The woman at the Brandin’ Iron Motel office in West Yellowstone, Montana said December and January had been slower than usual. She said the cause was a light snowpack.
But February and March snowstorms had business picking up.
Most people come to West Yellowstone in the winter to snowmobile or Nordic ski. Winter here is for real. I’ve seen snow over the rooftops, and the temperatures often put the town in the top coldest places in the nation. Snowmobiles are as plentiful as automobiles on the city’s streets. The town is popular with folks taking guided snowmobile or snow coach tours into Yellowstone National Park. The town’s Rendezvous Ski Trails attract serious and non-serious Nordic skiers from across the country, including the U.S. Olympic team and college-level Nordic teams.
It has become a winter tradition for my sweetheart and me to visit West Yellowstone and cross-country ski. It’s one of our ways of embracing the piles of snow that winter brings to our region. Maybe one day we’ll kiss it all goodbye and head south for the winter like robins or snowbirds, or perhaps when we become too decrepit to ski, we’ll jump on snow machines or ride a snow coach to see Old Faithful under a blanket of white.
On this visit this past week, we found plenty of snow (about 3 feet) at West Yellowstone (though not half as much as last year).
We skied into Yellowstone National Park east off the Boundary Trail down to the Madison River, then skied the southern Riverside Trail loop.
The views are amazing as the vista opens up along the river. Most of the trail is flat, except for a drop down along the river and a short climb back out of the river area.
All day long, a light misty snow fell — more like dust — while we skied. Julie said it added a nice winter ambiance to the experience.
Other than squirrels and crows, we didn’t see any critters. We did see some fox and moose tracks. The moose was obviously nearby because its tracks indicated it was within the loop we were skiing. It was probably peeking at us from behind some bushy trees and laughing to itself at our clumsiness.
After playing in West Yellowstone, we drove back to Island Park and stopped at the Buffalo River Ski Trail. Julie missed out earlier this winter on skiing this trail, and I didn’t mind doing it again.
In the Buffalo River area, snow was pouring from the sky. Adding to the beauty of the ski along the river was a small flock of trumpeter swans. The river is popular with the waterfowl crowd during the winter because it is spring-fed and averages about 45 degrees. To a duck or swan, that’s close to bath water temperatures.
A measuring post along the trail showed the snow depth to be about 4.5 feet. SNOWTEL water levels as of March 5 for the Island Park area are at 99% of average. The latest storm dropped about 12 inches of new snow over the Island Park area.
Harriman State Park reports that trails have been groomed for classic skiing and fat biking.
It’s important when driving to West Yellowstone and/or Island Park this time of year to be a weather watcher. When weather moves in, the roads can become nasty in a hurry. Before making the drive, I check out the https://511.idaho.gov/#:Alerts webpage on the internet. The site is updated regularly and includes photos of road conditions. Photos of clear roads helps me convince my sweetheart that it’s OK to make the drive.
One section of road that can be particularly spicy is the Montana side of Targhee Pass which rests on the Idaho/Montana border. Oddly, the Idaho side is often clear of snow, while the Montana side (facing northeast) is snowy and icy. But depending on how the storms want to play, any part of U.S. Highway 20 north of Rexburg and beyond can be messy. Go prepared.
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