Yellowstone in Winter

I started the year off with, what is becoming, my annual winter trip to Yellowstone. I had been talking with the editor at Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine about doing a 'Yellowstone Winter' feature and took the opportunity to photograph aspects of the park I don't usually take advantage of while trying to photograph the wildlife. We are fortunate to be able to visit such a remarkable place in just under a day's drive, so I packed up the 4Runner, picked Associate Writer Colter, and headed to Yellowstone's North Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs. The plan was to spend five days photographing along the norther loop road, and hoped to capture images of wolves, bison, elk, and of course the frozen landscape.

Into the Mist
Into the Mist


We arrived to find Mammoth in colder than average temperatures that would put our equipment, and ourselves, to the test. We routinely encountered -20F mornings, with one morning registering at -27F while we were photographing in Round Valley, along Soda Butte Creek. You know the saying 'It is too cold to snow', well that didn't prove to be true; snow fell at all times of the day and night as the storms passed through. The culmination of frigid temperatures and stormy weather resulted in a magical landscape. While we were unsuccessful in capturing images of wolves, we did have a great time photographing everything else and we were rewarded with some phenomenal views!


Mountainsmith Descent Camera Pack
Colter scouting for wildlife

Mammoth Hot Springs - Yellowstone - Feb. 2014
Mammoth Hot Springs

A Cold Walk
A Cold Walk

What are you looking at?
What are you looking at?
All of the photos I captured on the trip can be found here: