Winter Wildlife of Yellowstone
There are very few places in North America that offer up the diversity of wildlife opportunities as Yellowstone National Park in the winter. As the icy fingers of Old Man Winter begin to grip the region, and the snows return to this land, wildlife responds by pushing down into lower elevations and concentrating in certain key areas throughout the park. Animals that once ranged over several million acres in the warmer months can now be found is dense numbers as they begin the arduous task of simply staying alive through the legendary winters of the Yellowstone.
As the depth of winter closes in on the numerous prey species such as moose, elk, and bison, the hardships of this season and the trials of life for some in turn offer up the great feasts of winter for others. Winter is the season of the wolf. Gracefully floating upon the many feet of snow that bogs down and slows the larger mammals, wolves reach the top of their game in this world of white.
Winter in Yellowstone is the ultimate destination on the North American continent for wildlife photographers. This snow capped Serengeti is unrivaled by any other place in the hemisphere. Bison stand crusted in hoarfrost, wolves trot across the empty expanses of white, bobcats prowl the banks of rivers, elk concentrate in impossible numbers at times, coyotes and red fox leap through the air plunging face first into the snow after deeply hidden rodents, and bald eagles flock to the edge of the rivers in droves to take advantage easy picking along the banks of the geothermal heated waters flowing out of Yellowstone. This is wildlife photography at its best.
This workshop is quite different from others being offered to the area. First and foremost, our emphasis is on small group experiences with a 1:4 ratio of instructor to participants. This gives you unsurpassed personal attention while in the field and during midday discussions. Additionally, this workshop also has a classroom day built in at the beginning of the workshop, where we will spend the day discussing the important techniques and skill sets you will need to take full advantage of the particular opportunities you will find here in the winter.
You simply will not find this sort of experience anywhere else.
The Basics
Dates:
January 4-13, 2025 | SOLD OUT
January 20-29, 2025 | SOLD OUT
Cost: $9,500
Deposit: $2,000
Single Supplement: included
Includes:
Pre-trip classroom session
Single occupancy lodging
All local transportation
All lunches
Park Passes
Snow Coaches
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive in Bozeman, Montana. The first day of the workshops is largely logistical. For those who are flying in, participants will be picked up 2pm from the Gallitan Field Airport (BZN) and transported to Gardiner, MT. As this is a winter workshop, the time it takes to travel from Bozeman to Gardiner can take between 1.5 and 5 hours depending on weather and road conditions. For this reason, the day is built around just getting to our destination. Once checked into the hotel, we will meet for happy hour, dinner, and a briefing on the coming days.
Day 2 - Classroom Session. We will spend a full day in a classroom session discussing the important photographic concepts needed to take full advantage of this workshop. From the unique challenges this climate presents to autofocus strategies and understanding how to expose for the snow, this classroom session is designed to insure that each participant is fully prepared for the opportunities to come. This one day will completely change your success rate for the entire workshop, without sacrificing days spent in the field photographing wildlife.
Day 3 - 6 - These days will be spent working on the Northern Range of Yellowstone National Park. Mornings will start early and before sunrise and we will spend the entire day in the field stopping, of course, for lunch and restrooms (as needed). The exact locations of where we will photograph will be dictated by the ever changing wildlife opportunities present at the time. We spend a week on the ground before clients arrive to scout, prepare, and determine what the best opportunities will be for the coming workshop. Photographing wildlife is not like landscapes, and so destinations each day will be based upon real-time information and opportunities.
Day 7 - Travel to West Yellowstone, Montana. On this day we will transfer to a different side of the park in preparation for traveling into the interior. Breakfast will be at the hotel restaurant before packing our gear and traveling up through Bozeman to reach our destination. Once in Bozeman there will be the opportunity to stop at Bozeman Camera if anyone needs additional memory cards or equipment they did not anticipate (including rentals). We only stop here if requested. From there, we travel onto West Yellowstone where we will check into our hotels and meet for dinner.
Day 8 - 9 - Travel into the Interior by Snow Coach. These days will be spent in the interior of Yellowstone National Park where access is limited only to guided snow coaches and snowmobiles. We have led over 30 winter workshops into the interior of Yellowstone and work with only the finest snow coaches and guides that meet Jared Lloyd’s expectations. Much like our time on the Northern Range of the park, each day’s destination will be determined in the morning based on current wildlife opportunities.
Day 10 - Travel back to Bozeman, Montana. The last morning, we will have breakfast before heading north to Bozeman. We time our arrival to be in Bozeman before noon that day. Much like the first day of the workshop, because this is a winter trip, weather can be unpredictable and therefore we schedule several hours for our drive back to the airport just in case. Participants should plan to fly out in the afternoon. If this is not possible, we recommend staying the night in Bozeman or Belgrade (where the airport is actually located) and flying out the following morning.
Highlights
North America’s premier winter wildlife photography destination
More species of large mammals than any other ecosystem in the Northern Hemisphere
Wildlife set to the backdrop of a winter wonderland
One-on-one photography instruction
Learn about the wildlife and winter ecology of Yellowstone
Potential wildlife subjects: wolves, bobcats, bison, elk, red fox, cross fox (a unique color morph of the red fox common in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem), bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, moose, otters, ermine, long-tailed weasels, endangered Rocky Mountain trumpeter swans, golden eagles, bald eagles, boreal owl, northern pigmy owl, coyotes, and more.
Workshop Leaders
Jared Lloyd has been a working professional wildlife photographer for twenty years and is the founder of PhotoWILD Workshops and PhotoWILD Magazine. Having lived in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for a decade, Jared is one of the most sought after workshop leaders in the Yellowstone area. www.jaredlloyd.com
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