"Lamar Valley Wolf-Watching Just 25 years ago, there were no wolves in Yellowstone. In the decades after the park’s founding, canis lupis were considered “vermin” and were hunted to extinction by the 1940s. Today, though, Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley is among the world’s best spots to spot canis lupis . As of 2017, the descendants of the 41 wolves reintroduced to the park in the mid-1990s numbered more than 500. About 100 live within the park boundaries in 11 packs. Yellowstone Forever Institute offers guided wolf-watching trips year-round. You can do it on your own, as well: When you see cars pulled over on the road, look for groups of people with binoculars and spotting scopes. Stop and ask questions and you’ll find that these “wolfers” are friendly. While the wolves are present throughout the year, they’re best spotted in winter, when they stand out against the snow, and at dawn and dusk when they’re most active."

"Whether you haveone day or three weeks and whether you’re interested in wolf-watching, geology, photography, wildflowers, or animal tracking, consider reaching out to the Yellowstone Forever Institute (YFI). Formed in 2016 when the Yellowstone Institute merged with the Yellowstone Park Foundation, the nonprofit YFI does single- or multi-day personalized programs year-round. And then there’s the institute’s catalog of hundreds of scheduled educational and experiential programs in both summer and winter. Seminars like the three-day “The Bears of Yellowstone” include classroom presentations, field excursions, and lodging at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch Field Campus. The two-day “Ghost Hotels” is based at Old Faithful and focused on stories about the park’s oddities and ghosts. Novice and experienced ornithologists flock to attend YFI’s “The Birds of Yellowstone.”"

"Hike three miles and 1,393 feet up an old stagecoach/wagon road from the top of Dunraven Pass to the 10,243-foot summit of Mount Washburn. Along the way, you’ll see wildflowers—more than 50 species bloom on the mountain—marmots, picas, gnarled whitebark pines, and, possibly, bears. At the top, there are 360-degree views that include Jackson Lake, the Teton Range, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The park’s main fire lookout is also on Mount Washburn’s summit. The two-story building and the multiple antennae exploding from its roof are unsightly, but inside its base are worthy interpretive exhibits. Cyclists aren’t allowed on the Dunraven Trail, but they can ride up Mount Washburn from a trailhead on Chittenden Road, several miles past Dunraven Pass. Also a former stagecoach road, this route up the mountain ascends 1,500 feet over 2.5 miles."

"Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Photography See proof that the idea behind national parks—preserving spectacular landscapes—has been successful at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. In 1871, William Henry Jackson took more than 100 photos with an 8x10 plate camera. (His photos were a large part of why Yellowstone was, in 1872, named the world’s first national park.) Jackson took several shots of various places in the 24-mile long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, including of the Upper and Lower Falls. In 2017, Jackson-based photojournalist Bradly J. Boner published the book, Yellowstone National Park: Through the Lens of Time , in which he rephotographed all but one of Jackson’s images. The book shows Boner’s modern-day photos side-by-side with Jackson’s. It turns out the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is very little changed."

"Half of the world’s geysers are in Yellowstone. There’s Old Faithful, the most famous geyser in the world, but you’ll also find more than 500 others. Check out Old Faithful—and pop into the visitor center for a multimedialesson on geysers—and then head out along the boardwalk trails to see some of the park’s less-crowded spouters. Riverside Geyser, a cone geyser on the bank of the Firehole River in the Upper Geyser Basin, erupts for 20 minutes every 5.5 to 6.5 hours,shooting a 75-foot stream of boiling water across the river.On sunny days, you can spot a rainbow in its mist. Also in the Upper Geyser Basin, the tallest predictable geyser in the world, called Grand Geyser, erupts every seven to 15 hours, shooting water as high as 200 feet."

"Man can’t compete with Mother Nature in awesomeness, but the Beartooth Highway, which winds between Cooke City and Red Lodge, Montana ,is proof that we certainly try.Almost half the improbable64-mile routeruns across thetreeless tundra above 10,000 feet. The mountain range it crosses—the Beartooths—gets more than 30 feet of snow annually and is plagued by avalanches. In the road’s short season—it’s open from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through the Tuesday after Columbus Day—it’s one of the most thrilling rides by car, motorcycle, or bike in the country. When the National Scenic Byway program was created in 1991, the Beartooth Highway was one of the first ten roads designated as an All-American Road. (Even today, there are only 31 such roads.)"

"There are about 290 waterfalls in Yellowstone. The tallest, the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, is about twice the height of Niagara Falls, or 308 feet tall. Among the shortest is Cave Falls, at about 20 feettall. What it lacks in height, Cave Falls makes up for with accessibility and width: It’s one of the few waterfalls in the park you can drive to, and, at 250 feet wide, it is the widest. In any other part of Yellowstone a drive-to waterfall would be packed with people, but Cave Falls is in the park’s southwestern corner (aka Cascade Corner because ofthe density of waterfalls), which is the most remote developed area, and and only dirt roadsreach the site. While you're admiring the cascade, look for the namesake cave on the northern side—it’s about 50 feet tall and 300 feet long."

"Ashton–Tetonia Trail Since the first abandoned rail corridors were turned into trails in the 1960s, more than 15,000 miles of rail trails have been constructed in the U.S. The 30 miles of rail trail between Tetonia and Ashton, Idaho, on the western side of the Tetons south of Yellowstone, might be among the country’s most scenic. Because it’s Idaho, there are potato fields almost as far as the eye can see, as well as wheat fields and stands of aspen trees. But it’s the Tetons looming in the distance—their snaggly profile easily recognizable even in reverse (most images of the range are taken from its easternface)—that grab your attention. The three beautiful and historic trestle bridges the route crosses arejust showing off. Stop in Ashton at the classic Frostop Drive-In for a malted shake and burger."

"Most guest ranches have minimum stays of three, four, orseven nights and permit only guests to participate in ranch activitieslike fishing, horseback riding, and meals.Not soat 320 Guest Ranch, in the Gallatin Canyon outside Yellowstone’s West Entrance. From 1936 to 1959 the home of Dr. Caroline McGill, Montana’s first female doctor, the ranch now welcomes guests and non-guestsfor guided horseback rides, fishing in its trout pond, or enjoying a traditional chuckwagon dinner. Of course, you can spend a night—and even opt for Dr. McGill’s former log cabin—if you want."

"Only about 100,000people visitYellowstone during winter.Overnight stays arelimited to some seasonal lodging options at Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful. But there’s another choice for a special kind of traveler: Sign on with Yellowstone Expeditions to stay at their yurt camp, located a half mile from the rim of the park’s Grand Canyon, and you’ll feel like you have Yellowstone all to yourself. “Rooms” here are private, double-occupancy heated cabins, and four-, five-, and eight-day trips are available. The camp alsooffers a cedar sauna, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared daily and served around a wood-burning stove in a yurt. The main activities? Wildlife watching, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing."

"Only about 100,000people visitYellowstone during winter.Overnight stays arelimited to some seasonal lodging options at Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful. But there’s another choice for a special kind of traveler: Sign on with Yellowstone Expeditions to stay at their yurt camp, located a half mile from the rim of the park’s Grand Canyon, and you’ll feel like you have Yellowstone all to yourself. “Rooms” here are private, double-occupancy heated cabins, and four-, five-, and eight-day trips are available. The camp alsooffers a cedar sauna, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner prepared daily and served around a wood-burning stove in a yurt. The main activities? Wildlife watching, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing."

"With only a couple of exceptions, you can’t soak in Yellowstone’s thermal features (this is for numerous reasons, not the least of which is that most are so scalding hot they’d burn the flesh off you). North of Gardiner, Montana , though, in the no-stoplight community of Pray, Chico Hot Springs has welcomed soakers to its spring-fed hot pools since 1900. Spend the night in one of the quirky rooms in the historic main lodge, originally built as a boardinghouse for miners, or in a refurbished caboose from the Northern Pacific Railroad. If at all possible, plan to be at Chico on a Sunday morning, when it serves the best brunch in Montana."