Roadtrek Travels: Jan 24, Snowcoach in Yellowstone

Tuesday, January 24

Early breakfast here at the hotel - typical "complimentary" fare. Today's adventure will be snow coaching to Yellowstone Canyon with Back Country Adventure. We have two coaches which are large vans outfitted with huge deeply treaded tires. Each has a knowledgeable driver, Mindy and Pierre, who will narrate the trip. Plenty of room so everyone has a window seat and nicely heated.

The maximum speed limit for these vehicles is 25 mph and there are limits on how many vehicles are allowed into the park, based on how much noise they make. There has been 4 to 5 feet of snow recently though it is compacted now. The vehicles are driving atop all of this compacted snow, which follows the roads. Roads won't be cleared and plowed until March, but they are groomed daily.

We enter the park just outside of West Yellowstone, MT and quickly enter into Wyoming. The park is 2.2million acres, 96% of which is in Wyoming. 3% is in Montana and 1% in Idaho.

We pass many areas that have been affected by fires. One very large one in 1988 covered 800,000 acres (36% of the park). Our driver, Mindy, is from West Yellowstone and was 9 years old then. She told us a lot about the fire and firefighting. Most of her family was involved in one way or another and it was October snows which finally ended the fire that had been battled for months.

We travel along the Madison River, which does not freeze due to all the nearby geothermal activity and see trumpeter swans, geese and ducks.

We see a few bison here and there. Someone compared their diets to eating boxed cereal - in the spring and summer they eat a variety of tasty cereals, but in winter they are eating the cardboard boxes.

They are so well insulated that they aren't bothered by cold until it reaches 33 below 0. They use their powerful head and shoulders to push snow aside to uncover dried grasses and can stay in one area for a month or more if the food supply is good, or move up to 15 miles a day if looking for food. They can weigh a ton but still can run 35mph and jump up to six feet when they want to.

The scenery is just awesome everywhere you look with snow laden trees, vast expanses of snow covered fields, several rivers, steamy hot spots and more.

Most of the elk of Yellowstone migrate out of the park in Winter, but there is one small herd that stays in this area and we soon come across this big bull elk.

Across the river, a smaller cow elk is foraging for food as well. They eat grasses but also eat parts of many shrubs and trees. They lose and grow new antlers every year and it only takes 90-100 days to grow new ones. They are one of the fastest growing organisms around (along with cancer cells).

We stop at a small warming hut at Madison Junction which also features heated restrooms - very popular spot at 6806' elevation. Behind the hut is a lovely valley with a cabin which serves as a visitor's center in Summer. It is a balmy 20 degrees here.

Next we begin to see some of the geothermal activity. Wisps of steam dot the land as we approach Terrace Springs, one of the cooler water features at 100 degrees.

We come across a larger group of bison which are mostly females and young males.

The older males are mostly solitary since they are much bigger and don't need the protection of the herd. The herds are led by a cow and if a male makes trouble or abuses the young calfs he is ousted by the females.

Next stop is 84' Gibbon Falls, a pretty sight in the snow and ice.

And then we pass steamy Beryl Springs which is about 195 degrees, just below boiling! The elevation is rising and snow is deeper.

Next is the Norris Geyser Basin area, the largest geyser area and the hottest at a maximum of more than 200 degrees. Our guide mentions that no one is allowed to enter any of the springs or other water features and tells us about a tourist who fell into one and was totally dissolved in less than an hour by a combination of heat and acids.

We reach Canyon Village where we stop to enjoy our sack lunches at a part of the visitor's center which is kept open for this purpose (and restrooms). There are several groups having lunch there, snowmobilers and those in coaches like us.

From here we head to Artist's Point for a view of the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. It is the shorter of the two major falls.

A short drive later we arrive at an overlook for the lower falls, 109' high. This is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and is quite impressive!

There is a large "ice shield" formation in front of the base of the falls formed by the freezing spray. The canyon walls which are yellow and orange rhyolitic lava, are only slightly visible under the snow and ice.

We pause for a look at this colorful "chocolate pot"formation, whose water is about 170 degrees.

We pause for several groups of bison that are on the highway.

And we see coyotes at two different locations. This one had just eaten a fish that he'd caught in the river and when we moved on he was again sitting by the water intent on extending his meal. We are later told that there is a whole family of coyotes who like to fish!

Coyotes have thrived all over the country. They are much smaller than wolves, weighing only 25-30 pounds though their winter coats can make them look larger. Wolves will average 90-120 lbs.
It has been a mostly cloudy day and the temperature is falling as the sun sheds its' cold light as we arrive back at West Yellowstone.