Winter is often a quiet time of reflection and contemplation. Idyllic days spent beside a roaring fire are on top. For the more adventurous, skiing, replete with cozy ski lodges and tales of the diamond-level run, is a perfect way to spend a cold winter’s day. For me, however, winter means heading into the depths of Yellowstone National Park just before a snowstorm comes in to experience the park, and its winter denizens, at its most severe. There is, in the end, no place like Yellowstone in the winter. Winter Bison explores the magnificent bison herd.
My goal was simple: photograph the bison in the winter snows. And indeed, in the abstract, it is straightforward to do that. But, as in so many areas of life, the difficulty is in the details, and especially in staying safe and warm.
Much of Yellowstone is technically closed for the winter. Most of the roads are closed in the fall and left to the ravages of the winter snows until they are plowed, with a Herculean effort, in the spring. One road, through, is usually open all year. This road goes from the north to the northeast entrance, and every effort is made to keep it open. For me, though, this is perfect and provides me with access to the winter bison herd.
In practical terms, Yellowstone never really closes. Snow coaches and snow machines use the roadways to move throughout the park once enough snow covers the roads. For my purposes, those options wouldn’t provide me the sustained access I needed to create the photographs I had in mind.
Instead, my plan was to wait for a storm, then position myself to be in the park as soon as the storm broke, if not a little before then. This would, I reasoned, give me the freshest setting possible. Luckily for me, there are plenty of winter storms in that area of the country, so it was merely a matter of finding a big storm, but not so big the park ended up being inaccessible for days.
I packed up my winter gear, braced myself for the cold, and headed into the park after one such storm.
Where I immediately discovered that just because the roads are “open” doesn’t mean they are clear nor easy to drive. Quite the opposite, in fact! Moving around the park ranged from “challenging” to “what am I even doing here.” Some steeper hills had sections that were shaded from the sun, and those proved to be especially challenging. Often, the road had a thick layer of ice, which made driving more like sledding and hoping you ended up where you wanted to go. And, just to tease me, every once in a while I would find a section of the road that was perfectly clear, with no snow nor ice. Those were few and far between, but nice to find, all the same.
There was one very scary moment which still bothers me. I had just turned around to head back to a scene which caught my eye. The road was slick and icy, and maybe I wasn’t as quite on the road as I thought I was. In any event, the tires slid off whatever surface they were on, and I began a slide off the road.
Alarms I didn’t even know my SUV had began going off as the SUV began heading for a signpost, and beyond that, a ditch. Once in that ditch, there was no way I was getting out of that by myself. Miraculously, and I am still not sure how, a tire somehow found traction, and I was catapulted back onto the roadway. Against all odds, I found a bit of control and somehow stayed on the road. All in all, it was an unpleasant reminder of just how difficult the roads can be.
Hah. We’re here for the bison photographs, aren’t we. I just wanted to set the scene for you first. Let’s get to the photographs, then!
We’ll start with Forever Yellowstone, which was one of the first photographs I made on the excursion. The road crested a hill, and looking out from the top gave me spectacular views of the winter-encrusted park. In a clearing below me, a few bison are doing bison kinds of things. A couple were moseying over to a new patch of ground; they were in no hurry, and just taking their time.
Then again, the snow was deep, so walking was not something you could do quickly, either. One was looking at me, wondering what I was all about. And two of them were butting heads. It didn’t appear to be anything serious, though, and although they were scuffling, they didn’t put significant effort into it, and soon separated to find grass buried under the snow. For me, though, all the elements came together, giving me, and now you, our first amazing view of Yellowstone National Park in the winter.
I adore these long, sweeping views and Forever Yellowstone gives a perfect sense of what winter looks like in the park.
Another photograph that gives a good sense of what the park looks like in winter is Bison’s Moment. Here, two bison, their faces covered in snow, stand before a hillside full of trees. The snow-covered trees recall the winter storm which was just here. The bison use their powerful neck muscles to sweep their faces from side to side, uncovering tasty grass. This results in plenty of snow on their faces, and for me, completes the photograph.
These are wonderful photographs, and I adore them. Yet, I was looking to create something else, too. A photograph of a single bison that evokes the majesty of Yellowstone. For that, I needed more bison, and so, I went onward, searching for them.
I initially thought it might be difficult to locate the bison, especially since there was only a single open road. I didn’t need to worry, though. The bison were, quite literally, everywhere. Plenty of opportunities provided themselves.
For example, this bison was climbing a hill not far behind me. She had come up from the plains, far below, and was going, well, I have no idea where. Presumably, she knew where she was going.
As she was lumbering along, I made this remarkable photograph. Every step she took kicked up some snow, and I think this photograph depicts that action perfectly. Even today, as I write this, I can feel her power and she moved through the park.
Still, though, there was a photograph that I was looking to make which I hadn’t yet. I kept searching, day after day. I would stop every time I saw a bison and wait. Furthermore, I’d look and see if the setting was perfect. It was, almost always, not. I’d continue to wait to see if the bison would move to a better setting. It’s during these times that the cold would set in. The bison had countless millennia to evolve, perfectly adapting to their environment. Heavy, insulating fur provides them the protection they need from the elements. I had my heavy winter parka which, while warm, wasn’t as warm as their fur. Perhaps in another few millennia I’ll personally evolve to have a built-in parka, but meanwhile, I shivered and waited.
And then I waited, shivered, and waited some more, day after day, Until I didn’t. I finally found the moment I had been looking for, and I made the most of it.
I wanted to showcase a single bison in winter. Not only that, but I knew what the photograph looked like in my mind’s eye, and so I evaluated every scene I saw with that in mind. Several times, it almost worked, and I had my hopes up. But, this time was different.
I saw a single bison off in the distance, walking slowly and deliberately, She was on a mission and had a clear goal in mind. I positioned myself to where I thought she might walk in front of me and waited, not quite patiently. She kept moving forward, and with every step, my hopes rose. Before I knew it, she was precisely where I wanted her to be, and Bison Trek was made.
For me, this one photograph is the essence of the bison in Yellowstone in the winter. A simple, yet powerful, photograph that showcases the stark whiteness that is winter, with the bison moving steadily, relentlessly, onward toward her goal. She wasn’t going to let snow stop her, not at all. She kept her steady pace, one step at a time.
As much as I love a soaring scenic view, like the ones I opened with, this photograph was the one I wanted, and the one I treasure the very most. Every time I look at it, I see the power of the bison, making her way through impossible conditions.
A Gratuitous Wolf
Of course, bison aren’t the only animals enduring winter in Yellowstone National Park. Plenty of other creatures brave the cold, too. For example, I encountered this wolf sitting and waiting patiently for its prey to emerge from the snow. How could I not take a moment and create a photograph?
The prey never broke the surface of the snow, and eventually the wolf went searching for something else. In any event, this post isn’t above wolves, so we’ll leave it as just that—a single lone wolf.
If you ever have a chance to experience Yellowstone in the winter, take the opportunity. It is incredible and not to be missed.
