Old Faithful fun - MelyndaCoble.com

Old Faithful fun

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We were so lucky to spend a couple nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge in the three days preceding Christmas Eve. I have a couple stories to write and needed to do some “research.” The concessionaire that runs the hotels and transportation in Yellowstone invited us down to explore.

The roads to Old Faithful are only accessible by over-snow vehicles in the winter, so we hopped into a snowcoach for the trip. I’ve been to the Snow Lodge three times before, but always while guiding trips, so this was real treat for me.

Old Faithful is chaotic and crazy in the summer, but with a covering of snow, it slows way down. The boys and I watched Old Faithful erupt with just five other people while Henry skied around the geyser basin. I skied alone for almost five hours without seeing anyone, though I did come upon hot springs, bison, ghost trees, and an erupting Lone Star Geyser. It sounds cliche, but Yellowstone in winter is a magical place. We all wished we could have stayed longer.

Here are a few photos I took with my phone. I’ll have more when I get around to the ones I took with the “good” camera (Oh no! More photos?). And Henry took some really lovely photos that I’ll link to once he puts them somewhere.

Bison bison

Ghost trees at Meryl Springs

Watching Old Faithful

Anders sketches in the Snow Lodge lobby.

Henry and Finn confer on a story.

Skiing Spring Creek…alone.

Spring Creek

Bridge over the Firehole River.

Lone Star Geyser

Snow crystals along the outlet of Lone Star Geyser.

A bit of green in a thermally heated area.

Old Faithful from the Howard Eaton Trail.

Finn skis alongside the geyser basin. He doesn’t go far, but he sure has fun.

Taking a sledding break.

Anders and I walking around Geyser Hill.

Beehive Geyser erupts in the background.

Hot cocoa after skiing.

Fountain Paint Pots

Want more?

Here’s the piece I wrote for Outside Bozeman with info on planning your own trip.

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5 thoughts on “Old Faithful fun”

  1. I am sooo envious! We want to take the snow coach to Old Faithful so badly but haven’t been willing to part with that much $$ yet…. 😉 Some day soon I hope. Your pics make me want to go even more!

  2. Jacqueline- You need to become a freelance writer and then write a story about it!

    Christy- thanks for stopping by! Yes, Yellowstone in winter is pretty special–put it on your life list!

  3. I especially enjoyed the Spring Creek pictures at Yellowstone. I am planning a
    trip there this year to go down Spring Creek Trail and wondered if you had any other pics you could share on the Spring Creek Trail or the Turtle Rock that you mentioned. I want make sure I see it when I go by it the first time.

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Steve- I don’t think I have a lot of photos of that trail, but you can’t miss Turtle Rock. It’s huge!! Also, check my other site, YellowstoneTrips, for more about winter in Yellowstone. Have a blast — I am envious you get to go!

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