Visit Grand Canyon National Park during its "slow" season

By Becky Beaman, Interpretive Support Assistant, Grand Canyon National Park

Colder temperatures, shorter days and snow bring a slower pace to one of the nation's most visited national parks - Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Winter visitors find paths less traveled throughout the park. Those prepared for ice and snow will find the Bright Angel Trail a bit quieter and scenic drives less congested.

(NPS photo)

Dramatic winter storms, bringing several inches of snow, are contrasted with sunny days, perfect for walking along the rim or into the canyon. Crisp air and a dusting of snow bring a new perspective to the temples and buttes emerging from the canyon floor and provide a perfect backdrop to view the canyon's flora and fauna.

Mule deer traipsing through fresh snow and bald eagles soaring above the canyon rims are just some of the wildlife spotted during winter. Many animals slow down for the winter and are seen less frequently, but there is still a chance to see elk, California condors, ravens, and Abert's squirrels along the rim and in nearby ponderosa pine forests.

(NPS photo)

Most animals in the park have developed some sort of adaptation to the cold weather. Rock squirrels, frequently seen along the rim during summer months, spend the fall caching food and preparing for the cold winter. Although they spend much of the winter in their burrows, they can be spotted along the rim during warmer days. Mule deer and elk grow thick winter coats to deal with the low temperatures and the Abert's and Kaibab tree squirrels grow fur tassels on their ears to keep out the cold.

Just like the animals who make their home at Grand Canyon, visitors should slow down and bundle up. Winter is a perfect time to enjoy a warm beverage along the rim, or view the canyon from inside the Yavapai Geology Museum, where panoramic windows provide crisp views from inside a warm building.

(NPS photo)

The South Rim of the park is open year round, and roads are drivable except in inclement weather. Weather changes quickly at Grand Canyon, and so does visibility. Planning a visit for multiple days allows visitors to experience some of these changes, and provides a good chance for a great view of the canyon.

Winter solitude blankets the North Rim of Grand Canyon, which is closed to vehicle traffic during the winter. Hikers prepared for a multiday canyon adventure can walk from the South Rim to the North Rim for a winter camping experience in one of the most inaccessible locations in the country.

Locations inside the canyon, like the Phantom Ranch lodging facility and Bright Angel Campground, offer mild temperatures in winter, and back-country permits may be more easily obtained during the winter months than during peak hiking seasons.

A trip to Grand Canyon can be a great winter getaway, especially with careful planning. The Grand Canyon Trip Planner is a great place to start. (For Trip Planner, click on link below then click on Trip Planner link.)

Pack your jacket and winter gloves, avoid the crowds, and come experience a Grand Canyon winter wonderland! Get more information here.

Winter beckons you to Yellowstone

There's a secret to visiting Yellowstone that's especially true in winter. Walk a few paces on any trail, or just stand still and listen—you'll find solitude in this celebrated, special place.

Picture a vast frozen landscape interrupted by copious billows of steam indicating active hydrothermal features — bubbling mud cauldrons, sulfur-scented steam vents, and violent geysers that know no respite even in the deepest cold.

Watch as fox and coyote pace and study unbroken expanses of snow, then leap high to pounce on small prey twitching through tunnels threaded below the surface. From inside the warmth and safety of a car or snowcoach, or from the seat of a snowmobile, encounter bison encrusted with frost, lumbering across the landscape.

See trumpeter swans swimming gracefully in waters kept ice-free by hydrothermal features. Listen for wind, and wolves.

While most Yellowstone hotels, lodges, and campgrounds are buttoned up in winter, the park stays plenty busy. Hotels, closed briefly between seasons, reopen in December at Mammoth Hot Springs at the north end of the park and at Old Faithful, where the Snow Lodge can be reached by snowmobile or snowcoach. Commercial guides provide snowmobile, snowcoach, and cross-country ski tours of the park.

For kids, a free booklet is tailored to winter activities. Park rangers offer talks, evening programs, and advice on current ski trail conditions. Browse the listings of all winter activities and available services, from warming huts to visitor centers.

From the historic Roosevelt Arch at Yellowstone's North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana, the park maintains a drivable road during daylight hours south to Mammoth's Upper Terraces, and east through the Lamar Valley to the Northeast Entrance and Cooke City, Montana. You'll have to turn around and come back that same way, though, as a mountain pass outside the park remains closed to cars through winter.

Want to know the best way you can enjoy the scenery and help protect wildlife during your visit? Slow down. Unless posted slower, top speed anywhere within the park is 45 mph. Please respect wildlife; many are most vulnerable this time of year. Minimum wildlife distance regulations apply, but the underlying premise is simple — if any wild animal changes its behavior because of your presence, you are too close. Check out the park newspaper for additional tips, intriguing tidbits, and useful information.

Come experience the cold and quiet of Yellowstone in winter. For some, it's a favorite time of year.

source: National Park Service