http://www.natureworkshops.com/wyomingwinter.htm
Yellowstone/Grand Teton in Winter
Winter Wonderland
Group Leader - Roger Devore
January 26 - February 01, 2010
8 Participants
For many years, I had seen the wonderful landscapes and wildlife images made in Yellowstone National Park in winter. One winter, in December, I actually went to the park to visit the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. I never made it to the lodge that year. Most of the roads in Yellowstone close in winter to all traffic except snow coaches and snowmobiles. This closure occurs at a predetermined calendar date, not due to weather conditions. After that date, the closed roads are unavailable to all other vehicles. Unfortunately, the year I chose to visit was one of very light snow fall in December, so there was not enough snow for the snow coaches to run. Since it was past that magical calendar date, the roads were also closed to cars and buses. You could not get to the Snow Lodge. It was a new version of Catch 22. That year, I did spend time in West Yellowstone and the Tetons, but never journeyed to the interior of Yellowstone Park. I made some wonderful winter images, but never saw the park in winter the way I had planned.
That all changed in January, 2006. I planned a more successful trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. We explored the areas around Jackson Hole in the Tetons and then took the snow coach for a few nights at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. We traveled through out Yellowstone by snow coach and snowmobiles. The winter landscapes were amazing, the splendor of Yellowstone canyon, winter waterfalls, and abundant wildlife grouped around the warm thermal areas. The steam from these areas added mist and fog to the images. Bison, elk, coyotes, trumpeter swans, and bald eagles were easily found and photographed.
Equally impressive was the area around Jackson Hole and The Grand Tetons National Park. Most of the roads in Grand Tetons National Park are kept plowed and open in winter. The National Elk Refuge, just north of Jackson, is winter home to thousands of elk. Sleigh rides are available to allow visits to the middle of the elk herd. Majestic bulls, with full antlers, group together to face the cold of winter. In the sleigh, you are surrounded by elk, your camera has trouble deciding where to photograph next. We also found groups of bison, moose, and big horn sheep, readily accessible from the park roads, posing for winter images in the snow. The landscapes involving the Teton mountains were also unsurpassed. Blue skies with white snow covered mountains provide contrast for scenic images unavailable any other time of year.
The past two years, we have had very successful workshops during the winter season at Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. These workshops have proven to be some of our most popular. Yellowstone in the winter is an almost magical place that is like no where else. The wildlife and the mountains in the Tetons are also spectacular. We have again scheduled a similar workshop for 2010. We will also be at the Snow Lodge for the full moon on January 30 and opportunity to photograph the Old Faithful Geyser Basin by moonlight. Here are the details:
NLT January 25 - Arrive in Jackson.
January 26, 27 - Workshop begins. We will spend two days photographing around the Jackson Hole - Grand Tetons National Park area. We will visit the Elk refuge and explore the park for wildlife and winter landscape opportunities. We will drive rented 4 wheel drive SUVs if you choose to ride with us, but as usual, you may also drive yourself.
Jan 28 - Early morning photography in the Tetons and drive to Flagg Ranch to meet snow coaches to travel to the Yellowstone snow lodge.
Jan 28-31 - We will stay at the Old Faithful snow lodge in the heart of Yellowstone National Park and the Old Faithful Geyser Basin nearby.
Jan 29 - We will have a dedicated snow coach for our workshop use to explore the park with our itinerary.
Jan 30 - We have scheduled a day of snowmobiling to further explore the park. Again we will have our own private guide just for our group so that we can stop and photograph where ever we like. Snowmobiles in Yellowstone have been quite controversial over the years with many people trying to ban them and the old procedures in the park. The Park Service has implemented new procedures to make the snowmobiles more environmentally friendly and less threatening to wildlife. All snowmobiles are now required to have four cycle engines. These engines are much quieter than the old two cycle version and also run cleaner, putting much less pollution in the air. Under the new park procedures, snowmobiles can only be ridden on existing roads and trails, not anywhere else in the park. All Yellowstone snowmobilers are also required to be accompanied by a licensed guide when traveling anywhere in the park.
With these new procedures in place, I believe the snowmobiles offer a unique, exciting, and environmentally friendly method of enjoying the park. We will schedule according to your desires if possible, drive your own machine, ride on the back with someone else driving, or an alternate day activities if snowmobiling is not for you. Each person will be provided a snowmobile suit and helmet that should keep you warm during the days activities. Snowmobiles are easy to drive, I rode my first one the last time I was in Yellowstone. It was a wonderful day with an entire different prospective of the park than from the snow coach.
Jan 31 - Another day exploring the park by snow coach.
Feb 01 - travel back to Flagg Ranch by snow coach to pick up our cars and drive back to Jackson to catch afternoon flights. We will have time to do some more Teton photography on the way out
Cost $2550 ($2850 for single room at snow lodge)
What is Included:
-snow coach to and from Flagg Ranch and Old Faithful snow lodge
-four nights lodging at the snow lodge
-breakfast each day at snow lodge
-two days with chartered snow coach for photography in Yellowstone
-one day snowmobiling including snowmobile suit and helmet with private guide
What Is Not Included:
-rooms in Jackson
-transportation for Teton portion (available with us if you sign up before we are full)
-meals not noted above
This workshop will be an opportunity to photograph in a winter wonderland like no place else on earth. The landscape possibilities, abundant wildlife, and unique thermal activity makes this location unique in its photography opportunities. I hope you can join us for this special trip.
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