Yellowstone's cross country skiing is exceptional

Old Faithful in full erupton

This morning we took off on one of Yellowstone's ski trails, waiting until the temperature hit +6 F. We skied right out the front door of the Snow Lodge, off through the geyser basin, first stopping to watch Old Faithful erupt as she does about every 90 minutes.

Old Faithful at beginning of its eruption

Given our novice status on cross country skis, we took the easy trail through the geysers, burbling hot pools and steaming streams of warm water.  The couple of short hills provided a challenge both up and down, reminding us that we have a long way to go to master the sport of cross country skiing.

trees covered in rime ice

The trees are completely covered with ice crystals, rime ice, in the morning; steam billows off the Firehole River, which maintains a temperature above freezing all winter (so, an essential water source for all the wildlife that stay in the park); the bison graze on the mosses and buried grasses (which they uncover with powerful thrusts of their noses in the snow); photographers wait for just the right moment to get the perfect picture along the walkways.

Firehole River near ski trail

But, we continued past the photographers and strollers to the more remote geysers that are visited by snowshoers and skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer.  Here it is quiet except for the periodic gurgles from the geysers and boiling pools.  The bison often stand like snowy statues for long periods of time, quite motionless, when they are not digging for food or ambling towards the river.

bull bison headed to river

We're supposed to stay at least 25 yards away from the bison as they do not particularly care for skiers, snowshoers or snowmobilers.  We have kept a wary eye on them when we're out, sometimes taking a substantial detour when they remain motionless in the trail.

thermal area from trail

Biscuit Basin is a colorful geyser area, a favorite stop for snowmobilers because it is right off the snowpacked road they travel from West Yellowstone and has a raised walkway around part of the basin.  We clambered along the walkway, skis flailing on the ice, to a beautiful trail that goes off through the trees and meadows, finally returning to the main trail about a mile from the lodge.

view of Biscuit Basin

A 3 1/2 hour ski outing on these trails took us about 5 miles through the woods, meadows, thermal areas and bison herds.  There weren't many snowmobilers today, so it was extraordinarily quiet except for the slithering sound of our skis on the trail.  If you decide to visit Yellowstone in the winter, this is a wonderful way to explore areas of the Park. Tomorrow, we'll take a snow coach to Yellowstone Canyon and ski out to Yellowstone Falls and back.

Daisy Trail ski tracks