Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Yellowstone in Winter: Lamar Valley Wolves and a Snowcoach to Old Faithful
6 days from mid-December to early March, Bozeman round trip: two nights in West Yellowstone with a snowcoach day to Old Faithful, then two nights in Gardiner with two dawn mornings in the Lamar Valley.
6 days · Round trip from Bozeman · up to 12 guests
Mammoth Hot Springs at -20 F, visited on day 5 Photo: Yellowstone National Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braving_the_cold_(-20F)_at_Mammoth_Hot_Springs_(32955459084).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Bozeman
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 5 h on day 6
- Activity level
Moderate
Walks are short, mostly 1 to 3 km at a time on packed snow and boardwalks that can be icy, with ice cleats lent to you. The effort is the cold, often -15 to -25 C at dawn, and standing outside in turns for up to three hours on the two wolf mornings, with the heated vehicle a few steps away. Two starts are before 7 am. You can sit any walk or watch out in the vehicle.
- Meals included
- 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 925 (estimated price)
- Season
- Mid-December to early March
Highlights
Why this trip
- Two mornings in the Lamar Valley from first light, scanning the ridges for wolves through spotting scopes with a local wildlife biologist
- A full day by snowcoach on roads closed to cars, along the Madison River to the Midway and Upper geyser basins
- Old Faithful erupting into the cold air, with steam hanging over the snow
- Bison with frosted backs pushing snow aside to graze, and elk around Gardiner and Mammoth
- The travertine terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs, steaming and rimed with frost
- Gray wolves and grizzlies up close at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone
- The Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and the drive down the snowy Gallatin Canyon
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5 h, on day 6.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 925 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 5 h, on day 6.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bozeman
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport to your hotel in downtown Bozeman
- Dinner
- Stay in Bozeman
- Drive about 15 min
Fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), about 15 km from downtown, where a driver meets you for the short ride into town. Most flights connect through Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle or Minneapolis; plan to land by about 4 pm, and the exact time is confirmed with your final itinerary. Bozeman is a college and ranching town in a wide valley ringed by the Bridger and Gallatin ranges, and its brick Main Street stays lively through the winter.
Afternoon
If you arrive early, the afternoon is yours to walk Main Street.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for the briefing: how the dawn wolf mornings work, what the snowcoach day looks like, and how to dress for twenty below. Your guide checks everyone's boots and layers and hands out the ice cleats, binoculars and warmers we lend you for the week. Then we walk to a welcome dinner together in town.
Included
- Pick-up at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
- Welcome briefing and kit check with your guide
- Loan of ice cleats, binoculars and hand and toe warmers for the trip
- Welcome dinner in downtown Bozeman
Free time: Free until the early-evening briefing
Gallatin Canyon to West Yellowstone
Bozeman, the Museum of the Rockies, then the Gallatin Canyon by Big Sky to West Yellowstone
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in West Yellowstone
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we start at the Museum of the Rockies on the Montana State University campus, known for its dinosaur halls of fossils dug from Montana rock, and its galleries on the people and landscapes of the Yellowstone region. Then we drive south into the Gallatin Canyon on US 191, where the road follows the half-frozen Gallatin River between steep, snowy walls. Watch for bighorn sheep and moose along the river.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at Big Sky, about an hour from Bozeman. The road then climbs on along the river, crossing a corner of Yellowstone National Park, to West Yellowstone, a small town at the park's west gate about 145 km from Bozeman. In the afternoon we visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, a non-profit centre where gray wolves and grizzly bears that cannot live in the wild are kept in large outdoor habitats. The bears and wolves are out in their habitats all year, winter included, and the centre's staff explain how packs live and hunt before you look for wild ones.
Evening
Dinner is free tonight.
Included
- Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
- The Gallatin Canyon drive on US 191
- Sit-down lunch at Big Sky
- Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone
Free time: Late afternoon and dinner free in West Yellowstone
Activity: US 191 through the canyon can close for a few hours in a storm; if it does, your guide reorders the day.
Snowcoach to Old Faithful
West Yellowstone by snowcoach along the Madison River to the Midway and Upper geyser basins, and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in West Yellowstone
- Drive about 3.5 h
In winter the road from West Yellowstone into the park's geyser country is closed to cars and open only to guided oversnow vehicles, so today we ride a snowcoach, a heated van on tracks, with a licensed driver-guide; your See Sight Tours guide comes too.
Morning
We leave after breakfast through the West Entrance and follow the Madison River, which stays open in the cold and draws bison, elk and wintering trumpeter swans. At the Lower Geyser Basin we walk the boardwalk at Fountain Paint Pot, then stop at Midway Geyser Basin, where Grand Prismatic Spring throws a wall of steam over the snow.
Afternoon
Around midday we reach the Upper Geyser Basin, time a hot lunch at Old Faithful around the park's eruption prediction, and watch Old Faithful go up into the cold air. There are about two hours to walk the boardwalks among the steaming geysers before the ride back in the late light, about 3.5 hours of riding in all with frequent stops.
Evening
Dinner together in West Yellowstone.
Included
- Full-day guided snowcoach tour from West Yellowstone, with a licensed driver-guide
- Fountain Paint Pot, Lower Geyser Basin
- Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring
- Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks
- Hot lunch at Old Faithful
- Dinner in West Yellowstone
Easier option: Watch Old Faithful from the warmth of the visitor centre or the lodge, and stay on the snowcoach at the shorter stops.
More active option: Walk the Upper Geyser Basin boardwalks beyond Geyser Hill toward Castle and Grand geysers, about 3 km with your guide.
Activity: Boardwalks are packed snow and can be icy; wear the ice cleats. If a storm cancels the snowcoach, the day moves to day 4.
Round the mountains to Gardiner
West Yellowstone through the Gallatin Canyon to Bozeman, then Livingston and the Paradise Valley to Gardiner
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Gardiner
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
The morning is free after yesterday's long day: sleep in, ski the groomed Rendezvous Ski Trails at the edge of town, or walk West Yellowstone's quiet streets. In winter the park road between the west and north sides is closed to cars, so to reach the Lamar Valley we drive round the mountains, about 275 km and 3.75 hours, the trip's longest drive.
Afternoon
We leave at about 10:30 am, go back down the Gallatin Canyon and stop for a sit-down lunch in Bozeman, about halfway. Then we cross the Bozeman Pass to Livingston and follow the Yellowstone River south through the Paradise Valley, between the Absaroka Range and the Gallatin Range, with a stretch stop on the way. We reach Gardiner, at the park's North Entrance, at about 3:30 pm. In winter, elk, pronghorn and bison often graze on the flats around town. Before dark we walk to the Roosevelt Arch for the last light on Electric Peak.
Evening
Dinner is free in Gardiner, and the briefing for tomorrow's early start comes with it.
Included
- Sit-down lunch in Bozeman
- The Paradise Valley drive along the Yellowstone River
- Roosevelt Arch, Gardiner
- Briefing for the dawn wolf mornings
Optional experiences
- Cross-country ski rental for the Rendezvous Ski Trails, West Yellowstone (at local rates, paid on the spot)
Easier option: Sleep in, then read or nap in the vehicle on the drive; the lunch stop in Bozeman is a sit-down meal indoors.
More active option: A morning on the groomed Rendezvous Ski Trails before we leave, or a snowshoe walk with your guide.
Free time: Morning free in West Yellowstone; dinner free in Gardiner
Lamar Valley at dawn and Mammoth
Gardiner through the North Entrance and Mammoth to Tower Junction and the Lamar Valley, back by Mammoth Hot Springs
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Gardiner
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We leave Gardiner about 1.25 to 1.5 hours before first light, between about 6 and 6:45 am depending on the month, with hot drinks and a packed breakfast in the vehicle. The road through the North Entrance, past Mammoth and Tower Junction into the Lamar Valley is the only road through the park open to cars all winter, about 75 km and 1.25 to 1.5 hours in the dark at winter speeds. At first light we meet a local wildlife biologist and set up spotting scopes at pullouts above the valley. Wolves are most often seen in these first hours, sometimes close to the road, more often a kilometre or more away on a ridge. Your biologist explains which packs use the valley and what their tracks, ravens and howls give away. Most mornings also bring bison, elk, coyotes and bighorn sheep.
Afternoon
Late in the morning we drive back to Mammoth Hot Springs for a hot lunch, then walk the lower terrace boardwalks among the steaming travertine.
Evening
We are back in Gardiner by about 2:30 pm, and the afternoon is free before a farewell dinner.
Included
- Yellowstone National Park entry
- Dawn wolf watching in the Lamar Valley with a local wildlife biologist and spotting scopes
- Hot lunch at Mammoth Hot Springs or in Gardiner
- Mammoth Hot Springs lower terrace boardwalks
- Farewell dinner in Gardiner
Optional experiences
- A soak at Yellowstone Hot Springs, about 13 km north of Gardiner (entry extra, paid on the spot)
Easier option: Stay in the heated vehicle with the engine running; your guide fetches you to the scope whenever there is something to see.
More active option: A snowshoe walk of about 2 km in the valley with your guide, conditions permitting, while the scopes stay trained on the ridges.
Free time: Afternoon free in Gardiner
Activity: You may stand in -20 C for long spells. Wear every layer, keep warmers in your boots and mittens, and bring a spare camera battery.
A second dawn, then home
Gardiner to the Lamar Valley and back, then the Paradise Valley and Livingston to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 5 h
Morning
One more early start, at the same time as yesterday, for a second dawn in the Lamar Valley with the biologist and the scopes. Wolves move with the packs' hunts, so a quiet first morning is often followed by a good second one, and the reverse; your biologist goes wherever the latest sightings point, which may be Slough Creek or the Blacktail Deer Plateau instead of the valley floor.
Afternoon
We watch until about 10 am, then drive back to Gardiner, about 1.25 to 1.5 hours, for a sit-down lunch with suitcases already in the vehicle. The afternoon is the drive north through the Paradise Valley, with a stop in Livingston, to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, arriving at about 3 pm. With the Lamar round trip it adds up to about 300 km and 4.75 hours of driving, over our usual 4-hour cap because the wolf road and the airport lie in opposite directions; it comes in four legs, split by the watch in the valley, lunch in Gardiner and the Livingston stop. Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm; if you are staying on, we drop you in downtown Bozeman instead.
Included
- Second dawn wolf watching in the Lamar Valley with a local wildlife biologist and spotting scopes
- Sit-down lunch in Gardiner
- Drop-off at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) or downtown Bozeman
Easier option: Sleep in and take breakfast at the hotel; the group collects you in Gardiner before lunch.
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 5 pm.
- Bozeman1 night
- West Yellowstone2 nights
- Gardiner2 nights
- Bozemanend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Mid-December to early March is deep winter. Snow pushes bison, elk and bighorn sheep down to the lower valleys of the Northern Range, where they are easier to see, and wolves follow them; January and February are also the wolves' mating season, when packs travel and howl more. Bears are hibernating. Days are short in December (about 9 hours of light) and longer by March. Storms can close the Gallatin Canyon road for a few hours or cancel a snowcoach day; your guide reshuffles the days when that happens.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Wildlife watchers who want real chances at wild wolves with someone who knows the packs
- Photographers after steam, frost and bison in snow
- Travellers who have seen Yellowstone in summer and want it quiet and white
- People happy to stand in deep cold for a couple of hours with the right clothes
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who needs a guaranteed wild wolf sighting: nobody can promise one
- Travellers who cannot face two starts before 7 am or temperatures of -20 C
- A ski or snowmobile holiday
- Seeing Grand Teton, Canyon or Yellowstone Lake, which this winter route does not reach
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
5 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bozeman1 night
- West Yellowstone2 nights
- Gardiner2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 5 nights: 1 in downtown Bozeman, 2 in West Yellowstone and 2 in Gardiner
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
- Our own winter-equipped vehicle and driver for the group, with seat belts and a window seat each
- A full-day guided snowcoach from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful and back
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 6, including on the snowcoach
- A local wildlife biologist guide with spotting scopes on both Lamar Valley mornings
- A licensed snowcoach driver-guide on day 3
Activities
- Yellowstone National Park entry, including the non-resident fee in force from 2026
- Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
- Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone
- Snowcoach day: Fountain Paint Pot, Midway Geyser Basin and Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin
- Roosevelt Arch, Gardiner
- Two dawn wolf-watching mornings in the Lamar Valley
- Mammoth Hot Springs lower terraces
- Loan of ice cleats, snowshoes, binoculars and hand and toe warmers
Meals
- 5 breakfasts, two of them packed with hot drinks at first light
- 5 lunches: Big Sky, Old Faithful, Bozeman, Mammoth or Gardiner, and Gardiner
- 3 dinners: welcome in Bozeman, West Yellowstone after the snowcoach day and farewell in Gardiner
Not included
- International flights to and from Bozeman
- US visa or ESTA where needed
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed, including dinners on days 2 and 4
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, driver, snowcoach driver-guide and biologist
- Optional activities, such as Yellowstone Hot Springs and cross-country ski rental
- Winter clothing: boots, parka, snow trousers, base layers, hats and gloves
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 925 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Yellowstone winter trip price include?
Five nights in central hotels, 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers in Bozeman, our own winter vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide, park entry with the 2026 non-resident fee, the full-day snowcoach to Old Faithful, two dawn mornings with a wildlife biologist and scopes, the Museum of the Rockies, the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, and loaned ice cleats, snowshoes, binoculars and warmers.
Will we see wolves in the Lamar Valley?
We cannot promise it. Wolves go where their hunts take them, and some mornings they are on a far ridge or out of sight. Winter is the best season to look, and we plan two dawn mornings with a biologist who follows the latest sightings and scopes that reach a kilometre or more. On day 2 you see wolves up close at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.
How cold is Yellowstone in winter, and what should I pack?
Expect daytime highs of about -10 to 0 C and dawns of -15 to -25 C, colder in West Yellowstone. Bring insulated winter boots, a hooded parka, snow trousers, wool or synthetic base layers, a fleece, a warm hat, a neck gaiter, liner gloves and mittens, wool socks, sunglasses and a spare camera battery. We lend ice cleats, snowshoes, binoculars and warmers.
What is a snowcoach, and why do we need one?
A snowcoach is a heated van or small bus on tracks or very wide tyres. From mid-December to mid-March the roads to the geyser basins are closed to cars and open only to guided oversnow vehicles. Ours is driven by a licensed driver-guide, with your See Sight Tours guide on board, from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful and back.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one winter-equipped vehicle with seat belts and a window seat each, so everyone can scan the hillsides, and there is room for the scopes and tripods. A group this size can pull over for a bison herd and fits at one table for dinner.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport on day 1 to the airport on day 6, including on the snowcoach. A local wildlife biologist leads both Lamar Valley mornings with spotting scopes, and a licensed driver-guide drives the snowcoach. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be, and how early are the starts?
Walks are short, 1 to 3 km on snow and boardwalks, so the challenge is the cold, not the distance. Only the two wolf mornings start early, between about 6 and 6:45 am; every other day starts after breakfast and day 4 has a free morning. You can wait in the heated vehicle during the watch or sleep in on the last morning.
I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?
A room of your own for all five nights costs from CAD 925 more, shown before you request to book, with nothing added later. If you would rather share, say so when you request to book and we will try to pair you with another solo traveller; we tell you before anything is confirmed whether a match is possible.
When is the best time to see wolves in Yellowstone?
This trip runs from mid-December to early March. Snow pushes elk and bison down into the Northern Range valleys and the wolves follow, and they stand out against the white. January and February are the wolves' mating season, when packs travel and howl more. In summer, try our Yellowstone and Grand Teton trip instead.
How does booking work, and can we choose our own dates?
Pick a small-group start date and request to book; we confirm within 24 hours and no payment is taken until then. Prices are per person sharing, with taxes: the small group starts from CAD 6,165 and the private trip, for your party only on a date you choose within the season, from CAD 11,095. To travel independently, ask us for a quote.
Do I need a visa to visit Yellowstone?
Yellowstone is in the United States, so US entry rules apply: Canadians need only a valid passport. Most other visitors need a US visa or, for Visa Waiver Program countries, an approved ESTA before they fly. Check the rules for your passport early, as visa appointments can take months in some countries.
Why don't we stay inside the park?
In winter only two lodges inside Yellowstone open, at Mammoth and Old Faithful, and the Old Faithful one is reached only by snowcoach, so it cannot be a base for the Lamar Valley mornings. Gateway hotels in West Yellowstone and Gardiner put us at the start of the snowcoach route and the wolf road. If you want a night in the park, ask us.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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