What do you notice about this boardwalk at the Mammoth Terraces in Yellowstone?
It’s empty.
A lot of people think Yellowstone National Park is closed in the late fall/early winter, or find the prospect of visiting at that time of year unappealing. We disagree. While November can bring long nights, grey days, and sometimes bitter cold, it also brings solitude. Places that are pressed by humanity in the summer become intimate, familiar gems in the slower months. Mammoth Hot Springs is one of our favorites; close to home, always dynamic and changing, filled with the distinctive scent of travertine and hot water. We also love to visit Norris Geyser Basin—unlike any place on earth—just before the interior park roads close in late November, when the hot steam bathes you, and you largely have the boardwalks to yourself.
While choosing to live at the doorstep to Yellowstone often means going without—sushi, museums, box stores, or the simple ability to go for dinner and a movie—it also means having private moments in the park. Solitude is available in Yellowstone in any season if you know where to look. It’s true that November brings colder temperatures and more unpredictable weather. However, the ability to visit the park’s unique and famous thermal features without the company of thousands of your not-so-best-friends is worth it.
