Discovering Montana’s Wild Beauty: A Mother-Daughter Adventure
A dynamic, physically active mother-daughter trip to Montana experiencing the West through winter or summer adventures had been on our dream destination list for years, but COVID-19 unexpectedly bumped it to the top.
The pandemic’s travel restrictions made domestic adventures the only viable option. Montana’s wide-open spaces was the perfect choice.
Yellowstone National Park was a long-awaited trip.
Planning a Yellowstone visit requires significant advance preparation, particularly for securing in-park lodging, which typically needs to be booked up to a year ahead.
That fall, however, COVID-19 restrictions led to numerous cancellations, making some new reservations unexpectedly available. Even so, the hotels maintained strict guest capacity limits to ensure social distancing.
Winter in Yellowstone naturally draws fewer visitors, even in normal years.
The winter’s quiet blankets Yellowstone’s majesty and Montana’s stunning beauty.
The solitude transformed our mother-daughter adventure into something even more precious than we’d imagined.
A mother-daughter Montana trip is ideal for teen and adult daughters, combining physical capabilities with a deeper appreciation for nature and American history.
Yellowstone National Park
Arriving Bozeman Airport
After arriving at the airport, the beauty begins almost immediately.
While a reliable shuttle service operates between the airport and Yellowstone lodging, I highly recommend renting a car.
Having your own vehicle allows you the flexibility to explore the park and its surroundings at your own pace.
Depending on traffic and road conditions, the drive from the airport to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, MT, takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.
The first sighting of bison was truly unforgettable.
Important Travel Tip: Book Your Car Rental Alongside Your Flights
Whenever you make your airline reservations, be sure to book your car rental at the same time.
Car rentals are always in high demand, regardless of the season.
If you’re renting in winter, it’s crucial to prioritize safety. Instead of opting for the cheapest or economy options, choose a sturdy vehicle that can handle challenging weather conditions. Investing in a reliable rental is worth it for your safety and ease of maneuverability.
Arriving at the north entrance, you’ll pass through the iconic Roosevelt Arch.
From there, it’s just a short distance to Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
Keep in mind that you will need to pay a national park entrance fee.
For our itinerary, I purchased the annual America the Beautiful Pass, as we also planned to visit Little Bighorn National Park in Montana.
Each park charges a separate entrance fee, which typically allows for access for up to one week.
There are only 2 hotels open in the park during the winter season. We chose to stay in the northern part, in Montana, at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
The hotel offered convenient access to park excursions, guided tours, and activities, while its dining services allowed us to relax after a day of exploring.
Additionally, the nearby town of Gardiner, provided extra options for dining and shopping.
After checking in, we went straight to the outdoor ice-skating rink behind the hotel. The hotel provides ice skates in every size.
The rink was just the right size – my daughter skated close to the sides, gaining confidence, while I enjoyed skating across the open ice.
Above us, stars filled the night sky and moonlight lit the rink as crisp winter air surrounded us. It became one of those winter moments we’d always remember.
Day 1 Cross-Country Skiing Into Yellowstone’s Winter Wonderland
At the Bear Den Ski Shop tucked inside the hotel, we gear up for our cross-country skiing adventure. The staff outfits us with everything we need – skis, poles, and boots perfectly sized for both of us. They pair us with an instructor for our morning lesson.
We quickly discover that cross-country skiing demands more skill than we anticipated.
Our instructor patiently guides us through the basics as we tackle various terrain. Uphill climbs test our endurance, while downhill sections challenge our balance and control. Despite the learning curve, his encouraging guidance helps us build confidence with each glide forward.
Between our stumbles and tumbles, we share knowing looks and bursts of laughter – these mother-daughter moments of shared adventure becoming treasured memories.
We had fun. We decide to extend our skiing journey. Back at the ski shop, we arrange for a 3-day equipment rental – ready to explore more trails and perfect our technique.
The hotel sits at the heart of a historic district within Yellowstone National Park.
The afternoon began at the Albright Visitor Center, where knowledgeable park rangers helped us plan our route through the park and shared fascinating details about key attractions.
Along the Travertine Terraces, long rambling boardwalk, you’ll see bubbling pools and steaming springs changing colors.
It’s nature’s own light show, showing off the wild underground powers of Yellowstone.
Don’t miss the well-preserved buildings of Fort Yellowstone, which once served as a military outpost protecting the park. These historic structures provide a fascinating glimpse into the park’s early days of conservation.
Following the ranger’s advice, we hit the road, ready to explore their recommended route through the park.
Only in winter can you experience Yellowstone’s roads like this – no traffic jams, no lines of cars stopping for wildlife. Just you and the open road through a snow-covered wilderness that most summer visitors never get to see.
We’re experiencing the park as it’s meant to be – serene and quiet.
Day 2 On the Trail of Yellowstone’s Winter Wildlife
The wildlife rises before dawn, and we’re just catching up with their morning routine as our “Wake up to Wildlife” excursion begins at 6:15 AM.
Still, we must wait for the morning light to spot most animals in the winter landscape. But the bison? They have the right of way on the road whatever time it is.
The snow coach picks us up at the hotel. With its oversized tires designed to move atop the snow, it’s our transport through Yellowstone’s winter wonderland.
Most of the park’s roads are closed during these months, making the snow coach essential for exploring the snow-covered terrain
Against the pristine white snow, the park’s wildlife stands out like actors on a spotlit stage.
We spot a coyote trotting confidently across the winter landscape.
Like most of the wildlife – they seem more relaxed now without the summer crowds, moving with an easy grace through their snow-covered territory.
We drive by multiple photographers who stand and wait daily in hopes of catching glimpses of the limited wolf packs who roam in Yellowstone.
The park biologists closely monitor the packs’ movements. Optimistic rumors pass among photographers and wolf watchers that they’re in the right area.
Our driver stops and we join for a few minutes looking into a snowy abyss.
Wolf watchers will have a better chance of seeing a pack in the winter.
But the reality is that they will still be hundreds of yards away from a quick moving pack.
We know our wolf experience will be coming up in a few days.
Winter makes these magnificent creatures easier to spot as they move through their snow-covered habitat.
Don’t miss the snow coach tour – it turned out to be an incredible four-hour adventure through hidden corners of the park we never would have discovered on our own.
My daughter and I lucked out that morning, having the whole snow coach to ourselves.
Even with the temperature plunging to 15 degrees below zero, our private guide kept us fascinated with insider stories and local knowledge about the park’s lesser-known treasures.
In the afternoon, we ventured to Gardiner, a charming gateway town just outside the park entrance.
This little mountain town is like stepping back in time – the buildings still proudly show off their 1900s architecture, and a reminder of Yellowstone’s earliest visitors.
Surrounded by dramatic mountain views and wandering wildlife, it’s the perfect example of where wild meets historic.
We have a good lunch at Cowboy’s Lodge and Grill.
The hamburgers we ordered were exactly as expected – the thick patties emerged from the well-seasoned flat-top grill, their exterior bearing a perfect crust, juices seared into a mahogany finish while staying blush pink inside. A slice of American cheese melted into every crevice, draping over the edges of the meat like a yellow blanket, delivering the kind of simple, unpretentious perfection that makes a local restaurant memorable.
Around us, the dining room’s walls displayed an impressive collection of vintage firearms, a fitting backdrop for a Montana establishment named “Cowboy’s.”
Later in the afternoon, we strap on our skis and head out to explore more of Yellowstone on our own.
Before dinner, I even squeeze in some time on the ice rink.
Growing up in New England meant winter afternoons skating on frozen ponds, where nature set the boundaries. Now in California, ice time comes with a price tag and indoor rinks, where pee wee hockey players dodge and weave through public skaters like slalom courses, turning what should be a graceful glide into an exercise in collision avoidance.
The outside open rink for this skater is pure bliss.
What makes this winter visit so perfect is the effortlessness flowing from one adventure to the next.
Day 3: Our Walk-Through Norris Basin – Getting Up Close with Yellowstone’s Geothermal Power
In the morning, we drive to a suggested cross-country trail.
The fields of unblemished snow stretch before us, immaculate and untouched. In perfect solitude, we glide across the snow, our skis making the only tracks.
The silence is so complete that we hear the soft flutter of a bird’s wings overhead.
It’s peace on earth.
The afternoon is saved for The Norris Geyser Basin Tour available only in the winter season.
While the morning wildlife excursion the previous day was 15 degrees below zero, the afternoon was pleasantly comfortable with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 20s.
Although there was a warning and waiver to sign regarding strenuous walking, I did not find it particularly strenuous or lengthy.
At Norris Basin, winter unveils the raw power of Yellowstone’s geothermal heart.
Steam billows more dramatically against the cold air, creating ghostly curtains across the boardwalks.
Here, the Earth’s inner workings are on full display – scalding waters carve paths through snow-covered ground, and microscopic life thrives in the steaming pools despite the freezing temperatures.
We watch these miracles and learn the lessons as tourists and explorers have for a hundred years, each generation drawn to this volatile landscape where arctic air meets ancient heat, creating a spectacle that’s both beautiful and humbling.
Leaving Yellowstone
As we head back to Bozeman, the memories of our Yellowstone winter adventure settle in.
From skiing through pristine powder to ice skating beneath Montana’s vast sky, each moment revealed winter’s unique magic in America’s first national park.
The sight of steaming geysers against snow-covered landscapes and ancient thermal features created scenes that seemed almost surreal.
I asked every ranger and guide the same question: “What’s your favorite season in Yellowstone?” Their answer was instant and unanimous – winter. They love how the crowds thin out, leaving behind a peaceful park where wildlife roams freely against a spectacular winter landscape.
What stays with us most is how Yellowstone’s timeless beauty remains as captivating today as it was to those first visitors in 1872.
As we drive away, we’re grateful not just for our adventures, but for the foresight that preserved this natural wonder for generations to experience.
Yellowstone in the winter season made our mother-daughter travel amazing.
Bozeman
We stay in one of the most exciting places we’ve ever experienced – the Howlers Inn Bed and Breakfast and Wolf Sanctuary.
We are immediately welcomed by a wolf – our furry concierge safely on duty behind a fence.
John and Diane Hown are the owners and hosts of this comfortable and charming bed and breakfast.
The continental breakfast is one of the best I’ve ever been served.
With only three immaculate guest rooms and a guest house, it offers an intimate setting.
But the main attraction is the wolves.
The Hown’s have a wolf sanctuary on their three-acre property.
While they can accommodate up to ten wolves, they generally have fewer.
It’s a sanctuary dedicated to rehabilitating and healing wolves, while also promoting education and awareness about these magnificent animals.
We are introduced to four wolves, separated into two packs.
They are as curious about us new guests as we are about them.
We wake up and go to sleep to the beautiful, melodious howls of the wolves.
In the afternoon we venture into downtown Bozeman.
The quaint main street offers a variety of shops and restaurants that cater to both tourists and locals, all wrapped in distinctive Western ambiance.
We choose to eat at Ted’s Montana Grill, owned by Ted Turner, who operates one of the largest bison ranches in the country. His restaurant stands out by featuring a menu that celebrates bison heritage through dishes like burgers and steaks.
However, there’s an interesting contrast here – like many people, I find myself developing a profound appreciation for animals after observing them in their natural habitats, such as bison herds roaming freely. Their majestic presence and vital role in the ecosystem can create such a deep connection that it often changes how people view them as food sources.
I settle for a delicious salad.
Taking the Reins: Our First Mushing Adventure
The wolves tell us it’s time to wake up.
We’ve been looking forward to our next adventure.
Dog sledding!
It’s an hour drive to meet up with the Yellowstone Dog Sled Adventures team.
Without a four-wheel drive vehicle, we can’t make it up the mountain road to their base camp.
We are instructed to wait at the bottom of the road for pickup. Pulled off the side of the narrow mountain road, we grow nervous as time passes with no sign of anyone, and no other waiting guests in sight.
A cheery man arrives and drives us the mountain to base camp.
We’re greeted by an exciting atmosphere: barking dogs, resting dogs, the comforting smell of wood fires, and friendly people.
After thorough instruction on mushing and driving a sled, we are put to the task.
Everyone is allowed two mushing experiences, and I choose to let my daughter take both turns while I ride in the sled.
The dogs are excited to go, and they know exactly where they’re headed – these trails are familiar territory to them.
My daughter’s only real task is to control the team when we near base camp and other teams, though this proves challenging at times.
Fortunately she drives a car better than a sled. af
We say goodbye to our team.
We’ve had fun and loved the experience.
Little Bighorn: Where History Echoes
We leave behind the wolves, malamutes and huskies of our Bozeman adventures.
It’s almost a 3-hour drive to Little Big Horn Battlefield. Although an easy one on the I 90.
It’s New Year’s Day, and perhaps the battlefield isn’t a big draw.
The wind howled across the empty battlefield, its mournful sound piercing the silence. In the aftermath, this lonely voice only heightened the landscape’s eerie desolation.
We find ourselves alone. But for us, the solitude provides the perfect atmosphere to reflect, pause at markers of fallen soldiers, and absorb the battle’s history – it seems exactly right.
Here at Little Bighorn, the Custer myth dissolves into the reality of the actual battle. The site offers deep understanding for all who fought here, presenting a profound lesson in American history.
The Battlefield memorials and show equal respect for both sides of the conflict, honoring all who fell that day.
My travel planning intention with my daughter is always for us to share a unique adventure – experiencing new cultures, enhancing historical understanding, and stepping outside our daily routines.
While we budget, save, and plan our itineraries, the true outcomes of these mother-daughter journeys remain wonderfully unpredictable. What we do know is that we create shared memories and discover who we are beyond our usual rhythms.
In Montana, my daughter discovered the profound quiet of stillness, a sharp contrast to our noise-filled lives. She found joy in spotting wildlife, while I reveled in cross-country skiing and unfettered ice skating.
Yellowstone should not be missed. Go during the Winter Season – bundle up and embrace the magic.
Itinerary for Montana’s Wild Beauty
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