The One Day Winter Yellowstone Wildlife Tour From Big Sky picks up and drops off at all hotels in the lower part of Big Sky.  You will travel from Big Sky through Bozeman and Livingston, before heading south towards the Roosevelt Arch and Yellowstone’s north entrance. You can expect to see wildlife even outside the park, with herds of elk and pronghorn in the area. We’ll stop for pictures at the historic Roosevelt Arch, before continuing past the 45^th Parallel (halfway between the equator and the North Pole) and the Boiling River, to Mammoth Hot Springs.

Mammoth Hot Springs is Yellowstone’s headquarters, and one of the reasons that the north entrance is open to cars all year round.  The other reason is that access needs to be provided to the northeast entrance, and the tiny towns of Cooke City-Silver Gate. The road on the east side of Cooke City is closed from late fall through mid-Spring, and the only way for residents to get supplies and services is to travel out of Yellowstone’s north entrance.

We’ll pause at Mammoth Hot Springs to enable you to check out the ever changing terraces, as well as a herd of elk that is always in the area, before continuing more or less east towards the Lamar Valley, which is known for its wildlife. Although you won’t see bears in the winter, this is where the keen wolf watchers are to be found, as they know their chances of spotting a wolf here are higher than anywhere else. There is also a wide variety of other animals to be found in the Lamar Valley.

Depending on how much time and daylight we have, we may continue on to Cooke City, or we may turn around before we get there. The scenery in this part of Yellowstone is really spectacular, with towering mountains and sprawling valleys.

We will now retrace our steps to Mammoth Hot Springs and leave the park under the Roosevelt Arch and return to Big Sky.

Take a virtual Yellowstone tour!