Yellowstone Winter
Winter Tours in Yellowstone
Explore Yellowstone in Winter With Guided Wildlife Watching Tours
See & Hear Wild Wolves!
Expertly Guided Wildlife Watching Tours & Hikes in Yellowstone & Surrounds
Snowshoe or Cross-Country Ski
Expertly Guided Wildlife Watching Tours & Hikes in Yellowstone & Surrounds
Choose Your Winter Adventure!
Expertly Guided Wildlife Watching Tours & Hikes in Yellowstone & Surrounds
Lodging & Tour Packages
Expertly Guided Wildlife Watching Tours & Hikes in Yellowstone & Surrounds
Yellowstone's Winter Wonder
Winter in Yellowstone is epic! The landscape is spectacularly beautiful, especially on cold sunny days when ice crystals linger in the air and on every surface like glitter. Deep, soft snow in the high plateaus forces bison, elk, deer and other animals into the the low valleys, which puts us in more intimate proximity to each other. So many birds (and tourists) have gone to warmer climate. There is silence. We love the winter! Come join us for some of our favorite winter activities: watching wildlife, cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Make the most of your visit with a private tour with In Our Nature Guiding Services. We offer exclusive Private Lodging & Tour Packages to make your winter visit extra easy. You can stay in a beautiful home and explore Yellowstone with one of us local wildlife biologists. We will craft our days excursions to your personal interests.
Yellowstone Snowshoe & XC Ski Tours
Come indulge in Yellowstone's winter splendor: explore varied terrain, follow & identify fresh animal tracks, and take in stellar views of Yellowstone's northern range. You can choose from short 2-3 hour trips or longer 5+ hour adventures. We offer full-day XC ski trips into Lamar Valley and NE Yellowstone too. These are available December through March, based on snow conditions.
Watch Yellowstone's Wildlife
Winter in Yellowstone is usually best time to see and hear wolves. It's also considered by many to be the best season for wildlife photography. Part of this is the light and another part is that the deep snow in the high country drives animals down into the valleys and closer to us. See frost on the thick insulating coat of a bison. See how pronghorn glow above the snow. We might be lucky enough to see otters too. Join our biologist guides while they use their expert local ecological knowledge and premium spotting scopes to help you see the wildlife you're interested in. Tours are private and offered year-round.
Reviews
- Diana H
We scheduled a Yellowstone tour with Mike and a follow up wildlife tour on another day. Mike was incredible. Would highly recommend him. He was very personable and knowledgeable. Could... read more not have done or seen the amazing things without him. He was so good we scheduled a third day of fishing. Even though the weather wasn’t great Mike went out of his way to make it comfortable and enjoyable. Caught a Cut-Throat Trout, Would never have know what that was without him. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IN OUR NATURE GUIDING SERVICES !!!!
November 1, 2021sarosifamily
cara took our family of 6 out on an all day Yellowstone adventure exploration - rarely does one come across a guide as experienced and knowledgeable as Cara. She... read more carefullu explained the answers to all of our dumb questions with patience and expertise. She knew were the bears were located and we got to see 3 grizzlies! I would not hesitate for a second to recommend her - she was that good.
June 30, 2020JoeReadingPA
An absolutely wonderful experience. Cara really cares about giving here clients the best experience possible. She knew exactly where to find 5 wolf pups who we spent an hour watching.... read more We saw moose, elk, bison, eagles, a peragrine falcon, and pronghorn.
We also learned a lot about animal behavior. If you engage Cara you will find that she is very funny as well as a very interesting person. She provided a nice gluten free lunch ( I am celiac) as well as making us “field mochas” out the back of her van. She has done many interesting things in her life and can relate her experiences in an entertaining way. We learned so much.
Cara is also a leader in the protection of Yellowstone’s wolves and the business that they bring to her local economy in Gardiner. She and her company are exactly the kind of people we need to support. Absolutely recommend!
September 22, 2022 - carrietA3237HH
Cara is the best. She was an amazing guide, well prepared and knowledgeable! She listened to what we wanted to do, and she gave us an awesome day. Best Day... read more of Our Yellowstone Trip.
April 8, 2020Navigate802764
Cara rocked it! Our family was able to see amazing wildlife that would not have been possible without her keen knowledge and fantastic scopes. In addition, her appreciation... read more for the park and its inhabitants is deeply felt. Cara was wonderfully patient with my overly eager nature loving children. Our trip to Yellowstone would not have been the same without Cara. Oh, the lunch/brunch was also awesome. So glad we shifted out Yellowstone tour to match Cara's availability. If you can, book In Our Nature Guiding Services!
September 24, 2020maggiewave8
We had a great day with our guide Nancy! She communicated from the start all that we would need for the trip and gave text and email updates to... read more make sure we were all ready. She met us at the planned time in a very clean and comfortable mini van. We had our six year old and moved his booster seat right in. Nancy was very obliging with us wanting to wear masks in the car the whole time. We enjoyed our day cruising the park, getting our questions answered, and jumping out at any hope of seeing animals. We got to see tons of bison and pronghorn. We also got to see mountain goats on the cliffs and a pouncing fox through amazing spoting scopes. We had a nice lunch by a creek. Nancy was great with our 6 year old and was fine with him snacking in the back seat. It was a lovely day and made us forget about covid for a while. We highly recommend this guiding service and Nacny.
October 14, 2021 - 656gerrys
Cara was all we could have asked for in a nature guide in Yellowstone. Very knowledgeable on everything from the history, geology and animals of the area. What... read more we also liked was we were never lectured on this information, she just shared it with enthusiasm like it was the first time she was telling it. Each day and each guest was clearly a fresh start for Cara that she looked forward to. The thrill of finding any animal was very apparent and she did find us many more then we would have found wandering around the massive area on our own. We will be going back for a different part of the winter season and look forward to having Cara guide us again through an area she clearly loves.
November 15, 2020Laura H
We loved our Lamar Valley hike with Mike. He was friendly, professional and knowledgeable. He let us set the pace and went out of his way to make it enjoyable... read more for us. We will definitely reach out when we visit again. Highly recommend!
June 27, 2021malsno
Another great day spent with Cara in Yellowstone! It is my second time seeing the park with her and her tours are worth every penny. We saw many adult wolves... read more and their pups, bears, eagles, big horn sheep, the list goes on and on. I love being able to share the pictures/videos she takes in her scopes with my family back home. Great conversation and always willing to answer our questions on the animals. Enjoyed the hike to trout lake too!
August 18, 2020
Our 4 person group did a guided 1/2 day snowshoe tour led by Ben. We had a wonderful experience and Ben shared a lot of very interesting information about the... read more area and the wildlife. His knowledge made our trip even more memorable. The trip was well-paced with enough active portions combined with breaks when he would share interesting facts. Highly recommend this group and Ben as a guide.
58sheryls
February 1, 2023julie z
Cara was a wonderful guide in every way. Within an hour of our time with her we saw the wolves of Yellowstone! Cara was super smart, informative about... read more the wildlife, friendly, had coffee and hot cocoa for us, and had a very comfortable car for us to roam around Lamar Valley all day. She introduced us to some of the local wildlife enthusiasts, and we had a great time spotting the wolves, a grizzly, bison, coyotes, and 2 bald eagles! Our time with Cara was the highlight of our trip!
September 1, 2021SheilaA600
Thank you Cara for making this day with you the highlight of our trip. Despite the rain (and a little snow!) - we were amazed at your ability to... read more spot wildlife - some just a speck in the distance - amazing! Your scopes and equipment allowed us to see up close grizzlies, elk, bison...for Boston folks we were just in awe of you! I seriously cannot more highly recommend this full day wildlife tour in Yellowstone.
October 9, 2020- George W
The best way to see Yellowstone in winter is with a guide and Cara certainly didn’t disappoint. She is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and created an incredible experience seeing wolves,... read more moose, mountain goats, etc. I would highly recommend hiring Cara as a guide whether summer or winter as you won’t be disappointed with her knowledge and experience. I look forward to coming back again in the summer with Cara as a hiking guide. Thank you Cara for a fantastic day in Yellowstone as it was truly an amazing experience.
January 1, 1970Glenda S
On our trip we were very lucky to see a grizzly bear, a black bear, wolf cubs interacting with bison and mountain goats. This wasn't just down to luck but... read more due to Cara's extensive knowledge of the Lamar Valley and its wildlife and her network...More
November 16, 2019dandP3306ZC
My wife and I had an excellent snoeshoe trip with Cara! We got to see amazing views and learned so much from Cara. Can't wait to go again! Highly recommend... read more booking a trip.
April 5, 2022
I’m a nature lover from way back and am doing my once in a lifetime trip to US national parks. So in going to Yellowstone I really wanted to have... read more the best chance of seeing bears and wolves and to learn what I could about...More
555phowe
May 21, 2019I36IPthomasm
Outstanding day. My skiing buddy and I added a day to our trip to Big Sky so we could see some winter wildlife in Yellowstone. Cara... read more McGary, owner of In Our Nature, was a perfect guide for this adventure. A trained biologist with international experience and a deep knowledge of the Park, Cara is an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining guide.
Cara met us early, prepared with binoculars, excellent tripod scopes, and tasty breakfast snacks and lunches. Over the next seven hours – driving and walking – she showed us many wolves, three beautiful fox, coyotes, a mountain goat, and of course lots of elk and bison. (“They’re not buffaloes!”) Throughout the day, Cara was engaging, answered all our questions, and attended to all needs and interests.
If you’re headed to Yellowstone Park, really “see” it with In Our Nature Guiding Services.
March 20, 2021lucky171717
Our family of 5 went on an all-day wildlife watching tour with Cara and it was worth every penny. We saw a ton of wildlife, including a black wolf, we... read more would have never seen without her expertise and scopes. The videos and photos from it are a wonderful memento of our trip to Yellowstone. Cara has a wealth of knowledge and encourages questions so we and our kids got a great education above and beyond YS app. Truly marvelous experience. Highly recommend. We hope to return to take a guided overnight camping trip with her.
July 24, 2020- krystical0420
We booked a cross country ski experience with Cara and we could not have been more pleased with the experience. She was very knowledgable, kind and even (physically) supported... read more our youngest daughter when she got intimidated with some of the downhill parts of the tour.
Overall I would absolutely recommend and book with her again - it was a pleasure to have her show us around beautiful Yellowstone.
January 12, 2021ChistooherT
Absolutely stunning Experience!!!
My wife and I spent the day with Cara our guide who knew everything there was to know about Yellowstone !
She told us all about... read more the plants, animals and the history of Yellowstone. Cara took us to places in the Park we never would have known of on our own, to see the incredible wildlife. We saw tons of Bison, Elk and Deer but were very fortunate to see Grizzly bears, Wolves Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep, Moose and Eagles!
Cara shared so much information about each animal, she has a ton of knowledge regarding each of their habitats. We feel very fortunate to have found Cara to guide us thru a very magical day !
April 15, 2021rgandel
Cara is a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. We spent two days with her and were very pleased. She went out of her way to make sure our... read more experience was memorable.
February 17, 2022 - Sharon R
There were 15 of us taking the guided hike with Audra. We had a great time learning about the different birds and animals. The scenery was great and... read more we had a great day of hiking. I would recommend them to anyone.
Sharon
July 7, 2019
My husband and I enjoyed a truly memorable day with Cara from the wildlife sightings to the excellent food and professional service. Cara can spot wildlife that we... read more would have missed completely. We saw moose (which have eluded us for years), 7 grizzly bears, pronghorn,...More
Susan M
October 19, 2018
My daughter and I hired Cara for one day to watch wolves in Yellowstone over the Winter. And watch we did. Cara delivered and we saw an amazing scene of... read more wolves being tagged by the park service. She knows where to go, how to network with fellow guides, and has a pleasant personality which is important since we were together all day. I would definitely recommend her and I would not hesitate in hiring her again.
stephendN355CQ
January 25, 2023 - Travel139554
Great trip. Cara is awesome. We had a group of 8 and Cara took very good care of us. We watch 17 wolves for over an hour.... read more We saw many more animals on our trip but we requested wolves and Cara delivered. I would highly recommend using Cara services. It was our 2nd time to use her and will use her again when we come back
October 7, 2020rfalkenstein1977
Cara was friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the Yellowstone ecosystem and its inhabitants. She even helps with restless 5 and 7 year old humans! We saw every animal we wanted... read more to see. Having been to Yellowstone a dozen times before and only occasionally seeing the animals I've wanted to see, it was wonderful to have somebody who knows both the terrain and the animals' natural rythms and habits. The entire family had a phenomenal day.
December 13, 2020CMG, doc
Where do we even start?! Mike, our guide, was phenomenal. We booked a custom tour of Yellowstone - we wanted to see Old Faithful, The Grand Prismatic, and The Grand... read more Canyon of Yellowstone. Prior to the day, we were in good communication with Mike- so we felt comfortable. We were even able to move our meet up time to later in the morning at 8am. Perfect! The morning of, he called to see if we wanted coffee - we did, and he brought it along. So good! Throughout the day, Mike was knowledgeable, conversational, fun, and went above and beyond. Not only did we visit all three of our requested sites, we visited places that we did not even know about, all at Mike’s suggestion! The Emerald Spring was gorgeous. Another highlight was visiting a pathway with bear paw prints. Oh and seeing lovely bison. So good! We never felt rushed. All occurred at a very comfortable pace. Lunch was great. We were sad for the excursion to end. Overall, top notch guide - Mike- took us on a wonderful tour of Yellowstone. Highly recommend! …
August 25, 2021 - wess699
We had a fantastic time in Yellowstone courtesy of In Our Nature Guiding services. We actually spent two days with them: one watching wolves and wildlife and one snoeshoeing... read more in the back country. Both Cara and Cody were excellent guides. We have already booked for a return trip in the summer!
March 15, 2022francescah496
I took a trip to Yellowstone in mid-December. I engaged Cara for the Wolf/Wildlife Watching excursion all day. While we saw no wolfs, Cara was well aware of... read more normal siting areas of much of the park's native wildlife, and I was able to view Otters who entertained us for more than a half hour feeding and playing along the shore. We also viewed a red fox, brown eagle, buffalo and elk. My tour also included a short hike around a lake during which Cara identified various vegetation and shared other information about our surroundings. Cara is pleasant, accommodating, and more importantly quite knowledgeable about the park, it's wildlife, and surrounding nature. Well worth the investment and made for a great day.
January 23, 2022
I highly recommend In Our Nature Guiding Services. My family enjoyed spending the day looking for wildlife. Cara made it so much better than going out on our own because... read more she knows where to find specific wildlife and she knows a lot about their habits....More
lauraah51
June 7, 2019

