Overview
Extend your journey to see the Old Faithful geyser in winter, when it is free of the summer crowds! You’ll travel over the snow by guided snowcoach to reach this famous natural wonder, looking for wildlife en route and seeing some of the park’s otherworldly geological wonders. You also have the option to be accompanied by your private naturalist guide. Your overnight accommodation is Old Faithful Snow Lodge, just a five-minute walk from the Old Faithful geyser, at an altitude of 7,349 feet. Extension can begin from Gardiner on either Day 3 or Day 4 of Main Trip.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Snowcoach to Old Faithful Lodge / Snowshoeing / Geyser Viewing (extension can begin on either Day 3 or Day 4 of Main Trip)
After breakfast at a café in Gardiner, Montana, head to Mammoth Hot Springs to board your guided snowcoach at around 7:45 am. A snowcoach is a sturdy 12-guest bus with oversized, low-pressure tires that allow it to travel safely over the snow. The snowcoach is heated and has very large windows for wildlife viewing. Your route will follow along Swan Lake Flats, stopping to look for wildlife, and continue past the Obsidian Cliff, a 100-foot-high park landmark, and Roaring Mountain (8,152’), which acquired its name from its hissing steam fumaroles that can be heard miles away. At Norris Junction, the snowcoach will travel along the Gibbon River to Gibbon Falls, which marks the spot where the Gibbon River plummets off the northern escarpment of the park into the Yellowstone caldera—a spectacular sight in winter. A private guide is available if you choose a private charter.
Arriving at Old Faithful Snow Lodge about noon, you’ll be provided with “yaktrax” to attach to your boots so you can walk safely across the snow to see the geysers. Because of the warmth of this thermal zone, there are often bison and other wildlife present in the area in winter. Old Faithful is, of course, Yellowstone’s most famous feature, erupting at regularly scheduled times throughout the day and blasting scalding hot water as high as 184 feet in the air. In winter, you’ll have it without the hordes of visitors! After dinner at the hotel, enjoy a night walk—the night sky is extraordinary. Overnight at Old Faithful Snow Lodge…BLD
Snowcoach to Old Faithful Lodge / Snowshoeing / Geyser Viewing (extension can begin on either Day 3 or Day 4 of Main Trip) - Day 1
Old Faithful Snow Lodge
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Day 1 (1 night)
You couldn’t ask for a more scenic—or convenient—location than the Old Faithful Snow Lodge, the only accommodation in the Yellowstone National Park interior that is open during the winter. The staff is friendly and helpful and the rooms are small, but clean and comfortable. Old Faithful geyser is about a five-minute walk away. The lodge was completed in 1999 and built in the tradition of grand park lodges, using heavy timber beams for accents. There is a spacious lobby with a stone fireplace.
Day 2
Old Faithful Lodge / Snowshoeing / Snowcoach to Mammoth / Return to Hotel in Gardiner
Old Faithful Lodge / Snowshoeing / Snowcoach to Mammoth / Return to Hotel in Gardiner - Day 2
Wonderland Lodge and Cafe
Gardiner, USA
Day 2 (1 night)
Wonderland Lodge and Café is a locally owned boutique ecolodge in Gardiner, Montana, close to the North Entrance to Yellowstone. The lodge has studio and one- and two-bedroom suites, all with kitchens and stunning views of the surrounding mountains. The café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Yellowstone Gateway Inn
West Yellowstone, USA
Day 2 (1 night)
Yellowstone Gateway Inn is in the classic western town of Gardiner, Montana, and features cozy apartment-style cabins and suites with living rooms and full kitchens. Elk are often seen grazing on the inn's lawn, and the Yellowstone River is just across from the hotel.
