Winter in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Park 2025 - Last Places

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are transformed in mid-winter into a wonderland of stunning landscapes and wildlife encounters. Using specially adapted vehicles we will have access to the park at a time of year most do not, ensuring many locations inside Yellowstone we will have to ourselves. 

Beginning in West Yellowstone we will have access into the park via Snowcoach. We will be based here for four nights and will spend each full day inside the park exploring geothermal basins, wide open vistas and woodland, capitalising on every landscape and wildlife opportunity we encounter. Geothermal steam covers the landscape in areas creating a deep mist that often freezes to everything creating spectacular hoar frost. Even the animals can end up with a thick coating of ice. Wildlife such as bison, fox, coyote, wolves, bobcats and birds such as eagles are regularly spotted and fingers crossed we will see many of these. We will explore the landscapes and weather permitting, will make a day trip into the Hayden Valley for the best landscapes Yellowstone has to offer with rolling hills and lone trees almost certainly covered in snow.

From West Yellowstone we move to Gardiner where we will explore the Lamar valley. This is the only road in the park that remains open to the public all year round. Wildlife again is plentiful here and it is here that we have the greatest chances of seeing wolves. On previous trips we have observed wolves hunting bison in front of us and watching the bison form defensive circles around their young and even fling the wolves up into the air in self-defence. We will spend two nights in Gardiner before moving into the Tetons and down to Jackson Hole. 

The landscapes in the Grand Teton National Park are incredibly spectacular. The magnificent mountain range dominates the skyline with wonderful landscapes and more wildlife in front of the spectacular peaks. We will visit multiple locations including the famous barns at Mormon Row which are rarely visited at this time of year. After a further three nights in Jackson Hole it will be time to depart and head for home.

Please note-

Clothing- Temperatures are likely to be very cold on this trip. You will need to be prepared for temperatures anywhere between freezing and 40 degrees below. This sounds scarier than it actually is. We will never be far from a warm vehicle or accommodation, but you will need to have clothing sufficient for these temperatures. A thick down jacket, insulated trousers and boots will be essential as will thermal base layers. All of this info will be supplied in due course in the tour notes. 

Climate and conditions- Of course out of our control and can potentially be different. Whilst I have yet to see that in Yellowstone due to the altitude, it is possible for conditions to be unseasonably warm. We will make the most of whatever conditions we have at the time. 

Fitness- The tour is not a strenuous tour but we will be out for most of the day on many of our days. The terrain is very likely to be icy and therefore slippery and we may in places walk a few miles on flat terrain to complete a loop or walk to the barns in the Tetons. A pair of Yaktraks or similar will be essential to provide grip and these are very easy to use and remove.