Yellowstone - Winter 2023; 44 to 70

Hi everyone,

After something of a prolonged period of 'posting absence' I can now start to slowly add some images taken from our Yellowstone and Grand Teton visit in January/February this year.

Just to give the trip some perspective. Access to both parks during the winter months is heavily restricted; the Grand Tetons even more so than Yellowstone with access pretty much stopped on the one side just after the Jackson Hole ski area and, on the other, just after something like Snake River overlook. The roads further afield are kept open (as we shall later see) for local access but the main thoroughfare to Yellowstone via Lewis Lake etc. is a no-go. Access to Yellowstone itself via a park entrance is strictly controlled; you have to have a reason to be in there and access is normally afforded to groups, either tours on snowmobiles, visitors to the hotel at Old Faithfull or, like us, a guided tour with locals aboard who know the roads and conditions. Yellowstone will, however, come later.

The conditions were very variable and we expected that up to a point; we had last been in the Winter in 2010 and experienced a low then of -20C at worse and, generally, around -10 t0 0 C most other days. This time was much more severe; the worst we had was -42C (-42F incidentally!) during the first few days but it then 'warmed up' to a positively balmy -25 - -15 C most other times. Whilst that may seem cold (-42 definitely was!), if the sky was clear and the sun was out, it was very pleasant and made taking photographs and looking after oneself physically so much easier.

The plan overall was arrival in Jackson Hole, then the next 3 days touring round various locations locally (hire cars) plus a visit to the Elk Refuge; then off to West Yellowstone for a full 7 days of Snow Coach trips into the park, then up to Gardiner for access to the Lamar Valley and a 'surprise', then return via West Yellowstone for a day then back to Jackson Hole and depart. A full-on program each day (up at 6:00am; breakfast then out, returning as light was going around 5:00 - 5:30 pm each evening.

There were a total of 8 of us on the tour - two 'Leads' and then 6 photographers. The tour lead was a gentleman by the name of Roger Reynolds (Roger Reynolds) and his image library is well worth a look. The rest of us were, I suspect, 'old hands' with Roger and we were actually the youngest of the whole group! Not the most able; just the youngest....

Let's get the 'gear' questions out of the way early as well.
I took the a99 and a77II with me along with the sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG HSM; 70-200/2.8 EX DG HSM; the Sony 70-400 SAL70400G and a Sigma 12-24 F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM for ultra-wide views. Julie (my wife) treated herself to a new Nikon P950 before we went which had the zoom 'legs' on everyone on the trip....The rest of the group were a pretty diverse set of 'owners': the other guide had Sony 'A' cameras (A7Riv and an A9), one of the participants has an Riv and an Riii - both had 200-600; 70-200/2.8's and a range of wider zooms available; one member had purely panasonic gear, whilst his wife was using a new Nikon Z7 with associated lenses. Finally, Roger and the last member of the group were stalwart Canon users with the 'usual' range of long length lenses including a 600mm prime.
The key thing about all the equipment was that in Yellowstone we were going to be in a Snow Coach; these are meant for neither comfort nor the luxury of space, so choosing suitable equipment and somewhere to keep it - given you are regularly clambering in and out of said coach - was a fundamental part of the trip. We knew what to expect....
Image processing has largely been confined to the a77 images as i have more of these than the a99; they will follow shortly I hope! So the following series will almost exclusively be taken with the a77II and Sigma 70-200/2,8 DG EX HSM combination unless otherwise stated; changing lenses in the conditions wasn't recommended so this turned out to be a 'standard' combination

So - that's the background - any questions etc, please post in this thread as it develops and I will be more than happy to try and answer them! On to the images!

The first day was really an acclimatization day' and we took off for a calm drive around the back of the Elk Park from Jackson Hole but it's a location where Bighorn Sheep are known to graze and, early on, we were lucky. Light wasn't great (aas you will see)) but good to see something so quickly.


1. Three of a Kind



2. Food Scraping (a common sight over the days!)



3. Mother and Youngster



4. Spooked!



5. Moving On



6. Hillside and Lines



7. Sunkissed



8. Snowing Over There



9. Cottonwood Light



10. snow Hills



Well; that sets the ball rolling and more to be added shortly!

To be continued.....

Edited by owenn01 - 23 June 2023 at 12:22

Nice appetizer
I wondered why you decided on the 70-200 over the 70-400. There is no EXIF data, but it seems to me you didn't need the f/2.8 and 400mm is more (therefore better ) then 200mm.

Looking forward to more!

Looking forward to more
I was wondering whether your group had a special permit to visit areas closed to others.
And, from what I see and read, I would have been sorry ever to have chosen this trip when I was there. Then again. ..
It delivers great photos, nowhere else to be found.

I particularly like #7

Quite the intrepid traveler you are. I have never been in such temperatures and don't care to find out how they feel. Closest I ever came was one week in the Canadian Rockies in winter with the lowest sunrise temp being 15 degrees (F).

The first image is my preferred, by a lot. The complete separation (i.e., no overlap) of the sheep from each other and from the hit-and-miss vegetation and the stark contrast of bright snow vs. dark sheep - superb.   

Mestari wrote: I like #3 and the light on #7. And I am also interested in that special permit thing. It seems you just cannot explore those locations in winter on your own but have to hire a local. I'm waiting for more photos :)

@Mestari - you can enter very little of Yellowstone during the Winter months; it's usually closed completely by end-October then re-opens to guided tours and people stating at the Snow Lodge at Old Faithful from December onwards. The reason they close then reopen is to give the conditions chance to become severe enough so they can then swap over to the dedicated snow vehicles which then run through to sometime in March - when they close the Park again to allow the thaw to take place.

Except this year they still had a lot of snow until early May - reportedly they had 260% of the 'normal' snowfall this season so it was a very high fall which will be interesting for the rivers etc. during the coming weeks.

As for getting in, then you have to be part of a guided tour of one form or another. As we used the Snow Coaches (more of which later) based in West Yellowstone with a dedicated driver (normally an ex Park Ranger), then they have the permit to enter. Similarly, the snow mobile 'guides' run tours of up to 16 - 20 machines through specific routes through the park. It looks fun but it is cold and you are entirely at the guidance of the Guide - you can't just stop when you want to ! Finally, if you stay in the Park at the Old Faithfull Snow Lodge, then you can cross country ski from there along designated tracks, plus take part in other snow coach tours or just wander round Upper Geyser basin which, as we seall see later, is a magical place at any time of the year.

It was busier this year than when we were last there exactly 13 years ago (to the date!) and it looked like the Park authorities had relaxed the number of tours and suitable vehicles allowed in per day - they had talked about strict reductions a few years ago but I guess money talks....

The only other part of the park you can access by car is through the North West gate at Gardiner - this is because this road serves as a main thoroughfare to Cody in the East. It allows you to visit Mammoth Hot Springs and also do the tour of the Lamar Valley which we will also see more of later. You only get to see thermals at Mammoth this way but it still gives you a taste for the wildlife and the wider parts of the park.

I hope that helps explain the situation out there - a little complex but designed to protect you, the visitor and, most importantly, the eco system of the park.

Best regards, Neil.

Edited by owenn01 - 01 June 2023 at 22:14

Thanks for all the positive feedback so far! I feel I now need to 'finish the day off' with some additional images, all taken on the winding road which continues beyond the back of the Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole and in to the hills beyond:

11. Winter Colours



12. Meandering



13. Vibrant branches



14. Grey Old Day



15. Guess The Wind Direction



16. More Snow On The Way



17. Field Dividers



18. 'Who Let The Herd Out?'



19. Long Fence



20 Trees, Fields and Fences



It was starting to chill right down at this point so, bearing in mind this was just the first day and the weather was closing in, time to get back to the hotel and dinner! Day 2 will arrive shortly....

Thanks for looking and best regards, Neil.

Hi Harald,

Thanks for the comment! The snow didn't seem as bad it actually was (when you are not used to it any fall is a lot!) but, as you say, falls this year have been exceptional; Yellowstone is another in the 'more than 260% of typical levels' group which means they have had a lot of snow. It never stopped us once mind you....

The thaw never, really, came - we were aware of snow 'disappearing' during the day but it never did get wet etc., it just seemed to sublime away and never leave a trace; odd really!

As for the images then, yes, those last four were, for me, the highlight of the day and so simple yet visual in the way they looked. I could have done with the tree line being just a little higher in the valley mind you!

Thanks again and best regards, Neil.