WLM WLM Fall 2014 | Page 24

t the risk of sounding cliché, stating how I feel winter transforms Yellowstone National Park into a magical landscape, I really cannot think of a better way to describe the beauty. It would be like trying to describe driving an Italian supercar without using ‘passion’ or ‘soul’. You can do it, but you are really not describing the car. Yellowstone is an amazing place to visit, at all times of the year, but the winter really distills the experience into its essence. Often brimming with tourist activity during the summer months, Yellowstone takes on a more casual pace during the winter months. Heavy snow fall closes the majority of the park’s interior roads and restricts automotive access to the two northern-most interior roads. If you are willing to make the drive through Montana to Mammoth Hot Springs, you are rewarded with unrestricted access to the route from Mammoth to Cooke City, Montana. I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the park during the summer months and forget to really experience Yellowstone. I know it must sound strange, but the slower pace of winter has a huge appeal to me. It allows me to settle in and enjoy being in such a remarkable landscape. The 24 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Fall 2014