winter Tetons & Yellowstone with wolves

Yellowstone/Grand Teton in Winter
A Winter Wonderland
Group Leader - Roger Devore

For many years, I had seen the wonderful landscapes and wildlife images made in Yellowstone National Park in winter. One winter, in December, I actually went to the park to visit the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. I never made it to the lodge that year. Most of the roads in Yellowstone close in winter to all traffic except snow coaches and snowmobiles. This closure occurs at a predetermined calendar date, not due to weather conditions. After that date, the closed roads are unavailable to all other vehicles. Unfortunately, the year I chose to visit was one of very light snow fall in December, so there was not enough snow for the snow coaches to run. Since it was past that magical calendar date, the roads were also closed to cars and buses. You could not get to the Snow Lodge. It was a new version of Catch 22. That year, I did spend time in West Yellowstone and the Tetons, but never journeyed to the interior of Yellowstone Park. I made some wonderful winter images, but never saw the park in winter the way I had planned.

That all changed in January, 2006. I planned a more successful trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. We explored the areas around Jackson Hole in the Tetons and then took the snow coach for a few nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. We traveled through out Yellowstone by snow coach and snowmobiles. The winter landscapes were amazing, the splendor of Yellowstone canyon, winter waterfalls, and abundant wildlife grouped around the warm thermal areas. The steam from these areas added mist and fog to the images. Bison, elk, coyotes, trumpeter swans, and bald eagles were easily found and photographed.

Equally impressive was the area around Jackson Hole and The Grand Tetons National Park. Most of the roads in Grand Tetons National Park are kept plowed and open in winter. The National Elk Refuge, just north of Jackson, is winter home to thousands of elk. Sleigh rides are available to allow visits to the middle of the elk herd. Majestic bulls, with full antlers, group together to face the cold of winter. In the sleigh, you are surrounded by elk, your camera has trouble deciding where to photograph next. We also found groups of bison, moose, and big horn sheep, readily accessible from the park roads, posing for winter images in the snow. The landscapes involving the Teton mountains were also unsurpassed. Blue skies with white snow covered mountains provide contrast for scenic images unavailable any other time of year.

The past four years, we have had very successful workshops during the winter season at Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. These workshops have proven to be some of our most popular. Yellowstone in the winter is an almost magical place that is like no where else. The wildlife and the mountains in the Tetons are also spectacular. We have again scheduled a similar workshop for 2012.

For 2011, We made a change to itinerary from prior years. Although our trips to Yellowstone had been spectacular, one thing was missing for me, we had not seen any wolves. I had read about the Lamar Valley wolves in winter and had seen them during other seasons. I decided no winter trip to Yellowstone could be complete without attempting to photograph the famous Yellowstone wolves in winter. Lamar Valley is the place to pursue that goal, so for 2011, I scheduled a day there looking for the wolves and other wildlife. This day in Lamar was so successful, that we decided to spend two days there for 2012. To do this, we will need to stay at the Mammoth Hot Springs hotel for part of the trip. We will have our own dedicated van(s) for our workshop to use as we wish to explore the valley.

January 17 - Workshop begins. We will spend a day photographing around the Jackson Hole - Grand Tetons National Park area. We will visit the Elk refuge and explore the park for wildlife and winter landscape opportunities. We will drive rented 4 wheel drive SUVs if you choose to ride with us, but as usual, you may also drive yourself.

Jan 18 - Early morning photography in the Tetons and drive to Flagg Ranch to meet snow coaches to travel to the Yellowstone Snow Lodge.

Jan 18-19 - We will stay at the Old Faithful snow lodge in the heart of Yellowstone National Park and the Old Faithful Geyser Basin nearby.

Jan 19 - We will have a dedicated snow coach(es) for our workshop use to explore the park with our own itinerary.

Jan 20 - We will travel to Mammoth Hot Springs by snow coach and spend three nights there also.

Jan 21 & 22 - We will have dedicated van(s) to explore Lamar Valley. This is the only part of the park open to regular vehicles in the winter. The valley is famous for its wildlife, especially the wolves. Here is where the wolves were first released and the most populated area in the park for wolves. These trips are very successful at spotting and photographing wolves.

Jan 23 - Another day exploring the park in our chartered snow coach(es). We will spend the day traveling from the Mammoth area and end up back at Flagg ranch. We arrive in the late afternoon and pick up our vehicles and head back to Jackson for the night.

Jan 24 - Another day in the Tetons and Jackson area. This day gives us another chance, with possibly different weather conditions, to explore this area.

Cost $2885 ($3185 for single room in Yellowstone) - Price increase over previous workshops due to full extra day in Yellowstone with chartered vans.

-transportation for Teton portion (available with us if you sign up before we are full)

Due to chartered vehicles required for this trip, a minimum of 4 participants are required for the workshop to occur.

This workshop will be an opportunity to photograph in a winter wonderland like no place else on earth. The landscape possibilities, abundant wildlife, and unique thermal activity makes this location unique in its photography opportunities. I hope you can join us for this special trip.

Fees: $2885 (transportation while at the workshop - our transportation (until full)- can be added for an additional $125, including airport service on Jan 16 and drop off the morning of the 25th). We will coordinate the sharing of rental cars if requested, for those who do not take the transportation option Fee is $3185 for a single room in Yellowstone. Deposit for this workshop is $750. Rooms in Jackson approx $90/night per room.
Airport for pickup: Jackson, WY, Plan to fly out on Jan 25, Jan 24 will be a full workshop day.
Hiking Rating - Easy
Minimum number of participants - 4; maximum participants -8.