Il Yellowstone National Park (Parco nazionale di Yellowstone) is located in the United States of America, specifically in the extreme northwestern part of Wyoming and extends, for a small stretch, into Montana (to the North) and Idaho (to the West), covering a large area of the Rocky Mountains.
Yellowstone National Park, what to see
In Yellowstone National Park it is possible to engage in photographic activities such as capturing bison safely from the snow coach, the snowcat, and to observe wolf pups playing with adults while stalking bison searching for winter grass. During a night tour aboard the snow coach, you can admire clusters of stars in the sky.
The first National Park of the United States offers no less than 800,000 hectares to explore in winter: it is incredibly beautiful! Steam rises from the hot springs, from the geysers and from the fumaroles; bison graze in vast snow-covered expanses and drink from streams sparkling with ice crystals, and Old Faithful puts on a show for guests of the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. You can see it all while comfortably aboard the snow coach, driving a snowmobile, skiing or during a winter walk. Yellowstone Park offers kilometers of cross-country trails, all marked in a series of brochures available at the park visitor center and at hotels open in season. Shuttles provide transportation to various trails and equipment can be rented directly inside the park.
You can also explore the countless snowmobile routes near the park in West Yellowstone – in Montana – just outside the west entrance of the park, thanks to a multitude of cross country and ski skate trails, part of the Rendezvous Ski Trails system. Numerous snowmobile tour organizations depart from West Yellowstone and can freely travel the hundreds of miles of designated routes through slopes in the American national forests.
Yellowstone National Park, cosa fare
On Saturday morning in West Yellowstone, there are more snowmobiles roaming the streets than cars. The town, in fact, bases its economy on bars, restaurants, accommodations, and shops for visitors looking for souvenirs and winter clothing, and at the same time is the perfect gateway to explore the national park and the Gallatin National Forest. The city limits around the park allow day trips to Yellowstone by snowmobile or snowcoach, all the way to Old Faithful. Remember to visit the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, a nonprofit wildlife park, to admire the bears that tussle and the wolves that roam in search of prey. Inside Yellowstone National Park, snowmobiling is allowed on specific park roads, only with guided tours. Xanterra, the company that manages the national park accommodations, offers snowmobile packages that allow riders on snow to spend a night at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, then drive 144 kilometers to the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel the next day. If you really want to explore other parts of Yellowstone National Park in winter, consider dividing your time between the Old Faithful Snow Lodge and the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Neither is considered luxury accommodation, but both are extremely comfortable and completely non-smoking, and winter prices are considerably lower compared to the crowded summer season.
During winter only these two hotels remain open in the park.
In the morning, look out the window of your room at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and there is a good chance you will see a deer looking for grass to graze. Staying at the Snow Park Lodge instead, you are only a five-minute walk to admire Old Faithful: the reception always knows when the eruption is due.
