Bozeman, Montana

This January I joined Aaron Baggenstos and Mike Darter for a trip to Yellowstone National Park. I flew into Bozeman, Montana and met with Aaron, Mike and five other photographers for an orientation meeting at our hotel. The next day we would start our adventure in the park, traveling by snowcoach the first three days and by Sprinter Van the last three days.

Big Yellow Snowcoach

Early the next day we loaded a twelve seat Mercedes Sprinter Passenger Van with all our gear and headed for West Yellowstone, Montana. After arriving and dropping off our luggage at our next hotel, we loaded a Yellowstone Vacation Tours big yellow snowcoach for our first trip into the park.

In winter the roads are only open to snowcoach and snowmobiles, except the road between the North entrance near Gardiner and the Northeast entrance. This road is kept open to automobiles year round.

Raven and Bald Eagle

We entered the park at the West Entrance and our first sighting was Trumpeter swans on the Madison River. As we drove further into the park we spotted a solitary raven sitting on a pine branch. We photographed the raven for a short time before moving on. Then, we spotted a mature Bald Eagle sitting on the top of a dead tree. 

We approached the subjects slowly and quietly, and they cooperated allowing us to get  shots of them sitting in the falling snow. After taking our photos, we left them undisturbed and continued our search for more wildlife.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

Later that day we visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone which is quite spectacular in winter. On the trail to the viewing platform for Yellowstone Falls, I took this image of a lone pine tree on the edge of the canyon.

Snowstorm

The snow continued to fall heavily the next day as we ventured into the park in our snowcoach. We discovered many bison grazing in the heavy snow. We also found the same Bald Eagle from the day before sitting on the top of his favorite dead tree. This gave me a chance to correct my camera settings from the day before. I envisioned a shot with the eagle and pine trees in the foreground in focus. I needed some additional depth of field to capture it correctly.

Later that morning in a raging snow storm we found a snow covered bison. Then, we were lucky to find a lone coyote traveling down a road in Hayden Valley. Animals use these roads in winter since it makes traveling easier. I missed a shot of the coyote coming straight at us but did get this shot as he moved off the road toward the river.

As we traveled down the road along the Gibbon River we spotted a lone bison at the edge of the river. It was a beautiful scene with the grazing bison, snow covered trees and the river in the falling snow.

Snowy Bison

As we entered the park during our last day in the snowcoach, the snow lightened up. We again found a couple of snow covered bison traveling down the road towards us. They looked like they spent a cold, snowy night in Yellowstone’s harsh winter weather. 

We spent the rest of the day looking for wolves, but only found them back in West Yellowstone at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center.

Gardiner

After a morning at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center we packed up in the Sprinter Van and headed for Gardiner, Montana. It took about four hours to reach Gardiner. After arriving we made a stop at the grocery store and picked up breakfast and lunch supplies for the next three days. There were only a few restaurants open this time of year in Gardiner and we often ate in the van to maximize our time in the park. 

We dropped off our luggage at the hotel and then headed to the North Entrance of the park. We first spotted a small herd of Pronghorn on a ridge. As we headed further into the park we spotted a large bull Elk in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

On the way out of the park that afternoon we found more Pronghorn. We watched a beautiful sunset behind the mountains with large herds of Elk and Pronghorn at the base.

Golden Eagles

The next morning we headed into the park for a second day out of Gardiner. The skies had cleared allowing temperatures to drop to below zero. It was a very cold but beautiful morning and we shot the gorgeous sunrise coming over the mountains.

We also paused to shoot a lone Bighorn Ram standing on top of the ridge and found a pair of Golden Eagles in the trees on the side of the mountain. Golden Eagles get their name from the golden color on the back of their head and neck.

As we left the park there was a moose cow and her calf. They did not cooperate and we got great shots of their behinds as they moved into the forest. As we returned to Gardiner, we enjoyed another beautiful sunset, which was as good as the sunrise earlier in the day.

Minus 18 Degrees

On our last full day in Yellowstone we were greeted with crisp, clear skies and minus 18 degrees. Mike spotted a shot of frost covered trees. We jumped out of the Sprinter Van for a quick shot of the trees with the orange sunrise behind them. It was very cold but an absolutely gorgeous sunrise. 

Our next stop was Pebble Creek in Lamar Valley. The word was that there were moose foraging in the creek bed. It was a very cold hike in about two to three feet of snow, but we made it. Aaron made sure we approached the moose slowly and quietly to not disturb them and we stopped the park’s required distance away from them. There were some young bulls sparring with each other and others were grazing. We watched seven moose for about an hour before they moved off.

Lost Cell Phone in Yellowstone

The day before, we took a short hike looking for wolves. After leaving, one of our group realized that their cell phone was missing. That evening Aaron was able to use “Find My Phone” to find it on a map. We returned to that spot and while Mike and Aaron were digging, Lacey spotted something in the snow. After spending the night in sub zero temperatures in the snow, the phone still had a charge and was working.

Later on, as we drove past Lamar River, someone spotted otters on the river bank. As we searched for the otters, a flock of Golden Eye Ducks flushed from the river. A Golden Eagle swooped down to catch one and missed. He retreated to a nearby tree branch where we watched his warm breath turned to mist in the cold afternoon air. We never found the otters.

As the sun was setting, we found an old elk carcass that was being scavenged by a lone coyote and a few ravens. It was an elk the wolves killed a few days before. We stayed late into the evening hoping the wolves would return. Unfortunately, all we saw was the lone coyote trot away. But, we did enjoy another beautiful Yellowstone winter sunset.

Final Morning

On our final morning in Yellowstone, we headed back to the elk kill. We had no luck finding the wolves, so we went to the next overlook. A young ranger was there who had found a radio signal from one of the collared wolves. The signal was far away and not moving. We never saw the wolves, but  were treated to another gorgeous sunrise before we started our drive back to the Bozeman Airport and the end of our adventure.

This was my first trip to Yellowstone in winter and my second trip with Aaron Baggenstos and Aaron’s Photo Tours. Aaron took care of everything and did his best to find us great wildlife experiences and beautiful landscapes in Yellowstone National Park. I will come back again to continue the search for wolves. 

Thanks to Mike Darter who joined Aaron on this trip and thanks again for retrieving my lens hood from Pebble Creek. And thanks to my traveling companions, Barbara, Lacey (Lucy), Sharron, Ameet and Jerry for making this a trip to remember.

Check out my image gallery from Yellowstone here https://www.lookingatnature.com/yellowstone/.