During five decades the two of us have traveled through much of the country and visited most of America ’ s national parks . Viewing the Grand Canyon , exploring Yosemite Valley , and road trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway never get old no matter how many times they have been experienced . Of all our many national park visits , one taken several years ago continues to stand out as the most memorable .
The majority of travelers , including the two of us , choose to visit national parks during the summer months when days are warm and daylight arrives early to linger deep into the evening . This is when most national parks are at their busiest with heavy vehicle traffic , crowded visitor centers and fully occupied lodging facilities .
We often travel in December , but typically to warm locations such as Key West or the desert Southwest . However , one January we enjoyed a grand time in Yellowstone , a national park noted for its frigid winters . We
Beside our Yellowstone snowcoach . These 0lder snowcoaches have been replaced by newer models .
have enjoyed numerous summer journeys to Yellowstone both before and after that winter , but it was the January experience that continues to offer the most vivid memories of Yellowstone or any of the other national parks we have visited .
Upon our arrival Yellowstone was deep in snow , and with crowds long gone , the park experienced a magical silence . During four days in the park we observed more wildlife than in all of our other Yellowstone visits combined . Following breakfast one cold morning we were the only two individuals to watch iconic Old Faithful Geyser erupt in a curtain of steam .
A view of Yellowstone during our snowcoach ride from Old Faithful to Mammoth .
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