobile.

Frosted – This gives a new meaning to having your hair frosted

I only have eyes for you! Our nation’s symbol just hanging out.

When my kids’ elementary school selected the coyote as their mascot, my guess is this specimen was what they had in mind, not the dumpster diving, cat snatching creatures that live in the canyon behind our house. Just the other day, Mark and I were hanging out in our backyard and two mangy coyotes were just sitting on the other side of the fence barking at us. Even though they share the same DNA, they look nothing like this gorgeous creature. I’m sure if they had a big bison carcass, like this guy did, they would look a little better.

The park itself did not disappoint. Just like in the summer, bison were plentiful and easily photographed. In addition, we found bald eagles and coyotes. The highlight of the trip were the foxes we were able to photograph. We were told that it was a rarity to see them, but our guide Zach suggested that we head out early for Hayden Valley and we might be able to see one. Leave early we did (remember I mentioned that -15 morning?). Not only did we see one fox, but we saw three. Of which the third one just decided to come perform for us. Since the snow is so deep, you can’t just take off in a valley and follow them, so it was special that he came so close.

Red Foxes use their sensitive hearing and the magnetic north pole to help them zero in on their prey.

They can catch mice that are up to three feet under the surface of the snow.

When they have the prey located, they leap into the air and dive head first into the snow.

In addition to the wildlife, the natural beauty of the park was enhanced by the snow. Waterfalls were frozen over and trees bent with the weight of the snow, not to mention the eerie steam that rose from the thermal features scattered throughout the park. It was very different than when we visited in the summer (mainly because we didn’t have to carry bear spray and yell “Hey Bear” everywhere we went). We didn’t get to see a wolf, but I guess I need something to look forward to on my next trip back when I take Mark with me.

Frozen Falls – Lower Yellowstone Falls measures in at 308 feet. However, over 200 feet of the waterfall has frozen over in this photo.

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