Staying In Yellowstone’s Interior During Winter 2026 – Part 3: Winter Activities

If you are considering spending a few winter days at Yellowstone National Park (and there is still time to do so before the season ends on February 28), then this three-part series of articles should help you with your plans and preparations. Part 1 discussed getting to and within the park. Part 2 detailed lodging, dining, and packing. In this Part 3, you’ll read about the fun stuff you can do and see during your stay.

There is a huge difference between summer and winter at Yellowstone. You won’t be able to access as much on your own as you would during the summer, but the trade-off is that there are so few visitors, you’ll feel like you have the entire park to yourself (unless, of course, you are driving through the Lamar Valley).

Winter sees fewer families but more international tourists, retirees, and organized photo tours. You’ll see snowmobilers too, many of whom stop off for a few hours at Upper Geyser Basin for lunch, a view of Old Faithful erupting, and a short wander along the basin boardwalks.

So, just what can you do during a Yellowstone winter stay? Plenty!

Driving Your Personal Vehicle

As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, almost all roads in Yellowstone are closed to private vehicles during winter. You can, however, take your car along the road (US 212) from Mammoth east-northeast to Cooke City, Montana. You’ll drive to Tower Junction, over the Yellowstone River, and then through Lamar Valley. If it’s wildlife you specifically wish to see, this route is the one to take, and you can get there with your own vehicle.

Be aware, though, this road will also be the most crowded, with others wishing to see wildlife or a part of the park through which they can actually drive. There will be times when the road narrows due to all the parked cars and crowds viewing whatever wildlife is spotted in the area. So, drive carefully over the snow and ice, and drive the speed limit, for your own safety, others’ safety, and the wildlife’s safety.

Hiking

If you are staying at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge or enjoying a guided tour to Upper Geyser Basin, then pull on your boot traction devices and wander four miles (6.4 kilometers) of boardwalks for close-up views of colorful, clear hot springs, hissing steam vents, and geysers erupting a froth of steam and water high into the air.

During my stay there, I witnessed eruptions from five different geysers and I felt very lucky, because the only geyser with any real regularity is Old Faithful. All during my boardwalk forays, I encountered few to no others out there. Even during the height of day, I felt like I had the entire place to myself.

If you want something a little more adventurous (and strenuous), hike the snowy trail up to Observation Point for an overall view of Old Faithful, the Visitor Center, Old Faithful Lodge, and Old Faithful Inn. There’s a 200-foot (61-meter) elevation gain, and it’s an easy hike during the summer but a little less so in the winter. The trail is trickier to navigate and spots are icy, so be mindful where you step. Once you arrive at the top, you might just be in time to see Old Faithful erupt down below.

Cross-Country Skiing

If cross-country skiing is your thing, bring your own skis and poles or rent them at the Bear Den Ski Shop. New to this activity? You can take ski lessons at either Mammoth or the Snow Lodge (2-person minimum).

If you don’t feel like heading out on your own, you can reserve a spot on one of three guided ski tours: Tower (half-day afternoon tour, $64.72 per adult, $37.37 per child 11 and under), Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (full-day tour, $399.94-$411.48 per adult, $199.97-$205.74 per child 11 and under; prices dependent upon departure point), or Lone Star Excursion (half-day tour, $73.64 per adult/$36.82 per child 11 and under). Taxes and fees are included in these prices.

You can also hop a skier shuttle from Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel or Old Faithful Snow Lodge to various designated ski trail drop-off points. Depending upon departure location and drop-off point, prices range from $10.82-$21.66 each way for adults and $5.26-$10.83 each way for children 11 and under.

Feel like making up your own ski adventure? Grab a map and head out on your own to glide over various ski trails in the park.

Snowshoeing

Bring your own snowshoes and poles or rent a pair from the Bear Den Ski Shop and hit the trails and boardwalks. Stop at a visitor center or ski shop within the park and someone there can help you plan a snowshoe hike while learning about area weather, and trail and snow conditions.

If you don’t feel like picking a trail on your own, reserve a spot with one of two guided snowshoe tours:

The Grand Canyon Snowshoe Tour, offered three days a week, is a full-day tour ($411.48 adults/$205.74 children 11 and under) taking you through Upper and Lower Geyser Basins to Madison Junction, then along the Gibbon River over to Canyon, where you’ll snowshoe up to three miles at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The Old Faithful Area Guided Snowshoe Tour spends three hours in the Yellowstone backcountry ($33.54 adults/$27.05 children 11 and under). Note: the trail does not walk the Upper Geyser Basin. Instead, you’ll be taking an easy snowshoe along the Firehole River on mostly flat terrain.

Snowcoach And Snowmobile Tours

Feel more like being chauffeured to places of interest within the park with maybe a few short outdoor forays? Snowcoach tours will take you to areas off limits to personal vehicles during the winter, and you’ll be surprised by how different an iconic spot looks during the winter versus summer. The guides are knowledgeable and provide running commentary full of interesting tidbits about the geothermal features, wildlife, history, and Yellowstone environment.

Depending upon your departure location (Mammoth Hotel or Old Faithful Snow Lodge), you can reserve half-day and full-day snowcoach tours with Yellowstone National Park Lodges exploring places like the Northern Range, Norris Geyser Basin, Lamar Valley wildlife, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, West Thumb Geyser Basin, Firehole Basin, Madison River, and even a night tour exploring the stars and winter soundscape. Adult/child prices vary depending upon the tour chosen and whether it is a half-day or full-day adventure, from $84.47-$373.58 adults to $186.79-$52.52 children 3-11.

You can also reserve a spot with a commercial snowmobile tour operator and experience the outdoor elements more directly. Below is a list of snowmobile and snowcoach operators authorized to operate within the park.

In 2022, I reserved spots through Yellowstone National Park Lodges for two tours: Norris Geyser Basin and one to Midway Basin (which is not offered for 2026). This year, I took the Norris Geyser Basin tour again because Norris Geyser Basin – specifically Porcelain Basin – is my favorite part of the park. On this tour, you’ll walk along a snowy boardwalk to view Emerald Spring, Steamboat Geyser, and Cistern Spring, all while learning about geysers and the Norris Basin ecosystem. Depending upon your tour guide, you may also continue to walk that loop trail for views of Veteran Geyser, Monarch Geyser, and Minute Geyser before hiking back up to Porcelain Basin. That is what I did in 2022. For 2026, this same tour was shortened a bit, with the group hiking only to Cistern Spring before returning to hike a short way around Porcelain Basin to unarguably the most amazing view of the area. The 2026 tour may not have been as lengthy as the 2022 tour, but I still got to see and photograph my favorite portion of Porcelain Basin.

You might want to bring one or both of your ski poles on any of these tours. Your snowcoach guide will also have poles available for use. The trails/boardwalks tend to be narrow, with a thin line of packed snow in the center for hiking, and deeper, unconsolidated snow on either side into which you might posthole if you lose your balance or make a misstep.

FYI, postholing is sinking ankle-, calf-, knee-, or even hip-deep into soft snow. It’s easy to fall when this happens, and it’s exhausting to try and extract yourself.

The trails along which we traipsed during the Norris Basin tour were quite narrow and poles helped not only in keeping balance but also discovering which parts of the snow on either side of the trail were stable enough to stand on when you wanted to get photos.

Skating

Fancy a little ice skating? You can rent a pair of skates at the Snow Lodge and glide around the small rink behind the lodge. In 2022, which is when the photograph below was captured, the place was lit up like a storefront Christmas display. For 2026, the lights were not quite as colorful, but that didn’t stop skaters from testing the ice.

Photography

While you probably won’t see as much wildlife at Upper Geyser Basin as you would during a drive through Lamar Valley, you may still spot bison, coyotes, and Canada geese. Maybe you’ll even see a white weasel scampering through the snow, like I did on my Norris Basin guided tour. You’ll definitely spy evidence of wildlife from prints in the snow (white-tailed jackrabbits, snowshoe hares, wolves, bison). Snowcoach drivers usually stop at the sight of wildlife unless it is not safe for them to do so.

If you are a photographer, use your smartphone’s telephoto setting or affix a telephoto lens to your camera for wildlife shots. Your smartphone’s wide-angle setting or a wide-angle lens will capture amazing landscapes, as well.

A Google search will pull up a plethora of photo tours offering half-day, full-day, or multi-day Yellowstone winter destinations. For $297.78 adult/$148.89 children 11 and under, you can also reserve a spot on a Yellowstone National Park Lodges guided winter photo safari for a full day touring along the Firehole and Madison River corridors. Boxed lunches are provided.

After my 2022 winter trip to Yellowstone, I wrote a photography article for the Traveler and you can check it out here.

One last thing: Although I experienced an unusual warming trend during my 2026 winter stay at Yellowstone, it was still plenty cold. Cold weather means you may not necessarily feel thirsty during your outdoor forays, nor might you feel hungry. You still need to drink plenty of water and eat salty and sweet snacks to keep your energy from flagging. Every puff of vapor you breath out means moisture is leaving your body. Cold air and exercise can take its toll if you aren’t prepared.

Yellowstone in winter is an amazing experience and not one to be missed. There is still time for a winter trip before the end of February, 2026. If you choose to wait until December-February 2027, you’ll have plenty of time to plan and prepare.