Yellowstone in Winter 2026, Trip 1

Photography Tour

Experience the magic of Yellowstone in Winter where our main focus is on wildlife photography! Imagine frosty bison wandering through icy steam-veiled geysers, while wolves, otters, bighorn sheep, elk, coyotes, and foxes add life to the breathtaking winter scene. Yellowstone is a nature photographer’s paradise, and our photo tour maximizes your wildlife encounters and your time in the park! We work the park from three locations using luxury snowcoaches and a spacious private bus. This targeted access and small group allows you to photograph the stunning scenery and wildlife action as it unfolds before us.

Trip Details

Yellowstone in winter is a nature photographer’s paradise!

Winter in Yellowstone offers a dramatically different mood—one of survival and beauty and unlike most tours, we focus on wildlife. As snow blankets the mountains, wildlife descends into the valleys searching for food and warmth. Bison move through the snow and ice, showing us what it really means to endure the bite of winter. Coyotes and fox in their beautiful, thick coats, hunt the fields, diving into snowbanks to catch mice and voles under the snow or stand stoically against the cold. Bald eagles, river otters, trumpeter swans and an array of ducks appear along the rivers. Wolves hunting in packs may make a kill and feed there for days. These are all our targets in addition to fast moving creatures like pine martins and ermine!

Small group size for an awesome experience

We keep our group size small so you can jump out of vehicles more quickly when wildlife appears and so you have more space for yourself and your gear. A small group also means more time for one-on-one instruction, especially for tougher situations like shooting in snow.

We maximize your time and your photographic opportunities in the park!

We honed this itinerary to perfection!

Unlike other tours, we’ll explore the park from three different entrances, allowing you to explore every accessible corner of this winter wonderland.

We will work Yellowstone’s stunning interior (Hayden Valley, Swan Lake Flats, Madison River, Mammoth Hot Springs, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Electric Peak and more) via private luxury snowcoach, and work the Lamar Valley via spacious private bus designed to let you jump out quickly when wildlife appears. Our unique approach puts you in the best positions every day for great wildlife encounters.

Yellowstone is rich and the more time you have in the park, the more amazing wildlife encounters and photos you will capture! Over the course of our 9 days together, you will have 6 ½ days of game drives! You will get the most time in the park of any tour we know – and more time inside the park means more photographic opportunities and more time capturing the stunning images of your dreams!

Just imagine wolves, bison, big horn sheep, otters, bobcats, moose, foxes, coyotes and more set against the stunning winter scenery! The surroundings transform with geysers enshrouded in steam, mud pots bubbling in the frosty air, and waterfalls adorned with icicles that reveal the water’s flow, creating an austere yet captivating environment as the backdrop for our incredible wildlife photography.

When using Gardiner as our base, we’ll alternate excursions between Lamar Valley by bus and Mammoth by snowcoach, ensuring you have the best chances to catch the action. We will enter the heart of the park via a snow coach, looking for and photographing wildlife like coyotes, wolves and foxes and landscapes at iconic spots like Mammoth Hot Springs, Swan Lake Flats and Electric Peak. As we explore the northern range including Lamar Valley, we’ll utilize a private bus to maximize our opportunities to photograph wolves, otters, bighorn sheep, foxes, moose, and more.

When using West Yellowstone as our base, we will venture to the interior, including Hayden Valley, in search of gorgeous foxes and river otters, explore the scenic Madison river area in search of elk, bison, bobcats, trumpeter swans, coyotes; visit the enchanting icy Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

While wildlife is at the forefront of our journey, the stunning landscapes will not go unnoticed. Throughout our quest for mammals, we will embrace the striking, austere beauty that defines the winter season in Yellowstone, perfect for inspiring your creative photography.

Your unforgettable journey awaits!

Our dedication to maximizing your time in the field during this magical season will give you unforgettable memories and stunning photographic opportunities to treasure for a lifetime.

Join us on this exclusive photo tour of Yellowstone, an adventure that promises to blend comfort, creativity, and the wonder of nature with breathtaking beauty and incredible wildlife.

Nature Lover’s Trip: While we cannot offer a discount on this trip due to our need to keep the group size small, this is a terrific trip for the non-photographer spouse/friend who loves spending time with wildlife.

Fitness Level: Easy. You will be hopping out of the snowcoaches and bus but we do not do any hikes or significant walking.

Tour Information

Starts

Jan 3 2026

Ends

Jan 11 2026

Leaders

Steve and Nicole

Price

$7500

Deposit

$2000

Participants

6 participants

Availability

Just 1 Spot Left!

Booking Info

Deposit of $2000 due with registration

Payment #2 of $3,500 due July 1, 2025

Final Payment of $2,000 due by October 10, 2025

* Pricing based on double occupancy

* Single supplement add $700

Tour Highlights
  • A Focus on Wildlife – The landscapes of Yellowstone in Winter are legendary for their icy nature but add in wildlife as they work to survive these conditions, and you have a new level of emotion. These are the scenes that get attention.
  • Maximum photographic opportunities! Over the course of our 9 days together, you will have 6 ½ days of game drives! Obviously, more time in the park equals more photographic opportunities!
  • Work the Park from all 3 Entrances! Most tours only take you into the Park through one or two entrances. With us, you will work it from all three, maximizing the shear number of days in the park shooting and your ability to get to the action!
  • Privately chartered snowcoach that gets us into the interior of this winter wonderland where we find some of the best wildlife areas of the park. These parts of the park are closed to vehicles this time of year.
  • Private bus with plenty of room for you and your gear that takes us through Lamar Valley, allowing us to pop out wherever we see the wildlife action unfold.
  • Very small group size – We limit the group to just 6 clients. This gives you more room for your gear, the ability to pop out of the vehicles more quickly and gives us better, more intimate wildlife experiences.
  • All transfers included – You will not need to rent a car or arrange for any shuttle services. We have everything taken care of! All you need to do is get yourself to Bozeman and we take it from there! No need to drive in the snow or worry about any of that!
  • Two Photography Instructors – Our tour is designed for photographers of all skill levels. You’ll have two instructors, Steve and Nicole, by your side throughout, ready to advise you on your settings as you capture images of a lifetime!

Arrival and Departure Information

Arrival day: Fly into Bozeman Airport (BOZ), arriving before 1:30pm on January 3. Our private bus will transfer you to our hotel in West Yellowstone.

Note: Please wait for our email alerting you as to when to book your flights. We will share with you our flight details as well as any other important information that may help you with your bookings.

***If you plan to arrive early, before the start of our tour***

You will need to make your own extra/early arrival lodging in Bozeman and be at the airport on January 3 by 1:30pm for our chartered transfer

Departure day: Our private bus will pick you up at 8:00am to transfer you to Bozeman airport. Important flight note: since the weather can be very unpredictable this time of year and the drive to Bozeman can be slow under snow conditions, please make sure your departing flight on the last day is sometime after 2:00pm. Later is better.

Detailed ITINERARY

Day 1

January 3, 2026

Travel Day and arrival at our hotel

Fly into Bozeman airport. Meet our group charter bus for 1:30pm departure from the airport to West Yellowstone. We will meet at 6:00pm for our welcome dinner.

Days 2 and 3

January 4, 2026 - January 5, 2026

Exploring the Interior from West Yellowstone

Going into the Park via snow coach from West Yellowstone gives us unique access to the wildlife rich areas of the Madison River and Hayden Valley as well as opportunities to go to the geyser basins and even Old Faithful. We will typically have breakfast at 6:30am, board our snowcoach between 7:00- 7:30 and head into the park. Each day, we will spend the entire day out finding and shooting wildlife and landscape scenes. Lunch is a box lunch. We will return to our lodge around sunset and enjoy dinner together.

Day 4

January 6, 2026

Transfer to Gardiner

Today, you’ll be transported via shuttle to Gardiner. Enroute to the hotel, the shuttle may stop at some great locations outside the park for wildlife photography. Upon arrival in Gardiner, get settled in the hotel. We will meet as a group for dinner.

Day 5

January 7, 2026

First full day in the Lamar Valley

We’ll board our vehicle at about 7:00am and head into the park. We will spend the entire day out finding and photographing wildlife and landscape scenes. Lunch is a box lunch. We will return to our lodge around sunset and enjoy dinner together.

Day 6

January 8, 2026

Photographing the Interior of the Park from Mammoth Hot Springs

We trek today via snow coach into the interior of Yellowstone, entering the park from Mammoth Hot Springs. Here the highlights are Hayden Valley, Swan Lake Flats, Electric Peak and more. We will look for wildlife to photograph in this unique setting as well as the beautiful landscapes: Bison, coyotes, foxes, pine martins, ermine, birds…wolves…we will look for them all! We will board our snowcoach at about 7:00 and head into the park. We will spend the entire day out finding and shooting wildlife and landscape scenes. Lunch is a box lunch. We will return to our lodge around sunset and enjoy dinner together.

Day 7

January 9, 2026

Back into the Northern range and Lamar Valley

Today we will spend another full day in the Lamar – again looking for great situations with otters, foxes, coyotes, big horn sheep and…maybe wolves.

Day 8

January 10, 2026

Back into the Interior via Mammoth Hot Springs

We board our snow coach for another full day of adventure into the interior. We will board our snowcoach at about 7:00am and head into the park. We will spend the entire day out finding and shooting wildlife and landscape scenes. Lunch is a box lunch. We will return to our lodge at sunset and enjoy dinner together.

Day 9

January 11, 2026

Return to Bozeman for flights home

After breakfast we will say our goodbyes. Our charter bus will pick you up at 8:00am and take you to the airport.

TESTIMONIALS

I have been on several photography workshops with Steve and Nicole and like the other trips, the Yellowstone in Winter trip was amazing! They work tirelessly to ensure you get the best experience possible. This begins from the time you register to the time the journey ends. Nicole provides the “motherly care” to ensure your experience is organized, smooth and enjoyable. Steve is the jokester and works hard to ensure you get the best possible photography subjects and compositions. The Yellowstone in Winter was a trip that I couldn’t get enough of and I have already signed up for next year’s workshop.

Brenda G., Virginia

I did the Yellowstone in Winter with Steve and Nicole and enjoyed every minute. I was the least skilled photographer in our group, and they did a great job for all of us. They got us to the right places at the right times and were very attentive to each of us no matter our individual skill level. I’m looking forward to additional workshops with them.

Paul J., Florida

Highly recommend Steve Gettle nature photography trips. Their Yellowstone trip was top notch.  The trip was well organized, prep materials were helpful and the accommodations were beautiful, on the high end of the scale. Our days were organized to maximize light and photography opportunities.  In Yellowstone, a local guide took us around in a snow coach and took us to excellent locations to spot and photograph a wide range of animals.  There were so many positives from the trip, it’s hard to cover them all here.  I enjoyed the trip so much that I booked their Ecuador trip.

John O., New York

WHAT'S INCLUDED

  • All lodging during the course of our trip
  • All transportation once you arrive at Bozeman airport
  • Private airport shuttle chartered for our group (pick up and drop off at Bozeman airport)
  • All breakfasts and lunches
  • Private snowcoach for the interior and specialized bus for Lamar Valley routes
  • Expert local driver/guides
  • Photographic and creative instruction
  • Comprehensive Pre-trip Booklet that includes all the photo gear and other packing information for the trip as well as all other pertinent details to help you make the most of this adventure

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

  • Airfare to and from Bozeman
  • Dinners
  • National Park pass
  • Gratuities

Tour Extensions

There are no extensions available for this tour.