Yellowstone Snowshoe Traverse

• Shuttle to Mammoth Hot Springs: 2-hour drive
• Snowshoe Mileage: 5 miles
• Accommodations: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

We begin this tour with a snowshoe along a nicely groomed road out to Tower Falls. Ascending toward the falls we will be on the lookout for wildlife, as it is common to see bison, elk, coyote, and bighorn sheep in this area. After enjoying a picnic lunch and appreciating the overlook of the 132-foot Tower Falls we’ll retrace our steps back to the vehicle for a drive through the Lamar Valley. The Lamar is world famous for wolf and other wildlife watching. While we can’t guarantee wolf sightings, winter in the Lamar provides some of the best opportunities for viewing these impressive canines. Don’t forget the swimsuit! If time permits we will make a stop at the Boiling River before returning to the hotel for dinner and relaxation.

• Snow Coach Shuttle to Old Faithful: 4 hours
• Snowshoe Mileage: 3-5 miles
• Accommodations: Old Faithful Snow Lodge

We’ll be dropped at Biscuit Basin, where we’ll explore numerous thermal features before snowshoeing through the Upper Geyser Basin (photo below) on our way to Old Faithful. Yellowstone is home to 60% of the world’s geysers and most of them can be found here. Snowshoeing the trails we’ll see the basins’ diverse array of geysers from thin fountains to massive eruptions as thick plumes of steam rise heavily through the frigid air. It is an impressive scene.

• Snowshoe Mileage: 8.5 miles
• Accommodations: Old Faithful Snow Lodge

Following breakfast we head out to one of the more unique and impressive backcountry geysers in the park – Lone Star Geyser (photo below). Our route hugs the Firehole River, named for the numerous thermal features that feed its waters, before we arrive at the geyser. Found in a clearing surrounded by dense forest, it erupts from a large, cream colored mound. At full tilt it sprays scalding water and steam 40 feet into the air. We’ll reverse our route back to dinner and time spent warming by the lodge’s fire.

• Snowshoe Mileage: 2 miles
• Snow Coach Shuttle To Mammoth: 4 hours
• Shuttle: 2 hours

The final morning of our journey will commence with breakfast at Old Faithful Snow Lodge followed by an early morning snow coach departure back to Mammoth Hot Springs Lodge.

Upon returning to Mammoth Hot Springs, our group will embark on a short drive to a trail head that allows for exploration of the Mammoth Hot Springs travertine terraces. As we travel along the Upper Terrace loop, the expansion and contraction of this hot spring feature dominates the mixed conifer forest landscape. Our group will be able to view areas of the feature that have grown or shrank depending on changing underground thermal activity. Once on top of the Terraces, we will be gifted with wide ranging views of the deeply cut Gardner River Canyon directly below, Mt. Everts, and snow clad peaks of the Southern portion of the Absaroka – Beartooth Range.

From the high vantage, the group will descend back to the vehicle for the return drive to Bozeman and our conclusion to a unique winter experience.

This trip is often done in 5 days by doing the Grand Prismatic Overlook the day after Biscuit Basin (Day 2). It is a half hour snow coach ride to the Fairy Falls trailhead and the day will consist of up to 7 miles of showshoeing. We’ll enjoy the view of one of Yellowstone’s most iconic features before making our way back along the Pipeline trail. We’ll once again pass through the Upper Geyser Basin affording new chances to see various geysers such as, Riverside, Grand, and Old Faithful herself in their eruption phase.