Highlights
- Immerse yourself in Winter Solitude
- The Best Season to Photograph Wildlife
- The Least Crowded Season in Yellowstone by far
- Private, chartered Snowcoach rides into the interior
- Lamar & Hayden Valleys in Winter
- Small Groups
- Cozy lodges
- All-Inclusive Trip, including top-notch meals
- Learn from & shoot alongside a seasoned pro
Yellowstone in Winter
7 Days
Price: from $5395 double occupancy
+$800 single supplement
Deposit: $2000
Fitness Level: 1 (Easy)
Meals: Dinner Day 1 through breakfast day 7
Lodging: 6 nights lodging
Start/End: Bozeman, Montana
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am to 4pm Mountain Time
Trip Details
Physical Requirements
All participants must be in good physical condition and have the ability to handle potentially adverse weather conditions including extreme cold and winter conditions.
Group Size
Small group to maximize your one on one time with the guide / instructor.
Accommodation
We will be staying in cozy lodges throughout the trip
Meals
All meals are included during the trip dates and we typically eat at park lodges with lunches out on the trail.
Weather
Expect a range of weather in Yellowstone during the winter from beautiful sunny days to blowing winter storms. Daytime temperatures are usually in the 10-20 Fahrenheit Range but can be colder.
Price Includes
Meals, ground transportation, chartered snowcoach, accommodation during the trip dates, professional photography instruction, medically certified wilderness guide.
Price Does Not Include
Airfare, alcoholic beverages, accommodations before or after the trip dates, guide & staff gratuities
Day 1 (Travel Day)(D)
Arrive in Bozeman, MT (BZN) this evening for an orientation and welcome dinner. There is a free airport shuttle at our hotel – simply call to make a reservation! (Hotel Included).
Day 2 (B,L,D)
We’ll depart Bozeman this morning, arriving in Yellowstone to catch the light on Mammoth Hot Springs. After an introduction to the geothermal features and a tour of Mammoth we’ll spend some time photographing wildlife in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Later we’ll board our privately chartered, snow coach and begin the journey into Yellowstone’s remote interior. This is truly an exceptional day as traveling by private coach means we can stop when the conditions are right. Wildlife sightings are the norm as we travel towards the Upper Geyser Basin of Old Faithful. We’ll photograph the Lower Geyser Basin as well as the lovely Gibbon Meadows, Firehole River Basin and Madison River Valley. Lodging tonight in West Yellowstone.
Day 3 (B,L,D)
This morning we’ll board the Snow Coach early to travel to Hayden Valley and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We’ll spend ample time photographing Yellowstone’s classic Lower Falls from Artists point and have ample wildlife opportunities along the Yellowstone River.
Day 4 (B,D)
Today we will focus on the thermal features surrounding Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin. We’ll walk to some of the more impressive yet less predictable Geysers such as Beehive, Grand, Castle, Riverside and Daisy Geysers. The goal is to time it right and get some excellent images of the Geysers as they are erupting into the wintery air! We’ll have some opportunity later in the day to photograph Bison and other wildlife along the Firehole River and Madison River before retiring to our lodge in West Yellowstone this evening.
Day 5 (B,L,D)
We will board our snowcoach early this morning and head North back towards the Northern Range along the Gibbon River. Once we arrive back at Mammoth Hot Springs we’ll depart the snowcoach and head for Lamar Valley in search of wildlife. Our lodging tonight is in Cooke City, Montana.
Day 6 (B,D)
Today we’ll spend a full day plying the length of Soda Butte and Lamar Valley’s in search of wildlife opportunities. The Lamar region of Yellowstone is often one of the best kept secrets for spotting wolves, foxes, moose and more! Return for lunch on your own in historic Cooke City and then it’s out for another trip into Lamar Valley for the evening. After a full day of photography we’ll retire to our lodge in Cooke City, Montana.
Day 7 (B)
It’s an early morning again as we embark for Lamar Valley. We’ll be there to photograph the landscape at dawn, looking for Wolves, Coyotes, Bison, Bighorn Sheep and other species. We’ll spend the entire morning in Lamar photographing “The Serengeti of North America” before heading back to Bozeman to catch flights out this afternoon.
Please note that the exact sequence of the itineraries on all photography trips will be based on weather and lighting conditions. The goal on these trips is to make sure we are at the right place at the right time for the perfect light on our subjects. Also, itineraries can change for a variety of other circumstances including floods, forest fires, national park closures, road closures and more. Due to the nature of wildlife and nature photography we do not guarantee any specific sightings or specific compositions regarding wildlife or natural phenomena.
“I’ve visited Yellowstone several times in my life but never in the winter. We wanted the best opportunity to photograph the Wolves in Lamar Valley…and we got it! Aside from wolves Russ was able to take us to spots were we were able to get really good winter images of Bison rooting in the snow, Moose, Coyotes and Bald Eagles. The thermal features are also really interesting in the winter. This trip comes highly recommended!”
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