Yellowstone in Winter - Part 4 - Getting Around and Waterfowl

Thursday, 25 January 2018

Today we traveled by snow coach from Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful. Both the lodging facilities at Old Faithful and the transport mode have vastly improved over 1978!

Yellowstone winter transportation, 1978 style.

Yellowstone winter transportation 2018 style. The 4-wheel track system makes it possible to travel on snow-covered roads.

Alternatively, some vehicles use over-sized snow tires for winter transport. This truck is used to transport luggage and supplies between Mammoth and Old Faithful. Guided snowmobile tours are also popular. Only 4-cycle snowmobiles are allowed in the park: they are much quieter and much cleaner than 2-cycle snowmobiles.

Electric Peak, as seen from the Swan Lake pull-out is the highest peak in the park at 11,969 ft.

A trumpeter swan with cygnet (immature) and a duck swim in a bend of the Gibbon River.

Common goldeneye ducks swimming in the Firehole River. These are all females.

The American dipper is a passerine (perching bird or song bird) that is adapted to eat insect larvae that live in cold fast-flowing mountain streams. As you can see in this video, its feathers are so highly oiled that water literally rolls over the bird.