Yellowstone is closed to regular traffic like cars and buses during the winters, and the only way to get to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, located on the east side of the road which splits Yellowstone’s roads into two massive loops, is by snowcoach or snowmobile.

You do have the option of upgrading to a snowmobile at an additional charge, but if you do  not, a snowcoach will take you from West Yellowstone into the park on a trip which so few will ever take. Yellowstone in the winters is like a ghost town, and you will follow the Madison River over the snow into the Madison Valley, stopping whenever there is something of interest to be seen. The Madison Valley is one of the parts of Yellowstone where you can expect to find bison and elk, particularly in the winters, as it is lower in elevation, and the winters, while still brutal, do not last quite as long.

Your snowcoach will come to Madison Junction, where the road meets up with the Grand Loop Road through Yellowstone, and you will turn left or north, towards Yellowstone’s upper loop. Snow conditions permitting, it may or may not be possible to check out Gibbon Falls on the Gibbon River, before coming to Beryl Spring, a scenic hot spring right next to the Grand Loop Road.

At Norris Geyser Basin we’ll turn right or east, onto the road that splits Yellowstone into two gigantic circles, or loops. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is at the end of this short road, and this will be our main focus today. The canyon was carved through the yellowish rock by the might of the Yellowstone River, and it is a really magnificent sight, which you’ll enjoy from various vantage points.

Because the lodge buildings at Canyon are closed, we provide a sack lunch or similar today, as there is nowhere else to buy food.

After enjoying the views, we’ll retrace our steps back towards West Yellowstone.