Planning A Winter Vacation to Montana's Yellowstone Country

While Montana's Yellowstone Country is a trove of summer fun, winter is also full of outdoor experiences, hosts fewer crowds, and is a chance to see these beautiful landscapes in their winter whites. If you're new to winter sports, there are plenty of ways to learn, and if you already have skills, you're in for a real treat – with fewer crowds, vast terrain, and inviting hospitality, you'll want to return again, and again.

We've got some tips to help you plan your winter vacation, we suggest trying more than one adventure!

 

Plan Early

First, book your lodging early. No matter where you visit, accommodations can fill up quickly, especially during peak holiday weeks. Booking your trip for some less popular times makes for an incredible experience. Montana is known for its open spaces; with fewer crowds, you feel the vastness. Also, some of the best storms tend to come later in the season, so the snowpack can be incredible from January through March.

 

Dog Sledding

A dog sledding tour is one of the more unique winter experiences in Montana's Yellowstone Country. We have yet to find someone who didn't love the interaction with the animals, the thrill of trying to mush, or simply the joy of racing through the quiet forest, up close and personal. You can find guides in Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Gallatin Gateway, and Pray, MT.

 

Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding

For skiers and snowboarders, purchasing lift tickets early and online will get you the best deals. Big Sky Resort, Bridger Bowl, and Red Lodge Mountain all offer discounted rates for pre-purchase and multiple-day discounts. Big Sky Resort will open the new Madison 8, the largest 8-person chairlift in the world, with a bubble cover, heated seats, and faster times up the mountain. The new tram opened last year, along with designated space for scenic riders who want to experience the views from Lone Peak but may not be up for skiing the more challenging terrain.

Check out the Bridger Bowl day packs for those visiting Bozeman. Choose any three days in the season—they don't have to be consecutive—and receive a significant discount. Red Lodge Mountain offers a Learn 4 Life program for first-time skiers or riders. It includes four lessons, four lift tickets, and four rentals for ONLY $299, plus bonus graduation gifts, including a season pass good for the remainder of the season.

 

Nordic Skiing

Nordic Ski season kicks off Nov. 26 with the Yellowstone Ski Festival in West Yellowstone. Skiers nationwide gather for skiing, clinics, demos, and general camaraderie. You'll also find beautifully groomed trails at Lone Mountain Ranch, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center, and the Red Lodge Nordic Center. (The sleigh ride dinners at Lone Mountain Ranch are open for reservations and fill up quickly, so book early!)

Bridger Ski Foundation grooms seven trails around Bozeman for the more seasoned Nordic skiers. Cooke City also has some groomed trails that are great for beginners, and Yellowstone National Park is a Nordic skier's heaven with miles of trails and very few people. You can find a list of Nordic trails here.

Snowmobiling

Montana's Yellowstone Country is sought-after by hard-core snowmobile enthusiasts with epic riding experiences in West Yellowstone and Cooke City. But plenty of tour guides, especially in West Yellowstone, safely guide you and give you the lay of the land.

If you're bringing kids to West Yellowstone, you may want to coordinate with a Kids' N' Snow weekend. This fabulous program introduces kids to winter activities they can enjoy for a lifetime.

 

Yellowstone National Park

Speaking of Yellowstone, we highly recommend guided snowcoach and snowmobile tours to explore the west side of Yellowstone. Visiting the Park during the winter is surreal and serene, giving you a true sense of the landscape's vastness and wildness. The North Entrance of the Park remains open to vehicles during the winter, which crosses through the famed Lamar Valley, home to the majority of the wolves in the Park. Winter is a great time for viewing these elusive creatures since their coats show up better against the white backdrop.