Yellowstone is one of the best places to visit in the US. I feel that most of the National Parks are commercialized, except a very few, Yellowstone must be one of them. You may argue that there are always lots of people, car traffic and a shit load of people at the Old Faithful. But at the end of the day, not many can stay back in the park, as there aren’t many hotels or cabins in the park. They’ll have to go back to the towns close to the entrance. And whatever hotels that are in the park are concentrated in a very few places, which is nothing compared to the size of the park. The others must be camping, becoming one with nature.
Everyone when planning to visit Yellowstone, try to plan around the long weekends, in Summer or ‘before it starts to get cold’. There is always a misconception that places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, Alaska are worth visiting only in the warmer months. But I would say every place has a story to tell you in the winter months and it is much more colorful (in white and grey), considering the fewer number of people.
I never liked spending too much money on the airfare. If the place is around 10 hours away, I’d rather drive (But I wouldn’t compromise on the price when it comes to good food). The tickets to most of these places are very cheap during the colder months compared the rest of the year. So, I got a good deal for the flights to and from Salt Lake City at the end of October. Yellowstone already had a snow storm the week before that. But to my luck, most of the park except the north entrance was open.
Me and a couple of friends from Salt Lake City started on Friday around 12 am to the West Entrance. It was around 65F in SLC, but was getting colder and brighter (with the moonlight bouncing off the snow) the further we drove towards the park. We even caught a snow storm on the way.
The best part of going to Yellowstone during this time, is the traffic. The roads are almost always empty, with very few cars passing by. But then, the temperature was always in the teens or lower. That’s a fair trade for me. I haven’t been there during the summer, but I have heard that the roads are always jammed with lots of cars and people everywhere. But at this time, it was calm and pleasant everywhere.
Bison’s are everywhere. Unfortunately, that was the only animal we could see. Grizzlies were hibernating by then and we didn’t want to encounter one that wasn’t, as they would be very aggressive at this time of the year. But when we saw the bison’s running around in the snow, it felt magical, like we were in one of those documentaries you see on Discovery Channel.
With all the hot fumes coming out of the boiling water, I wonder how there was still snow around the pools.
In order to get to the spot where you can get this view of the grand prismatic we had to do a short hike up the hill. On the way, we were continuously looking around if we will see a grizzly, out of fear, as there was no one around. But once we were at the top, the view made us forget everything.
Old Faithful must be one of the very few commercialized places in the park. I didn’t expect it to be so close to concrete. The visitor center is right next to it and there are restaurants, inns and hotels a few hundred feet away. This was the only place we saw loads of people. We were wondering where they were all along as we didn’t see much car traffic. Either way, when the geyser starts shooting up, everyone goes silent (of course with the cameras out).
One thing that would remain the same whatever the point of the year is the night sky. Since there are no towns or cities for hundreds of miles, there is no light pollution and the sky is lit with billions of stars. I would’ve stayed all night looking at the stars if not for the freezing cold. This would be the best place to try out astral photography. Even amateur photographers like me can get a decent picture of the stars and the milky way.
One of the other perks of going at this time of the year is that the cabins are way cheaper. We stayed in Grand Teton National park at the Heart six ranch. I fell in love with the place. If we were to come during summer, we wouldn’t have gotten a room here (But, I’d rather be camping than staying in a cabin anyway). The view from the ranch was stunning and the food was delicious. Anyone traveling to Grand Teton should definitely check them out.
Here are a few other pictures from the trip.
Gibbon Falls
Lower Falls
Schwabachers Landing
On the way to Grand Teton
Sure, there are some disadvantages of going during this time of the year. Snowstorms and blizzards are very common and most of the park will be closed during that time. The temperatures are always below freezing and it gets worse during the night.
You cannot camp or hike and you won’t see much wild life except bison and deer. If you’re lucky you might see a grizzly or even a wolf.
There won’t be any restaurants open except near the old faithful. We survived on gas station food and hot dogs.
There won’t be any cabins open except near the old faithful, but we were prepared to sleep in our cars if we had to.
So, if all of these don’t bother you, you’ll have the time of your life. You can just park your car on the side of the road anytime to click a picture or just enjoy the view, you won’t be causing any traffic jam. But the few cars that pass by are going to stop and ask if you can see a grizzly.
If you do travel during November or later, be prepared for bad weather. Always carry extra water, food, hand and feet warmers, winter jackets and gloves.
Thank you for reading!