If there is one “best” way to see Yellowstone in winter, this is it! There is nowhere I would rather spend a week than at Yurt Camp in the middle of Yellowstone.
Scroll down for the video!!
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK – A statement from the 1907 U.S. Army’s “Rules, Regulations and Instructions” for soldiers and scouts on duty in Yellowstone warns, “All persons traveling through the park from October 1 to June 1 should be regarded with suspicion.”
Who besides poachers would brave bitterly cold weather; hidden, yet scalding hot springs; isolation and desolation; almost impossible travel conditions and difficult route finding? Who besides a bison killer or elk shooter would venture into one of the most remote and unknown places in the country … in winter?
In the early days of Yellowstone National Park, winter visitors were primarily poachers, prospectors and Army personnel who were directed to manage the park. But even then there were a few tourists kicking and gliding their way through Wonderland on 10-foot-long skis — basically wooden planks — and steering with a single 7-foot pine pole.
Many years later, people are still visiting Yellowstone in winter, searching for quiet, solitude and a backcountry experience. Yellowstone Expeditions’ yurt camp provides all that, along with expert guides, delicious food, warm sleeping quarters and even a sauna.
“I wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park, but didn’t want to travel with the tour groups and I didn’t want to go in summer,” Xuan Ming from Singapore said. “I wanted to be in the backcountry but didn’t have anyone to go with and didn’t want to go alone either.”
In fact, guests of the yurt camp are the only overnight visitors for 35 miles.
“The nights are so quiet and peaceful,” said Erica Hutchings, office manager and jack-of-all-trades at Yellowstone Expeditions.
The yurt camp sits at 8,000 feet in small meadow surrounded by trees. Just half a mile away, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone cuts through the surface of the park.
“Because we are already in the heart of the park, we can be in the Hayden Valley in 10 minutes to watch the sunrise,” Hutchings said.
Two yurts, connected to function as a kitchen and dining area, glow warmly in the early evening darkness at the yurt camp. The “yurtlets” (small plywood rooms with canvas roofs, modeled after ice fishing huts) appear frigid at first, but propane heaters keep them toasty warm. The eight yurtlets sleep two people each, but Yellowstone Expeditions’ trips max out at 12-14 people.
Ming agreed, “One is almost guaranteed to meet kindred spirits on a trip like this.”
Each morning begins with a deluxe breakfast in the dining yurt. The guides discuss the plan for the day and the group breaks into smaller groups for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or sightseeing. Skiers may tour the North Rim of the Canyon, which in summer is bumper-to-bumper cars and RVs. But winter is different. Guest ski through thick lodgepole pines to Inspiration Point on the edge of the canyon and peer over the edge in quietude. The striated orange walls of the canyon are dusted with snow, while the falls are mostly ice striped with water. Steam escapes from the geothermally altered rhyolite near the river.
Snowshoers may tromp along the South Rim of the Canyon to Artist Point, where they gaze on the waterfall from a perspective made famous by painter Thomas Moran.
After a morning tour, guests ride in the snow van back to the yurt for a large lunch before venturing out on another trail in the afternoon. Some days, lunch is on the trail as a winter picnic. Groups may climb up Dunraven Pass to ski the sides of Mount Washburn, along the flat trail to Cascade Lake, or to mudpots — ooey, gooey liquid rock, thicker than pudding gurgling and plopping all around.
Since there are several guides, small groups experience the technical and endurance level they are most comfortable with.
Yellowstone Expedition guides cater each day to the needs and wants of the group. And like Hutchings, the guides are jacks- and jills-of-all-trades. They drive the tracked vans, cook the food, teach cross-country skiing and snowshoe lessons and, of course, guide the adventures, pointing out interesting points and discussing the history of Yellowstone.
Owner, Arden Bailey began working in Yellowstone in 1979 and started Yellowstone Expeditions in 1983. He is known for his storytelling and enthusiasm for the park.
“He loves to tell stories and wants to share his love of Yellowstone with our guests,” Hutchings said.
“It takes awhile to relax into the wilderness,” Hutchings said. “Four or five days gives you the chance to get away from technology and settle into a human experience.”
Upon returning to camp in the evening, guests can take advantage of the rustic camp shower, head out on a short sightseeing van tour to the Hayden Valley to observe wildlife or to watch the sun set, warm up in the sauna, or hang out and read.
Evening meals are family-style with plenty of food, followed by games and stories. If it’s a clear night, a telescope is pointed at the moon and stars for some of the best stargazing around.
“I enjoyed coming back to a warm yurt each night,” Ming said. “I very much recall the stories shared around the table … that was really fun.”
That too, is part of the magic of winter in Yellowstone. Throughout its history as a national park, people have gathered together in tiny shelters or little hotels to find refuge from blizzards and cold nights. Today winter visitors can enjoy the luxuries of the Old Faithful Snowlodge or the Mammoth Inn — both fun places to while away a few winter days — but the yurt camp is more out there, more smack in the middle of winter — despite the gastronomic delights, the hot shower and the dry sauna.
In the late 1800s, Thomas Elwood Hofer, one of Yellowstone foremost winter travelers commented, “A great many people with a few days practice on snowshoes, can see part or all the Park in winter and be repaid for their trouble … in addition to the game to be seen, certain features of the Park are much more interesting in winter than in summer.”
There may still be reason to be suspicious of winter travelers in Yellowstone, but after four days at Canyon — despite the cold, the endless trail breaking in deep snow and the long dark nights — you will be more suspicious of someone who doesn’t take the opportunity to experience Yellowstone in its most serene, yet stirring season.
Know Before You Go
Yellowstone Expeditions also runs day trips from West Yellowstone for those looking for just a taste of winter in Yellowstone.
This story originally appeared in the Great Falls Tribune, December 29, 2015.
Thanks to Yellowstone Expeditions for hosting me. The opinions expressed here at TravelingMel are always my own.
This sounds like an incredible experience. The scenery looks amazing and I can imagine the very special group spirit that emerges, in a place like this. I have never been to Yellowstone and while I think it would take me a while to relax in this kind of setting, I would also love this kind of connection with the park
It is my absolute favorite way to be in Yellowstone in winter!! And it definitely does inspire a real connection with the park.
Those yurts look so cool! I was just talking to someone about yurt camping and this one didn’t come up. I’ve been to Yellowstone, but never in the snow. Looks magical that time of year!
They don’t really advertise, so I am not surprised you hadn’t heard of it. I live just north of Yellowstone and happened to hear about it from a friend of a friend. Maybe there would be too much demand if they promoted!
This sounds awesome and what a great experience! I’m going to have to check this out this winter! Thanks for sharing!
Put it on your list! It’s a magical experience.
Love those yurts – it all looks so magical in the snow. Definitely on my list of things to do.
They really are magical –especially when they are lit up at night!
wow this looks like an amazing experience! I haven’t been to yellowstone yet so I definitely want to check it out!
This is the way to do it! Yellowstone is best in winter (in my opinion).
This sounds like so much fun! Adding it to my must do list!
You definitely want this on your list 🙂
We are yet to go to Yellowstone. It looks magnificent. Thanks for all the tips
Put it on your list! And winter is the time to go, in my opinion.
Wow I bet it is super cold in winter, but the view was stunning!!
It can be pretty chilly — better bundle up. Layers are key! And hand and foot warmers.
I had never thought of visiting Yellowstone in the winter. It must be an incredible experience. The yurts look pretty comfortable as well.
They are comfortable. It’s the best time of year to visit the park.
Wow I had no idea there were yurts in Yellowstone! I would love to stay in one although I haven’t been to the park in the winter, so I may need to be convinced of that. 😀 But we did take a snowshoeing class last winter, so perhaps… Thanks for sharing this! I will keep it in mind the next time I am at Yellowstone!
You would love it! And the folks at Yellowstone Expeditions do a great job of keeping you comfortable.
Wow, this looks like such a fab adventure!
I bet the yurts are super cosy at night with the lights and warmth against the snow outside.
They are so nice…it’s hard to leave in the morning! Thankfully the Yellowstone Expeditions folks have a warm breakfast waiting along with tea/coffee/hot cocoa.
Wonderful post and the first I’ve come across to see Yellowstone in winter time. It is such an iconic national park, it’s always nice to hear how people experience it when they travel there and it’s always different from the next person. The yurts are so charming and rustic it’s such a great way to experience the park the most natural way possible.
I just love Yellowstone so much in winter! I am glad someone else can appreciate that. It’s hard to get a feel for the wildness of the place in summer, but tucked away in the trees during winter….it’s like being in the middle of nowhere.
I would love to try this someday. It is a great way to experience the Yellowstone rather than visiting it for a few hours for sightseeing.
You really get to immerse yourself in it this way.
I really want to go to Yellowstone! This seems like such an amazing experience. I never thought about going there in winter before.
I think it’s the best time to go!
I didn’t know about The yurt camp. Neither did I know that yellowstone national park looks so beautiful in the winters. I would love to spend some day here. Thanks for the detailed post
Yurt camping looks so fun! I’ve seen camps set up in the summer but never thought of them for the winter. Your adventure looked fun and memorable and the snow is so deep!
Yellowstone is at its most beautiful in winter!
It looks and sounds so magical! Yellowstone is a dream of mine and to stay in a snow covered Yurt would just be incredible!
It really is dreaming being there. It’s wintry and cozy and wonderful.
It was a great trip. I highly recommend it!
Now I feel silly.. I thought that Yellowstone was a super hot place with deserts all around. I think I was mistaken with the Death Valley area. Oops!
Anyhow, that totally sounds like the kind of adventure my husband would gladly go on! We’re from Québec and he simply adores snowy winters! Me on the other hand….
Death Valley is lovely, but very different that Yellowstone. The park is all about 5,000 feet, I believe and very snowy and cold in winter.
Yellowstone sounds amazing! I love the idea of staying in a yurt. I am not a lover of the cold though so I think this would be a summer trip for me!
Lots to do in summer, too!
Wow. I never knew that Yellowstone has a snowy part. I love snow and trekking. So trekking during winter with snow is definitely awesome.
All of Yellowstone is the snowy part! but only 3/4 of the year. 🙂