Yellowstone on Skis
A dead tree creates a sculpture on a stark landscape.
My favorite time of year to be in Yellowstone is during the winter months. It may be harder to get around in much of the Park but you can cover a surprising amount of ground on skis and chances are, you may be the only people out on the trail on many days.
The road from Mammoth to Cooke City, through Lamar Valley, is open to traffic all winter long. It is the only connection residents of the small Montana town have to civilization by automobile from early November through early May.
Several trailheads off that road provide access to miles of backcountry skiing, allowing visitors to experience an incredible winter wonderland while enjoying hours of cold weather exercise.
A dip in the landscape near the summit of the 8 mile Blacktail Plateau ski trail.
Last week we took the opportunity to spend a few days at our cabin in Gardiner, Montana, going out each day to explore ski trails in the northern range of the Park.
On our first outing we opted to ski the 8 mile trail up and over Blacktail Plateau. We started at Petrified Tree, deciding to get to the top via the quickest route. In the past, we have always done this trail the opposite way, which is what most people do because it gives you 6 miles to reach the summit rather than the steeper 2 miles to get to the same elevation, but we decided to switch it up for variety.
The remains of a bull elk that met his demise on the top of the plateau.
The last time we skied this trail we found ourselves following fresh wolf tracks much of the way. This time we came across the skeleton of a bull elk that had died and been consumed but most of the recent tracks were those of coyotes.
Ken with Cutoff Mountain far in the background
The following day we decided to ski a loop starting at the same place, Petrified Tree, and emerging at the Calcite Springs overlook off the road to Tower Falls. Having two vehicles allows us to accomplish point-to-point adventures. In past years we have skied the first 2 1/2 miles of this trail and then turned around and skied back to the car but this time we dropped one vehicle at the destination so we could experience a part of the trail we had never skied before.
We quickly discovered that few people had ventured beyond Lost Lake on this trail that is marked for horses in the summer months and no one had been there for at least a couple weeks which meant we were breaking trail most of the way.
A squirrel ignores us as he eats his lunch beside the trail
The trail was a mixture of medium to difficult terrain but the incredible views from the top made the effort worthwhile.
Looking down on a bison herd in the meadow opposite Roosevelt Junction from high above on the trail.
Calcite Springs from the overlook
After stopping to eat our lunch along the trail, we descended through the trees and emerged on the road to Tower opposite the Calcite Springs overlook. From there it was a short 1 mile ski down the closed road to make our way back to our vehicle.
I can’t imagine a better way to spend two days in February!