{"id":507693,"date":"2026-03-06T18:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/507693\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T18:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T18:05:15","slug":"why-winter-in-yellowstone-beats-the-summer-crowds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/507693\/","title":{"rendered":"Why winter in Yellowstone beats the summer crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Way\u00a0off in the distance, I could see a wolf.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0pretty much the\u00a0best animal sighting you can get at\u00a0Yellowstone\u00a0National Park<\/a>.\u00a0Even the guides were excited, saying it was the first time a wolf had been\u00a0spotted in\u00a0the park in about a month.<\/p>\n

And although the wolf was more than a mile away (the best I could do in terms of capturing the moment was extremely grainy cell phone video), it really underscored for me how special\u00a0Yellowstone and the entire National Park\u00a0System\u00a0is.\u00a0There I was in the middle of the great American wilderness, watching a wolf trot across the snow as steam rose around me from natural vents below the ground.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

My grainy photo of a wolf. He’s the second dark lump from the front, just right of center in front of some trees in the distance.<\/p>\n

Yellowstone is\u00a0so much more<\/a>\u00a0than its wildlife. The first\u00a0national\u00a0park\u00a0in the United States was\u00a0actually established\u00a0to protect the natural landscape.<\/p>\n

Yellowstone National Park was\u00a0established\u00a0in 1872 to preserve access to its unique geologic and hydrothermal features, like the geyser Old Faithful.\u00a0Animal conservation efforts only came later.<\/p>\n

While visitors flock to the park during the summer\u00a0\u2013\u00a0nearly a\u00a0million people passed through its gates in\u00a0July 2025<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 winter is a time when the park is much emptier. According to my guide, only about 2,000 people a day enter the park in the winter months,\u00a0meaning you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to elbow your way through the throngs to take in the best vistas or see the wildlife.<\/p>\n

\"Bison<\/p>\n

Bison grazing in front of steam vents at Yellowstone National Park in early February 2026.<\/p>\n

As national parks like Yellowstone continue to\u00a0grapple with\u00a0funding uncertainty\u00a0in Washington,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just as important,\u00a0valuable\u00a0and fulfilling\u00a0for visitors to go as ever.<\/p>\n

If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0thinking about a trip to Yellowstone,\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0dismiss the idea of going when there\u2019s snow on the ground.\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0what you need to know to make the most out of your Yellowstone\u00a0experience\u00a0any time of year.<\/p>\n

What there is to see and do in Yellowstone<\/p>\n

Whatever season you decide to visit Yellowstone, the landscape will be the star.<\/p>\n

In the summer, hot springs\u00a0around areas like the Fountain Paint Pot Trail will show their full vibrant colors with\u00a0mats of thermophile bacteria that thrive in\u00a0the extreme\u00a0environments.<\/p>\n

In the winter,\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0still have the chance to see animals like bison and wolves if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0lucky, but\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0really get a sense\u00a0for\u00a0how much thermal activity there is just below your feet in the park. Random patches of melted snow point to areas where the magma just below the park\u2019s surface keeps\u00a0things warm in unexpected patterns.<\/p>\n

Be sure to stop by Old Faithful,\u00a0arguably one\u00a0of Yellowstone\u2019s most well-known attractions, for a natural show. One benefit to going in winter is that you\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0have to compete for a front-row seat at the geyser.<\/p>\n

\"Steam<\/p>\n

Steam rises out of Old Faithful between eruptions.<\/p>\n

Despite being one of\u00a0America\u2019s most\u00a0visited\u00a0national parks<\/a>,\u00a0Yellowstone does not\u00a0require\u00a0timed-entry\u00a0reservations or\u00a0permits<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0access to\u00a0its\u00a0popular\u00a0sites,\u00a0unlike\u00a0some\u00a0other parks, which have such restrictions.<\/p>\n

But even outside those well-known attractions,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0plenty to see, so long as you stay on the marked paths.\u00a0Geysers,\u00a0mudpots, hot\u00a0springs\u00a0and fumaroles will mesmerize you across the landscape.<\/p>\n

Yellowstone\u2019s unique geology means you can find yourself on dangerous ground if you\u00a0stray from the designated areas<\/a>.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not worth getting a steam or acid burn just to snap your Instagram post from a more unique angle.<\/p>\n

\"Signs<\/p>\n

Signs warn visitors to stay on marked paths throughout Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a place that\u2019s meant to be sensed,\u201d my guide, Missy, said \u2013 but\u00a0maybe not\u00a0by covering your body in third-degree burns.<\/p>\n

How parks are handling record visitor numbers<\/p>\n

National\u00a0parks\u00a0continue to be extremely popular places to visit, and many of the flagship parks are working to upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate high numbers of visitors safely.<\/p>\n

Yellowstone, for example, has robust road infrastructure and facilities like restrooms dotted throughout the park. Still, according to my guide, the park recognizes that more can be done to improve its facilities and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0delayed on some of its ongoing capital projects.<\/p>\n

While Yellowstone\u2019s roads are mostly closed to the public during winter, during the rest of the year vehicles can travel over\u00a0a\u00a0massive\u00a0figure-eight roadway through much of the park. Wildlife sightings can add to traffic as bison\u00a0cross roads\u00a0or cars pull over to see other animals in the distance.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A close-up bison sighting at Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cParks use a combination of seasonal staffing increases, traffic control measures, real-time visitor messaging, expanded transit operations and interagency coordination to manage crowds safely and responsibly,\u201d an Interior Department spokesperson previously told USA TODAY, stressing the National Park Service\u2019s commitment to safe, responsible access and resource management.<\/p>\n

How has Yellowstone fared with National Park Service changes?<\/p>\n

National\u00a0parks\u00a0remain\u00a0open despite\u00a0staffing cuts<\/a>\u00a0and funding uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the lapse in appropriations, the Administration kept America\u2019s national parks safe, clean, and open wherever possible,\u201d a National Park Service spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cThanks to strong leadership and a well-executed contingency plan, the National Park Service maintained essential services, minimized disruptions, and prevented resource damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Steam<\/p>\n

Steam rises from deep-blue Silex Spring.<\/p>\n

Still, when the staffing cuts were announced last year, advocates like the independent National Parks Conservation Association and Coalition to Protect National Parks warn that lower staffing will lead to a reduction in the level of service and\u00a0ability to protect and share park resources.<\/p>\n

How to get to Yellowstone<\/p>\n

There are\u00a0multiple entrances\u00a0to Yellowstone National Park, which straddles Montana,\u00a0Wyoming\u00a0and Idaho, so getting there depends on exactly which area you intend to visit.<\/p>\n

During the winter, public access is\u00a0limited\u00a0and most visitors will need to go as part of a guided tour.<\/p>\n

On my trip, I flew\u00a0into\u00a0Bozeman, Montana. I was mostly staying in Big\u00a0Sky\u00a0and I got a transfer from my hotel to meet my\u00a0snowcoach\u00a0tour in West Yellowstone, about an hour away.<\/p>\n

How much it costs to enter Yellowstone<\/p>\n

A standard entrance pass to Yellowstone\u00a0costs<\/a>\u00a0$20-35\u00a0for a single visit\u00a0for U.S. residents, while an annual pass\u00a0costs $70.\u00a0National parks now charge extra fees to foreign tourists.<\/p>\n

During the winter, when most of the park\u2019s roads are closed to the public, visitors will need to enter as part of a tour.<\/p>\n

\"Most<\/p>\n

Most wintertime visitors to Yellowstone National Park need to join a guided tour. Snowcoaches and snowmobiles are the primary vehicles in the park during the winter.<\/p>\n

The tour I took,\u00a0an 8-hour\u00a0snowcoach tour<\/a>\u00a0operated by Yellowstone Vacations\u00a0from West Yellowstone, cost $240 per person, not including the park pass, lunch or gratuities.<\/p>\n

Snowmobile tours,\u00a0snowshoeing\u00a0and cross-country skiing are also available in Yellowstone during the winter.<\/p>\n

This story was updated to adjust headlines.<\/p>\n

Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY<\/p>\n

The reporter\u00a0on\u00a0this story received access from Expedia and Visit Big Sky. USA TODAY\u00a0maintains\u00a0editorial control of content.<\/p>\n

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in\u00a0New York\u00a0and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fewer crowds, epic wildlife: What to know before visiting Yellowstone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Way\u00a0off in the distance, I could see a wolf. That\u2019s\u00a0pretty much the\u00a0best animal sighting you can get at\u00a0Yellowstone\u00a0National…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507694,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[19582,230713,1680,79,86939,201,230712],"class_list":["post-507693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-national-park","tag-national-park-system","tag-national-parks","tag-science","tag-west-yellowstone","tag-wildlife","tag-yellowstone-experience"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}