Yellowstone · Winter 2026–27
From mid-December most park roads are open only to guided snowcoaches and snowmobiles. Here’s how to choose a tour, where tours start and how to book.
Photo: YellowstoneNPS · Public domain
Photos: The Last Best Place
The essentials
Dates, rules and schedules change. Check with the park and your tour company before you go.
A heated, over-snow van or bus with a driver-guide. It’s the warmest way to reach Old Faithful or the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and good for families and photographers. Tours leave daily from West Yellowstone, and there’s also snowcoach service from Mammoth Hot Springs.
Drive your own sled in a guided group on groomed park roads. It’s more adventurous, colder and more physical. Drivers need a valid driver’s license, and each operator sets its own age rules.
A guided day by vehicle on the northern road, the one park road open to cars all winter: Mammoth Hot Springs, then Lamar Valley at dawn for wolves, bison and elk. Several of these tours pick you up in Bozeman and can be booked online.
| Start | What you can reach | How to book |
|---|---|---|
| West Yellowstone, MT about 1.6 hours from Belgrade via US-191 | Old Faithful, the geyser basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone by snowcoach or snowmobile | Directly with local operators (see the snowmobile and snowcoach guides) |
| Gardiner & Mammoth (North Entrance) about 1.5 hours from Belgrade | Lamar Valley wildlife by vehicle. Snowcoach between Mammoth and Old Faithful Snow Lodge Xanterra | Wolf and wildlife tours on Viator and GetYourGuide (below) |
| Bozeman & Big Sky | Guided wildlife days on the northern range, with pickup | Viator and GetYourGuide (below) |
| Jackson Hole, WY (South Entrance) a separate trip from Bozeman | Old Faithful by snowcoach or snowmobile | Multi-day tour on GetYourGuide. Only practical if you’re already in Jackson Hole |
Bookable winter tours from Bozeman, Big Sky & Gardiner
Look for wolves, bison and elk in the snow with a naturalist guide and spotting scopes.
Good for: Wildlife
See prices & availability
Check availabilityA guided winter day in the park’s Northern Range: Lamar Valley, Mammoth Hot Springs and wildlife with spotting scopes.
Good for: Wildlife
See prices & availability
Check availabilityA private winter day in Yellowstone on snowshoes with a naturalist guide, looking for wildlife in the snow.
Good for: Wildlife
See prices & availability
Check availabilityA guided day in Lamar Valley searching for wolves, bison and elk with a naturalist guide and spotting scopes.
Good for: Wildlife
See prices & availability
Check availabilityA private winter wildlife safari into Lamar Valley with a guide, optics and lunch.
Good for: Wildlife
See prices & availability
Check availabilityAffiliate links: if you book through Viator or GetYourGuide we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.
Already in Jackson Hole, Wyoming? A multi-day winter tour from Jackson
A guided multi-day winter trip with an elk-refuge sleigh ride and a snowcoach day to Old Faithful from West Yellowstone.
See prices & availability
Check availabilityAffiliate links: if you book through Viator or GetYourGuide we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.
Guided over-snow travel runs from December 15, 2026 to March 15, 2027 on most groomed roads. A few interior roads close between March 7 and March 14. All dates depend on the weather (National Park Service).
Only on the road from the North Entrance at Gardiner through Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley to Cooke City. Every other park road is closed to cars from early November and open only to guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches from mid-December.
Yes, unless you win a permit in the Non-Commercially Guided Snowmobile Access Program. The lottery runs August 1–31 on Recreation.gov. Leftover and cancelled permits are released first-come, first-served from October 1. Permits cost $40 a day plus a $6 application fee, the group leader must be 18+, and every sled must meet the park’s New BAT standard.
A snowcoach is warmer and easier, and works for most ages and fitness levels. A snowmobile is more adventurous but colder and more tiring, and drivers need a valid driver’s license. Both reach Old Faithful.
When we checked in October 2026, Viator and GetYourGuide did not list any snowmobile or snowcoach tours that start in West Yellowstone. Book those directly with an authorized local operator. The one Old Faithful winter tour we link online is a multi-day trip from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on GetYourGuide.
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