Yellowstone in Winter?

kdog · December 14, 2009

Hey Ya'll,

I'm thinking of taking next week off and hitting Yellowstone NP, while the wife and kids are off to the in-laws for Christmas. Any tips? I'm hoping to see/shoot some cool wildlife. So snowmobiles zooming by would probably be a showstopper. Also, 400mm is my longest lens. Would that be a waste of time? Thanks for any thoughts and/or advice!

-joel

davev · December 14, 2009

Contact Swartzy. I know that he's done this a couple of years and has come back with some outstanding landscape shots.

Here's the thread to his 2008 trip. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=81685

dlplumer · December 14, 2009

I'm sure Ron Coscorosa would have some good advice for you as well. My daughter did this on a snowmobile and said the wildlife was amazing. I guess there are some snowmobile tours you can take.

Should be awesome Joel. I'd guess at least 110° colder than it was at Toroweap

kdog · December 14, 2009

davev wrote:

Contact Swartzy. I know that he's done this a couple of years and has come back with some outstanding landscape shots.

Here's the thread to his 2008 trip. http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=81685

Excellent. Will do, and thanks for the tip, Dave!

-joel

esc2476 · December 14, 2009

Now that I am married, my question is how you got out of going to the in-laws?

wink

kdog · December 14, 2009

esc2476 wrote:

Now that I am married, my question is how you got out of going to the in-laws?

wink

It's not so hard. Be as obnoxious as hell around the in-laws whenever possible. Pretty soon they don't invite you any more.

Mox · December 15, 2009

I went a couple of years ago - you can only get in on vehicles with belted wheels, like snowmobiles or snow-vans (not sure what they're actually called), and they limit the number of tours per day, so set it up as far ahead of time as you can, or you may not be able to get in.

I went on a snowmobile tour with a large group of friends, but I saw several groups of photogs in the larger vehicles, and kept wishing to be with them! The snowmobile tour was ok, but we had to keep moving, and I was the only one interested in taking photos, where the other groups were clearly taking their time to get the shots. I did get some cool stuff, but would LOVE to go back sometime on a dedicated photo-journey. Maybe even on snowshoes or cross-country skis.

This is my favorite - he was just on the other side of my snowmobile.

kdog · December 15, 2009

Wow. :wow One shot like that would make my entire trip, Mox.

Thanks for the info.

-joel

Mox · December 15, 2009

Thanks! He won my first (hopefully not last?) blue ribbon at a little local show.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come back with. Yellowstone has had a special place in my heart since I was a kid, and I always enjoy seeing new perspectives!

kdog · December 15, 2009

dlplumer wrote:

I'm sure Ron Coscorosa would have some good advice for you as well. My daughter did this on a snowmobile and said the wildlife was amazing. I guess there are some snowmobile tours you can take.

Should be awesome Joel. I'd guess at least 110° colder than it was at Toroweap

Gee, I totally missed your post, Dan. Sorry about that.

I've been talking with Ron and Pathfinder about the trip and gotten some interesting info. My plan is basically just to head up there and wing-it. Maybe I'll rent a snowmobile, or maybe get on a tour, or maybe just drive around.

Funny, I googled hotels in Gardiner, MT, which at population 340 is one of the larger towns up there.

I called a hotel to find out about availability and was told that advanced reservations are necessary. Why? Not because of any danger of selling out, but because they can't guarantee anybody will be there to rent me a room otherwise. That is, they may well be opening the whole hotel just for me!

And you're right. It could be well more than 110F degrees difference between there and Toroweap. How's that for crazy? :crazy

kdog · December 15, 2009

Mox wrote:

Thanks! He won my first (hopefully not last?) blue ribbon at a little local show.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come back with. Yellowstone has had a special place in my heart since I was a kid, and I always enjoy seeing new perspectives!

Congrats on the well deserved win. I've only been to yellowstone once, many years ago. So this will be pretty special for me. If nothing else, I should be able to get some snowy landscapes.

dlplumer · December 15, 2009

kdog wrote:

Gee, I totally missed your post, Dan. Sorry about that.

I've been talking with Ron and Pathfinder about the trip and gotten some interesting info. My plan is basically just to head up there and wing-it. Maybe I'll rent a snowmobile, or maybe get on a tour, or maybe just drive around.

Funny, I googled hotels in Gardiner, MT, which at population 340 is one of the larger towns up there. I called a hotel to find out about availability and was told that advanced reservations are necessary. Why? Not because of any danger of selling out, but because they can't guarantee anybody will be there to rent me a room otherwise. That is, they may well be opening the whole hotel just for me!

And you're right. It could be well more than 110F degrees difference between there and Toroweap. How's that for crazy? :crazy

That is so funny

This will be quite an amazing adventure for you I am sure (new lens, new warm clothing, snowmobile rental, alone in the middle of yellowstone with all that snow and wildlife. Speaking of which, do you own a handheld gps device for hiking etc. I'm planning on buying one. Do have any recommendations.

Have a great trip. Iv would love to join you, but not this season.

kdog · December 15, 2009

Aw come on, Dan! You know you want to go. Really. Trip of a lifetime. Remember, nobody ever said on their death bed, "gee, I wish I worked more and took fewer vacations!" Drive up to Kingman on Friday night. Sat AM, we're off for Yellowstone!

I don't have hand-held GPS unfortunately. I do have a Garmin Nuvi that has battery backup and is small enough to fit in my pocket. So in a pinch I can bring it with me if I wander from the car, which would be prudent in that case. A hand-held would be good. There are so many of them available, I wouldn't know where to begin to assess one.

I do have a Spot Locator for safety reasons though.

dlplumer · December 15, 2009

kdog wrote:

Aw come on, Dan! You know you want to go. Really. Trip of a lifetime. Remember, nobody ever said on their death bed, "gee, I wish I worked more and took fewer vacations!" Drive up to Kingman on Friday night. Sat AM, we're off for Yellowstone!

I don't have hand-held GPS unfortunately. I do have a Garmin Nuvi that has battery backup and is small enough to fit in my pocket. So in a pinch I can bring it with me if I wander from the car, which would be prudent in that case. A hand-held would be good. There are so many of them available, I wouldn't know where to begin to assess one.

I do have a Spot Locator for safety reasons though.

I would love to Joel, but we have holiday plans and I have a new grandson in Phoenix I will be spending some time with. If I had more planning time, I might have been able to make it.

I do want to go the DV as soon as possible, so if you are up for that in 2010 (maybe Jan or Feb.) let me know. I think Shimon would also like to go.

That SPOT looks very smart.

Have a safe and fulfilling adventure my man.

takeflightphoto · December 23, 2009

Yellowstone in Winter? YES...but be warned
[QUOTE=dlplumer
That SPOT looks very smart.
[/QUOTE]

Living quite near Yellowstone (cabin in Island Park, 3 miles from Park border), and having spent hundreds of winter days in the Park and surroundings, I hope you aren't serious about just "renting a snowmobile" and heading off on your own. The Park can be a killer if you don't know where you are and what you are doing. Carrying a SPOT is a good idea, but if you aren't prepared (Google 'ten essentials') to wait it out for Rescue, it's a moot point. The temps in the Park are headed well below 0 F, and we are expecting wind chills reaching -30, starting tonight and continuing for several days. A tad bit different than Kingman, AZ.

My advice, try to get a room in West Yellowstone, MT. (Much easier to get to than Gardner, which is only accessible this time of year through Bozeman/Livingston, which would be another 250 mile drive for you.) Join an organized, guided snowmobile tour. You will get lots of opportunity to take shots without snowmobiles in view. The guides will take you to the wildlife, and the proper cold weather gear is provided. Or if you can afford it, and there is anything available, get a snowcoach into Old Faithful Inn, rent some snowshoes, and hike around there a bit. You don't have to go far, and are less likely to get lost or hurt, and will get some astounding pictures.

Merry Christmas...

jon

dlplumer · December 23, 2009

takeflightphoto wrote:

Living quite near Yellowstone (cabin in Island Park, 3 miles from Park border), and having spent hundreds of winter days in the Park and surroundings, I hope you aren't serious about just "renting a snowmobile" and heading off on your own. The Park can be a killer if you don't know where you are and what you are doing. Carrying a SPOT is a good idea, but if you aren't prepared (Google 'ten essentials') to wait it out for Rescue, it's a moot point. The temps in the Park are headed well below 0 F, and we are expecting wind chills reaching -30, starting tonight and continuing for several days. A tad bit different than Kingman, AZ.

My advice, try to get a room in West Yellowstone, MT. (Much easier to get to than Gardner, which is only accessible this time of year through Bozeman/Livingston, which would be another 250 mile drive for you.) Join an organized, guided snowmobile tour. You will get lots of opportunity to take shots without snowmobiles in view. The guides will take you to the wildlife, and the proper cold weather gear is provided. Or if you can afford it, and there is anything available, get a snowcoach into Old Faithful Inn, rent some snowshoes, and hike around there a bit. You don't have to go far, and are less likely to get lost or hurt, and will get some astounding pictures.

Merry Christmas...

jon

Wow, they supply the cold weather gear. Bonus

Tango · December 23, 2009

have a great trip! Shawn Nelson went there a while back and he came back with some great abstract stuff from some natural spring, you will need to ask him where that was....

anyway, if only I could go............................:cry

kdog · December 29, 2009

Oops, sorry, I lost track of this thread. Anyway, I did just that, a guided snowmobile tour. And Dan, yes, they rent all the warm weather gear if you need it. The snowmobiles have lots of wind protection, heated grips and seat, and little heated tunnels that your feet fit into. Staying warm on them is no problem. And, they can carry a lot of gear.

Oh, and I did do the drive to North Yellowstone, and stayed in Gardiner for 3.5 more days.

Cheers,
-joel

catspaw · December 29, 2009

well, what sort of photos did you get??

or did you post them elsewhere?

Yellowstone's not that far from me but I haven't bothered to get up there ... yet. Hey, no job. What else shall I do with my free time, right??

dlplumer · December 29, 2009

That is one nice snowmobile Joel. This sure looks tempting.

So tell me, did you sleep in your car at all, or just hotels?

kdog · December 30, 2009

catspaw wrote:

well, what sort of photos did you get?? or did you post them elsewhere?

Yellowstone's not that far from me but I haven't bothered to get up there ... yet. Hey, no job. What else shall I do with my free time, right??

Mostly wildlife. I found the landscape challenging because the light was so flat and everything was white. Wildlife shooting was great though. I've posted a few threads so far, mostly in the Wildlife forum. I have a lot more pictures that I'm going to post as well that I've been busily preparing. Here are some links to the recent threads.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=153970

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=154053

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=154218

This is one of my favorite shots of the trip.

kdog · December 30, 2009

dlplumer wrote:

That is one nice snowmobile Joel. This sure looks tempting.

So tell me, did you sleep in your car at all, or just hotels?

Hotels, Best Western's to be specific. Although I was fully prepared to sleep in my car if necessary. Meals were generally frozen entrees heated up in the in-room microwave. There were restaurants in both locations, but I hate eating out alone, and it's more fun to work on pictures while dining.

I'd go back in a heart-beat. If we wanted to make it a shootout, we could split the cost of the guide and create our own photography tour extremely economically. I priced some of the photo tours and they're really, really expensive, as in thousands of dollars. We could do our own for $200/day based on around 6 people.

catspaw · December 30, 2009

kdog wrote:

Mostly wildlife. I found the landscape challenging because the light was so flat and everything was white. Wildlife shooting was great though. I've posted a few threads so far, mostly in the Wildlife forum. I have a lot more pictures that I'm going to post as well that I've been busily preparing. Here are some links to the recent threads.

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=153970

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=154053

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=154218

WOW. just .... WOW. You definitely got some amazing keepers as well as the fox jumping series.

kdog · December 31, 2009

catspaw wrote:

WOW. just .... WOW. You definitely got some amazing keepers as well as the fox jumping series.

Thanks, Leah. It was a pretty awesome trip. I have lots more pics to post yet.

-joel

Mox · December 31, 2009

Wow, I LOVE your buffalo with the snow mask!

So gorgeous! I can't wait to see more!

Yellowstone in Winter?

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