Things to Do in Yellowstone National Park in January
January weather, activities, events & insider tips
January Weather in Yellowstone National Park
Is January Right for You?
Advantages
- Wildlife viewing is actually exceptional - bison, elk, and wolves are easier to spot against snow, concentrated near geothermal areas and lower elevations where food is accessible. The thermal features around Old Faithful and Norris Geyser Basin become wildlife highways in winter.
- Geothermal features look absolutely surreal in winter - steam plumes rise 30-50 m (100-165 ft) into frigid air, ice crystals form around hot springs creating otherworldly sculptures, and you'll have places like Grand Prismatic Spring practically to yourself instead of sharing with 2,000 daily summer visitors.
- Crowds drop by roughly 95% compared to summer - Old Faithful sees maybe 200-300 people daily versus 10,000+ in July. You can actually experience the park's silence and solitude, which is increasingly rare in major US national parks.
- Snow coach and snowmobile access opens up a completely different park experience - you'll cover terrain that's inaccessible by car, and the 48 km (30 mile) journey from the North Entrance to Old Faithful through the Lamar Valley becomes an adventure rather than just a drive.
Considerations
- Only the North Entrance near Gardiner, Montana stays open to wheeled vehicles - the 85 km (53 mile) road from Gardiner to Cooke City is the only route you can drive yourself. Everything else requires expensive snow coaches (typically 350-450 USD per person round trip) or guided snowmobile tours (300-400 USD daily).
- Extreme cold is genuinely challenging and potentially dangerous - temperatures of -20°C to -30°C (-4°F to -22°F) with wind chill are common, frostbite can occur in under 10 minutes on exposed skin, and you need serious winter gear that most first-time visitors don't own. This isn't a casual trip.
- Accommodation options shrink dramatically - only Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Old Faithful Snow Lodge stay open inside the park, both book up 6-8 months ahead for January, and you're looking at 200-350 USD per night minimum. Most visitors stay in Gardiner, West Yellowstone, or even Jackson Hole 100 km (62 miles) south.
Best Activities in January
Old Faithful and Upper Geyser Basin Winter Viewing
The Upper Geyser Basin transforms in January into something genuinely magical - steam from 150+ geothermal features creates ice fog that refracts sunlight, and you'll watch Old Faithful erupt every 90 minutes or so with maybe 20-30 other people instead of hundreds. The boardwalks stay groomed but can be icy. Morning visits between 9-11am offer the best light for photography as steam catches the low winter sun. The contrast between -15°C (5°F) air and 93°C (200°F) water creates thermal dynamics you simply don't see in summer.
Lamar Valley Wolf and Wildlife Tracking
January is arguably the single best month for wolf watching in North America. The Lamar Valley, accessible via the northern road corridor, hosts several wolf packs that are more visible against snow and more active during shorter daylight hours. Bison herds concentrate here, drawing wolves for hunting. You'll also see elk, bighorn sheep, and occasionally grizzlies emerging from dens during warmer spells. The key is getting out at dawn - wolves are most active 6:30-9am. Bring serious optics: spotting scopes or at minimum 10x42 binoculars. The wolf watchers' community congregates at pullouts between Tower Junction and the Northeast Entrance, and they're remarkably generous about sharing scope views.
Snowshoeing Around Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
The Mammoth area stays accessible by car and offers excellent snowshoeing on trails ranging from 2-8 km (1.2-5 miles). The terraces themselves - massive travertine formations with hot water cascading down - look completely different under snow and ice. Bunsen Peak Trail and Beaver Ponds Loop are popular routes that give you elevation gain of 200-400 m (650-1,300 ft) with views across the Gardner River valley. Snow conditions are usually good by early January with 30-60 cm (12-24 inches) base. Elk wander through Mammoth village constantly - you'll see dozens around the historic hotel and administrative buildings.
Cross-Country Skiing on Groomed Park Trails
Yellowstone maintains roughly 50 km (31 miles) of groomed ski trails, primarily around Old Faithful, Canyon, and the Lone Star Geyser trail. The Lone Star route is particularly excellent - a flat 8 km (5 mile) round trip along the Firehole River to an active geyser that erupts every 3 hours. You'll ski through lodgepole pine forest with thermal features steaming along the river. For stronger skiers, the trails around Canyon offer more challenge with elevation changes. Snow quality is generally excellent - dry powder that doesn't clump, though temperatures below -20°C (-4°F) can make snow squeaky and slow.
Guided Snowmobile Tours Through the Interior
Snowmobiling is controversial in Yellowstone but remains legal on designated routes with strict regulations - guides required, four-stroke quiet machines only, daily limits on numbers. That said, it's the fastest way to cover serious distance in winter. You can ride from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful to Canyon and back in a day, covering 160+ km (100+ miles) through terrain that's otherwise inaccessible. The experience of crossing the Continental Divide at 2,440 m (8,000 ft) elevation with steam vents on both sides is genuinely memorable. Tours stop at Madison, Fountain Paint Pots, and other thermal areas.
Photography Workshops at Thermal Features
January offers some of North America's most dramatic landscape photography conditions - extreme temperature differentials create ice fog, hoarfrost coats trees around thermal basins, and bison become living sculptures covered in frozen steam. The low angle winter sun (even at midday) provides warm light that contrasts beautifully with blue snow shadows. Grand Prismatic Spring, Norris Geyser Basin, and the Firehole River areas are particularly photogenic. The challenge is keeping batteries warm - cold drains them in 30-40 minutes - and preventing lens fog when moving between extreme temperatures.
January Events & Festivals
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend
MLK weekend in mid-January typically sees the highest visitation of the winter season - still only 10-15 percent of summer numbers, but snow coach tours and Old Faithful Snow Lodge book solid. If you want maximum solitude, avoid this specific weekend. That said, the park service sometimes offers special ranger programs during holiday weekends.
Cody Winterfest
The town of Cody, Wyoming, about 85 km (53 miles) from Yellowstone's East Entrance (which is closed in winter), hosts winter activities and events throughout January. While you cannot access the park from Cody in winter, some visitors base here for snowmobiling in the surrounding national forests before or after visiting Yellowstone from the north or west entrances.