Welcome to this month’s Blogorail Peach Loop. Today we are exploring fun you and your family can have this winter. Read along as I talk about some of the winter tours of Yellowstone National Park you can take!
My wife, daughter and I have been to Yellowstone National Park just once as a family. We spent 3 days visiting as part of a trip we took to visit Cindy’s family as part of our 5th anniversary, way back in 2005. Since we were there in August, this is part of what we were exposed to for that trip.
Gorgeous scenery, incredible temperatures, and believe it or not, we actually received quite a bit of hail on our last day there — enough that it looked like snow. But despite the incredible scenes and memories we have from that trip, one thing I really want to experience once is the experience of visiting Yellowstone National Park in the winter!
Yellowstone Alpine Guides is just one of the companies that offers tours to Yellowstone in the winter, and they utilize some of the original snowcoaches that were introduced into Yellowstone, back in the 1950s. You can read more about these unique vehicles on the Yellowstone Alpine Guides website. There are a full line of different winter tours that you can take, with rates that vary depending on the tour you take. Here’s a breakdown of the ones that YAG offers:
Old Faithful Winter Tour
This tour is offered from December 15 – March 15. Rates for this trip, which includes options for skiing and snowshoeing if you wish, are $145 for adults, $135 for seniors, and $110 for children under age 16. There are some extra costs that aren’t factored in these prices, such as park admission, taxes, gratuities, and any lunch costs. The Old Faithful tour is done via snowcoach.
The Canyon Winter Snowcoach Tour
You can take this tour from December 15 – March 6th. This all day tour runs from 9AM – 5PM, and you’ll need to bring your own lunch for this because there are no locations for food during this tour. Transportation is also via snowcoach, and features the following highlights of Yellowstone: Yellowstone Falls, Norris Geyser Basin, Natural Thermal Features, Yellowstone’s Wildlife. This tour offers the same prices as the Old Faithful tour.
Yellowstone Quick Escapes Tours
If you have more time and want to experience both tours, then a Quick Escape Tour might be just the thing for you. From $209/person you will have two nights and be able to pick one tour. Lodging is in West Yellowstone and includes lodging, breakfast and the tour of your choice. However, if you have the time, you can schedule the 3 night/2 tour package. I’m not sure what the pricing for that one is, but it would cover both tours.
Yellowstone Winter Photography Tours
If you have a big group and you like to take photos, you may want to look into a chartered winter photography tour. These tours are for up to 8 guests, travel by snowcoach, and are flexible enough to give you the ability to chart your own course and draw on the experience of your guides to get the best settings possible for some incredible photography. You’ll want to bring your lunch with you on this one!
Obviously, these sorts of tours aren’t for everyone. My wife has already told me that I’ll be taking this one on my own while she sits in front of the fire drinking hot chocolate! From our location in North Carolina, this will be something that will take more planning to accomplish, so obviously I don’t have a timeframe on that just yet. But what about you? Have you taken a trip like this before? If so, what did you think? Please let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by today!
check out the other great posts from the Blogorail!
Here is the map of our Blogorail Peach | Family Adventure | Winter Travel
- 1st Stop – This Roller Coaster Called Live | Top 5 Things to Do in the Winter in Hershey, PA
- 2nd Stop – Magical Memories with the Mouse | Tips for Visiting the Grand Canyon in Winter
- 3rd Stop – Cool Nouns | Day Trips
- 4th Stop – My Dreams of Disney | A Winter Tour at Yellowstone National Park
We just visited Yellowstone for the first time this past summer and loved it! I bet it looks a lot different in the winter. I also bet it’s a lot less crowded! I may have to consider a trip.
Kimberly, it is significantly less crowded because the park officials limit the amount of visitor traffic in the park. Let me know if you are able to go — I’d love to see some Facebook live posts of it from you! Thanks for commenting!
I have to do that snow coach tour or the photography one!!! So much to do there. Thanks!
Thanks, Lee, let me know when you make this into a day trip excursion!