Best time to visit Yellowstone? When the temperature dips into the 20s. That’s when most folks don’t want to bother—but it’s not so cold you can’t enjoy it yourself. So this Thanksgiving, we eschewed the traditional turkey and trimmings for a quick trip to America’s oldest and largest national park.
The snow started falling by the time we reached Mammoth Hot Springs, which is only about six miles into the park from the north entrance.
The skies cleared shortly after that, but we hit a bit of a traffic jam on the road between Mammoth and Tower Junction. They were reluctant to move on accounta the slippery conditions and whatnot. So we waited. (Oh, and that dude in the middle? The one missing a horn? Easily a foot taller than me.)
But with the Lamar Valley looking this glorious—not to mention the bighorn, bison, coyote, deer, elk, pronghorn, and various and sundry species of bird making appearances throughout the day—it was totally worth it.