Tour the Geysers in Winter
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Summertime geysers, even glimpsed while jostling with high-season crowds: impressive. Wintertime geysers, bubbling and bursting over the snowy landscape to an audience of precisely you: unforgettable. (And that’s not counting the near-guaranteed wildlife sightings.) In winter, a snowcoach ride and a few miles of mellow cross-country skiing or snowshoeing are all that separate you from a private, multigeyser viewing experience. Hop a ski shuttle from the Old Faithful Lodge to the trailhead at Kepler Cascades, then follow the Firehole River 2.5 miles on a groomed, wooded trail to Lone Star Geyser, a 40-foot plume that blows every three hours. Return to the lodge via the snowed-over park road (easy; 7 total miles) or the Howard Eaton Trail (difficult; 6 total miles). For a shorter outing, wind 5 easy miles through the hot springs and geysers of Biscuit Basin (pick up the trail across from the lodge), a wintering site for elk and bison. Season December to February Ski shuttle $21/day; drop-off only; yellowstonenationalparklodges.comLodging From $104; same website