Winter in Yellowstone 2024
Mar. 10–15, 2024
Winter Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park
Lightminded Photo Tours and Yellowstone Wolf Tracker have teamed up to offer this 6-day, 5-night one-of-a-kind itinerary into the snowy winter wonderland of Yellowstone National Park, including one day to explore the park interior on a private snow coach tour. Offering a stunning and unique combination of winter landscapes and wildlife opportunities, Yellowstone National Park in the winter is a photographer’s dream destination.
This premium program includes both field and post-production photography instruction from professional photographer Wayde Carroll, as well as naturalist guiding for a 6-day, 5-night program with lodging, transportation in-park and shuttle from/to Bozeman, Montana (BZN), park fees, and exceptional meals (as noted).
Winter brings a wonderland to the Yellowstone landscape and is perhaps the best season of the year to find and observe wolves. Dramatic behavior revs up with competition among packs for territory and within packs for mating opportunities. Among the daily sightings are frosty bison lumbering by, bighorn rams gathering on snowy cliff ledges, tall moose nibbling leafless twigs, and prowling coyotes pouncing on unsuspecting prey. But be cautioned—winter participants must be prepared to withstand frigid conditions.
Join us for an incredible experience with wolves and other wildlife in the wilds of Yellowstone!
5 Nights
6–12 Travelers
Activity Level
⬤ ⬤ ◯ ◯◯
$4,550
Double-occupancy; single supplement $450
$1,000
Deposit
Itinerary
Travel to Bozeman, Montana, served by major airlines (BZN), is on your own. Check in at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn in Bozeman anytime after 3 PM (stay included in package). The GranTree Inn offers free shuttle service to/from the airport, and for visiting downtown shops or the famous Museum of the Rockies.[/caption]
Highlights
- Arrival in Bozeman”
- Welcome presentation
- Meet & greet
Meals
- Dinner on your own
Accommodations
- Best Western Plus GranTree Inn
Have breakfast at the GranTree with a tour voucher then after check out, meet at 11 AM in the lobby for transport to Yellowstone National Park. The route is through the scenic Paradise Valley rimmed with rugged mountain peaks. A lunch stop is planned on route to the park. At Yellowstone, the group will visit the famous Roosevelt Arch for a formal arrival to the park, and explore the wildlife-rich winter range of pronghorn, elk, and deer.
Check in follows at the Absaroka Lodge in Gardiner, where the group stays until the last night. From your room, the views of the Yellowstone River and its rolling hills and snow-clad mountains astound! The Absaroka Lodge features wifi, cable tv, and balconies in each room overlooking the Yellowstone River. Our evening meal will be prepared and served by our chef Zac Kellerman of Zac’s Montana Kitchen. Zac has been at the helm for our program’s dinners for years with thoroughly rave reviews. Dinner is accompanied by an orientation for the days ahead.
Highlights
- Photography opportunities in Paradise Valley
- Scenic lunch en route to Yellowstone National Park
- Arrival and first entry into Yellowstone National Park
Meals
- Breakfast at Best Western Plus GranTree Inn
- Picnic lunch
- Catered dinner at Absaroka Lodge
Accommodations
- Absaroka Lodge
An early morning departure creates our best chances of viewing active wildlife. Wolves will be our priority, but many wildlife species are seen along the way. We will search the park’s northern range for wildlife from bison to bears, badgers to bald eagles. Search areas include the Blacktail Plateau, the Slough Creek valley, and the famous wildlife haven, Lamar Valley, for resident wolf packs. Our search will team with rangers, scientists, and the eclectic wolf-watching faithful in a mutual effort to find and observe wildlife. Lunch will be at Mammoth Hot Springs, followed by a walk through the terrace boardwalks to experience the amazing travertine hot springs, some of Yellowstone’s finest thermal features. An evening presentation accompanies Zac’s gourmet dinner at the Track Education Center in Gardiner. Past speakers have included Dr. Douglas Smith, film-maker Bob Landis, canine geneticist Dr. Dan Stahler, and other distinguished experts in the field of wolf biology and behavior. They are exceptional naturalists that share their many insights to wildlife in the area.
Highlights
- Early light wildlife & landscape photography opportunities
- Explore Mammoth Hot Springs
- Expert guest speaker to accompany catered dinner
Meals
- Breakfast at Absaroka Lodge
- Lunch in Mammoth Hot Springs
- Dinner at Track Education Center in Gardiner (Guest Speaker)
Accommodations
- Absaroka Lodge
Important Notes
- Pre-dawn wake-up call to make it out for early light
- Restroom stops will be limited while in the park
In winter, the park’s interior is accessible only by commercial over-snow transportation, and Yellowstone’s snowcoaches are essentially the ultimate 21st-century (heated) sleigh. These fascinating vehicles travel over groomed snow-covered roads, the same roads you’d drive yourself in the summer. We’ve hired a private snowcoach driven by a seasoned Yellowstone guide, so every mile is a guided tour of Yellowstone’s extraordinary winter scenery. We’ll explore parts of the park interior accessible only by snowcoach during this time of year, giving us unique landscape and wildlife photo opportunities throughout the day.
Highlights
- Private snow coach ride into park interior
- Unique winter photography opportunities off the main roads
Important Notes
- Pre-dawn wake-up call to make it out for early light
- Restroom stops will be limited while in the park
Meals
- Breakfast at Absaroka Lodge
- Lunch in the park
- Dinner at Absaroka Lodge
Accommodations
- Absaroka Lodge
To maximize our opportunities for viewing wolves, bears, and many other wildlife species we will return to the Northern Range and Lamar Valley. Lamar is one of the best areas in the park for wolves, bears, and vast herds of bison and elk. The sheer abundance gives this area its well-earned nickname, ‘The Serengeti of North America.’ Lunch will be back in Gardiner, followed by an optional short hike. After an afternoon return drive through the park, a final celebration dinner follows with Chef Zac in Gardiner.
Highlights
- Visit iconic Lamar Valley
- Post-production instruction upon return to Gardiner
- Group photo sharing after dinner
Meals
- Breakfast at Absaroka Lodge
- Lunch in Gardiner
- Dinner in Gardiner
Accommodations
- Absaroka Lodge
Important Notes
- Pre-dawn wake-up call to make it out for early light
- Restroom stops will be limited while in the park
After breakfast we will transport to the Bozeman airport for mid-day airlines departures no earlier than NOON.
Meals
- Breakfast at Absaroka Lodge
Important Notes
Please book flights to depart no earlier than NOON.
Note: All activities are weather-dependent; if poor weather keeps us inside, we’ll practice photo editing and post-processing techniques.
Packing List
Required/Recommended
- Camera body (DSLR, mirrorless, compact)
- Memory cards
- Wide-angle lens for landscapes. At least 24mm or wider preferred, f/3.5 or faster for astrophotography.
- Telephoto lens for wildlife photography. 400mm or greater recommended.
- Mid-range lens for portraiture and lifestyle. 24-70mm f/2.8 is the gold standard, but any mid range prime lens or zoom lens in that range will do.
- Tripod
- Appropriate batteries & chargers
- Laptop or tablet for downloading images, preferably with image processing software installed such as Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Recommended/Optional
- Optical lens filters (for wide-angle and mid-range lenses): neutral density filters, graduated neutral density filters, circular polarizers, UV filters. Questions about these? Just let us know and we’ll help you out!
- Second camera body
- Adjustable shoulder strap or camera clip for walking with camera
- Speedflash
- Remote flash trigger
- Cable shutter release or remote shutter release
- Lens cleaning kit
- Microfiber cloths for cleaning/drying lenses
- Waterproof cover for camera & lenses
- External storage drive for backup
- Spare batteries for camera body and speedflash
- Spare memory cards
Layering up is always a good strategy for winter in Yellowstone! Breathable, moisture-wicking underlayers, long pants, warm top layers, thick socks, and waterproof hiking boots are all recommended. Though we won’t be hiking/trekking far from the vehicle, we’ll be spending several hours exploring the snow-covered landscape each day, stopping for extended durations at each photo opportunity. Warm waterproof outerlayers including gloves are preferred. Rechargeable or disposable hand warmers and foot warmers may also come in handy. And of course, swimwear is recommended because you just never know! There may be an opportunity to take a dip at one of our hotels or possibly even out in the wild (brrr)!
- Warm winter hat
- Longsleeve shirts (breathable, moisture-wicking recommended over cotton)
- Waterproof gloves
- Lightweight breathable long underwear (moisture-wicking synthetic recommended over cotton)
- Comfortable outdoor pants
- Waterproof hiking/walking boots
- Fleece underlayer and/or down feather vest or jacket
- Winter coat
- Warm wool socks
- Sneakers
- Bathing suit
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Umbrella
- Toiletries
- Ziplock bags or dry bags
- Headlamp
- Water bottle
- Hand and foot warmers
FAQ
The deposit to hold your spot on the tour is non-refundable provided that the tour runs as scheduled. For this reason, we strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Travel insurance will often cover unexpected trip cancelations, delays, lost luggage reimbursement, and other travel-related expenses that may arise unexpectedly (policies vary). Should the tour itself be canceled for any reason, we will do our very best to refund any deposit amounts that have not already been forwarded to secure airfares or hotel accommodations.
There are no long treks built into our itinerary. We will likely do some light walking along well-marked trails and roads in order to find good vantage points for photographs but we will not be hiking or trekking over any great distances or for long periods of time. We have private transportation throughout the entire trip, and when we need to cover more ground, we’ll be doing so from our private vehicle.
The daytime highs this time of year average around 34 F and the lows at night can dip below 0 F. Prepare for cold weather! While we’ll have heated transportation during our ventures into the park, we’ll be spending several hours each day outside the vehicle looking for the best wildlife and landscape photo opportunities.
- 5 nights accommodation in Bozeman & Gardiner, MT
- Meals mentioned in the itinerary
- Private naturalist guide
- Private photography guide
- Airport transfers
- Private transportation inside Yellowstone National Park
- Airfare to/from Bozeman, MT
- Meals not noted in the itinerary
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel insurance (We HIGHLY recommend travel insurance!)
- Guide gratuities (any tips are earned and not expected)
- Extras in hotels (laundry, phone, room service, etc.)
- Personal equipment
- Costs for changes to your itinerary for reasons beyond our control