October in Yellowstone?

[jody_wy]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

Did you get a picture?

up in the Wyoming picture thread, was about 50 yards when we saw him , we got a lot of good picture before everybody came back to see what we were taking pictures of

[NDak15]

Nice pics!

[cushla]

Originally Posted by Wardendresden

About five years ago we took a trip to Jackson in mid-November. It snowed lightly from Denver through Utah up by Flaming Gorge and on into Jackson. Our first full day was no snow and we drove as far as we could into Grand Teton NP. Elk in droves and singly were making there way to the elk preserve located outside Jackson. There were thousands of them but grouped into the usual segregated smaller herds of males and females.

I had pre-hired a wildlife photographer to take us around one day, and he turned out to be worth every penny of the $500 we paid him. We rode in his suburban, drank his coffee, and eventually he fed all five of us adults at one of Jackson's better establishments.

It was snowing off and on all day, sometimes heavily. He took us to the east side of the preserve and at one point we had to walk through snow to see three massive bull moose through the falling snow, from about 50 yards away. Altogether we saw about 30-40 moose, including a doe and her calf that ran alongside the suburban until they found a spot where they could veer off.

He took us on some back roads by a broken down shack that had played a small role in the filming of the 1950's movie, Shane, starring Alan Ladd as the good guy and Jack Palance as the hired gun bad guy. Then we went on up a dirt road where we spotted big horn sheep. The male was skittish and stayed back, but we took photos of the two females from 20 yards away. Our guide was ecstatic because he had time to set up his tripod for shots.

By the time we got back to the condo we were staying at just west of Jackson, the snow was coming down hard. We spent two days in the condo making chili, stoking the fireplace, reviewing photos and reading. It was wonderful. The snow quit the night before we were leaving. In the morning the condo's snow removal team had cleared the main path, but the wife and I still had to clean off our all-wheel drive Ridgeline and then shovel a path through 20 yards of snow in order to back out. Because the road straight down to Rock Springs was closed we had to alter our route home to go through Star Valley(?) and down to Kemmerer and on to Rock Springs that way.

Our only regret was in not scheduling a snow tractor ride through Yellowstone. But to this day, that winter trip rivals a two-week vacation in London, England a couple of years before.

A winter trip, with full expectation of the winter potential pitfalls, can be quite rewarding. But I would advise four wheel or all-wheel drive with some clearance.

Good luck

Your trip sounds wonderful, I was there a few summers ago and it was stunning but I would give anything to experience the parks in winter. I sometimes check the Jackson Hole webcam in winter just to see the snow.

[jody_wy]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

Nice pics!

thanks , a lot of Yellowstone pic here
July 4th 2010 Photos by Jodywy | Photobucket

Bear And Bison Photos by Jodywy | Photobucket

Yellowstone 6-19-11 Photos by Jodywy | Photobucket

Yellowstone 7-9-10 Photos by Jodywy | Photobucket

Winter Yellowstone Photos by Jodywy | Photobucket
this has 6 sub files all January Yellowstone Pictures

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

Did you get a picture?

Yeah, he did. And then he went and hid them in the Wyoming Picture Thread.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Yeah, he did. And then he went and hid them in the Wyoming Picture Thread.

I got a chance to see them and they were great as always.

[ScottStielow]

I saw them also. Great pictures.
Scott

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by Wardendresden

About five years ago we took a trip to Jackson in mid-November. It snowed lightly from Denver through Utah up by Flaming Gorge and on into Jackson. Our first full day was no snow and we drove as far as we could into Grand Teton NP. Elk in droves and singly were making there way to the elk preserve located outside Jackson. There were thousands of them but grouped into the usual segregated smaller herds of males and females.

I had pre-hired a wildlife photographer to take us around one day, and he turned out to be worth every penny of the $500 we paid him. We rode in his suburban, drank his coffee, and eventually he fed all five of us adults at one of Jackson's better establishments.

It was snowing off and on all day, sometimes heavily. He took us to the east side of the preserve and at one point we had to walk through snow to see three massive bull moose through the falling snow, from about 50 yards away. Altogether we saw about 30-40 moose, including a doe and her calf that ran alongside the suburban until they found a spot where they could veer off.

He took us on some back roads by a broken down shack that had played a small role in the filming of the 1950's movie, Shane, starring Alan Ladd as the good guy and Jack Palance as the hired gun bad guy. Then we went on up a dirt road where we spotted big horn sheep. The male was skittish and stayed back, but we took photos of the two females from 20 yards away. Our guide was ecstatic because he had time to set up his tripod for shots.

Missed you by 6 weeks! We were there in late September 2008, and we also saw Ernie's cabin from Shane, except we had to find it ourselves. What a great trip...

Here's the cabin:

[some boring guy]

Great time of year to go! More wildlife, combined with less people, as others have already stated. It's good to be prepared for a variety of weather -just because it was sunny when you left doesn't mean it'll stay that way. Flexible travel plans are also important, as park roads can close for an extended time during inclement weather. This can make point-to-point plans (i.e. staying in Jackson and then making your way to west Yellowstone) challenging. Always try to have a plan B. If you're relatively close by and flexible, then consider putting off travel planning until you're close enough that you can see the weather outlook (and even that can be inaccurate).

If you're planning travel in the coming days, be advised that a shutdown of the federal government seems imminent, which would result in closure of the park. If things are back up and running in a couple of weeks, then my wife and I are planning on spending a few days up there during my school district's fall break. Still trying to milk every last bit of that National Parks Annual Pass we got as a Christmas gift!